Exercise guide
Prayer Push Jump
- Intermediate
- Compound
- Timed hold
- Chest
- Lower legs
- Shoulders
- Upper legs
- Waist
This plyometric exercise combines a squat jump with an isometric chest squeeze, building explosive lower-body power while engaging the pectorals, deltoids, and biceps through constant tension.
Reviewed by the Crucible Fit team · Updated June 2026
Muscles worked
Secondary
Equipment
Setup
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and toes pointed slightly outward.
- Press your palms together firmly at chest height in a 'prayer' position, creating tension in your chest and arms.
- Engage your core and keep your gaze forward with a neutral spine.
How to do it
- Inhale as you lower into a squat, keeping your weight centered and maintaining firm pressure between your palms.
- Exhale and explosively jump upward, driving through the balls of your feet to engage the calves and quadriceps.
- During the jump, push your pressed hands straight out in front of your chest to full extension.
- Land softly on the balls of your feet, immediately absorbing the impact by sinking back into the next squat.
Form checklist
- Maintain constant palm-to-palm pressure to keep the pectorals and biceps under tension.
- Keep your chest upright and avoid rounding your shoulders forward during the push.
- Ensure your knees track over your toes and do not cave inward during the squat or landing.
- Land with 'soft' knees to minimize joint impact.
Pro tips
- Focus on the 'mind-muscle connection' by trying to crush your hands together as hard as possible throughout the entire movement.
- Minimize ground contact time by transitioning into the next jump as soon as your feet touch the floor.
Make it harder
- Perform a 'double pulse' at the bottom of the squat before the explosive jump.
- Hold a light medicine ball or yoga block between your palms to increase the resistance on the chest and shoulders.
Frequently asked
- What muscles does the prayer push jump work?
- The prayer push jump primarily targets the biceps, calves, deltoids, pectorals, and quadriceps, and also works the abs, obliques, and serratus anterior as secondary muscles.
- What equipment do you need for the prayer push jump?
- The prayer push jump requires no equipment — just your body weight.
- Is the prayer push jump good for beginners?
- The prayer push jump is rated intermediate. Build a base with simpler variations first, then progress to it with light load and strict form.
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