Depth Jump
ಕ್ವಾಡ್ರಿಸೆಪ್ಸ್
What moves the load, and what it costs
8.0MET
Quadriceps is the prime mover, with the glutes, calves assisting. An advanced plyometric that needs a base of strength first. Start from a knee-high box and no higher.
Cue: Step off a low box, land, and jump again as fast as possible — minimising the time on the ground is the whole point.
ಮೂಲ.2024 ವಯಸ್ಕರ ದೈಹಿಕ ಚಟುವಟಿಕೆಗಳ ಸಂಗ್ರಹ.FILED UNDER CALISTHENICS, VIGOROUS.ಪರಿಶೀಲನೆ ಜುಲೈ 2026
SHARED AXIS · SEVEN VALUES FROM ONE TABLE · HIGHLIGHTED ROW IS THIS MOVEMENT
The compendium files depth jump under a category, not a lift. Read the ladder as position, not precision: this is heavier work than sitting quietly by a factor of 8.0, and at the top end of what a gym floor produces.
Turning that MET value into a real energy cost
- Map the movement to a published category. The compendium measures categories of conditioning work, never individual lifts, so depth jump is filed under Calisthenics (e.g. push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups), vigorous effort.
- Take the category's MET value — 8.0. One MET is the cost of sitting quietly, so this is 8.0 times resting metabolism.
- Multiply by 3.5 to get millilitres of oxygen per kilogram per minute, the unit the MET is actually defined in.
- Multiply by your bodyweight in kilograms and divide by 200. The result is kilocalories per minute of work.
- Count working minutes only. Under load, not under the roof — a set of eight is about 25 seconds of the hour you were there.
kcal/min = MET × 3.5 × body mass (kg) ÷ 200 Depth Jump: 8.0 × 3.5 × 70 ÷ 200 = 9.80 kcal/min
ಮೂಲ.ACSM metabolic equation + 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities.REFERENCE BODY MASS 70 KG.ಪರಿಶೀಲನೆ ಜುಲೈ 2026
What is actually doing the work
| Muscle | Role | What it does here |
|---|---|---|
| QuadricepsRectus femoris and the three vasti | Prime mover | Straightens the knee. Rectus femoris also crosses the hip and flexes it, so it is loaded differently in a squat than in a leg extension. |
| GlutesGluteus maximus, medius and minimus | ಸಹಾಯಕ / ಸ್ಥಿರಕಾರಿ | Extends the hip (maximus), and abducts and stabilises it (medius and minimus). The strongest single muscle group in the body. |
| CalvesGastrocnemius and soleus | ಸಹಾಯಕ / ಸ್ಥಿರಕಾರಿ | Point the foot down (plantarflexion). Gastrocnemius also crosses the knee, so it works hardest with the leg straight; soleus takes over when the knee is bent. |
The prime mover produces the movement against the resistance; synergists assist and stabilisers hold a joint still without moving it. An exercise trains the whole muscle it loads — there is no way to work only part of a muscle, and no exercise removes fat from the area around it.
Set up, then earn the rep
Box or step, Bodyweight. Every rep should look like the first one. The moment it stops looking like the first one, the set is finished.
PATTERN · SQUAT
- Stand with the feet hip to shoulder width.
- Dip quickly into a quarter squat, swinging the arms back.
- Step off a low box, land, and jump again as fast as possible — minimising the time on the ground is the whole point.
- Drive through the whole foot and extend the hips, knees and ankles explosively.
- Land softly on the whole foot with the knees tracking over the toes and the hips absorbing the impact.
- Reset completely between reps — every jump should be a maximum-quality effort.
Where this one breaks down
Not theory. These are the faults you correct on a gym floor, and the correction that actually works.
Landing hard and stiff.
The landing is the part that hurts people. Land quietly, absorb through the hips and knees.
Chasing height with a deep, slow dip.
The dip should be quick and shallow. A long descent leaks the elastic energy you were trying to use.
High reps to exhaustion.
Power work is ruined by fatigue. Low reps, full rest.
Regress it, or progress it
Regress — earn it first
Progress — the next demand
This sits at the top of its progression here. Add load, add range, slow the tempo or go single-limb before you go looking for a new exercise.
Prescription: load, reps, rest
Read off the goal, then hold the technique constant as the load climbs. Derived from the movement's mechanics, not invented for this page: a explosive movement is destroyed by fatigue, so reps stay low and rest stays long.
| Goal | Sets | Reps | ವಿಶ್ರಾಂತಿ | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power | 4–6 | 2–5 | 2–3 min | Every rep is fast or the set is over. Fatigue kills the quality this trains. |
| Athleticism | 3–5 | 3–6 | 90–120 sec | Quality of landing matters as much as height or distance. |
| Conditioning | 4–8 | 8–12 | 45–60 sec | Used this way it is cardio, not power work — pick one intent per session. |
| ಆರಂಭಿಕ | 2–3 | 3–5 | 2 ನಿಮಿ | Learn to land softly before you try to go higher or heavier. |
Time under load, in kilocalories
Read these as minutes of work, not minutes in the building. A set of eight takes about twenty-five seconds; the rest of the hour is rest, chalk and queueing.
Mapped category: Calisthenics (e.g. push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups), vigorous effort — 8.0 MET. That is the published category this movement is filed under, not a measurement of this specific lift.
Worked at 8.0 MET × 3.5 × 70 kg ÷ 200 = 9.80 kcal per working minute for a 70 kg adult. Scale it by your own bodyweight; the equation is linear. The full activity dataset lives at BurnLab.
ಮೂಲ.2024 ವಯಸ್ಕರ ದೈಹಿಕ ಚಟುವಟಿಕೆಗಳ ಸಂಗ್ರಹ.CATEGORY VALUE, NOT A PER-EXERCISE MEASUREMENT.ಪರಿಶೀಲನೆ ಜುಲೈ 2026
If the rack is taken
Substitutes train the same prime mover through the same pattern with different kit. Computed from the muscle and pattern data on this card, not hand-picked to fill a grid.
Nothing at all to hand: Pistol Squat is the closest match — same prime mover, same pattern, no kit.
Where it sits in a week
One movement is not a programme. The twelve templates put these in order, including 6 that need no gym at all.
The questions that come up on the floor
What muscles does the depth jump work?
Depth Jump is an explosive movement in which the quadriceps is the prime mover, assisted by the glutes, calves. Straightens the knee. Rectus femoris also crosses the hip and flexes it, so it is loaded differently in a squat than in a leg extension.
Is the depth jump good for beginners?
No. It rates 5 out of 5 for technical demand — high skill and high strength prerequisite. not a movement to start with. Build to it through the easier progressions on this page; the box jump is the usual step before it.
What can I do instead of the depth jump at home?
The closest no-equipment substitute is the pistol squat, which trains the same prime mover through the same movement pattern. It will not load you as heavily, so use higher reps and slower tempo to make up the difference.
How many sets and reps of the depth jump should I do?
For muscle size, 3–5 sets of 3–6 with 90–120 sec rest. For strength, 4–6 sets of 2–5 with 2–3 min rest. In your first month, 2–3 sets of 3–5, stopping well short of failure. Total weekly hard sets per muscle group matters more than the exact rep number in any of these ranges.
Does the depth jump burn fat from the quadriceps?
No. No exercise removes fat from the area it trains — spot reduction has been tested repeatedly and does not happen. Training the quadriceps builds the muscle underneath; where body fat is lost from is decided by an overall calorie deficit and by your genetics, not by which exercise you chose.
Muscle roles follow standard kinesiology references and are described by joint action rather than by gym convention — see how this site is built. Energy figures are derived from the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities. Every reference is named and dated on the ಮೂಲಗಳು page. General information only — not medical or coaching advice. Load, form and progression should be adjusted to your own experience and any injury history. When in doubt, get coached in person.
ಮೂಲ.ಪ್ರಕಟಿತ ವ್ಯಾಯಾಮ ಉಲ್ಲೇಖಗಳು.MUSCLE ROLES ASSIGNED BY JOINT ACTION.ಪರಿಶೀಲನೆ ಜುಲೈ 2026
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