Prayer Push Jump

Muscles worked

Setup

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and toes pointed slightly outward.
2. Press your palms together firmly at chest height in a 'prayer' position, creating tension in your chest and arms.
3. Engage your core and keep your gaze forward with a neutral spine.

How to do it

1. Inhale as you lower into a squat, keeping your weight centered and maintaining firm pressure between your palms.
2. Exhale and explosively jump upward, driving through the balls of your feet to engage the calves and quadriceps.
3. During the jump, push your pressed hands straight out in front of your chest to full extension.
4. 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.

Related exercises

• Baseball HitAdvanced · biceps, deltoids, glutes, hamstrings, lats, obliques, pectorals, quadriceps, and triceps
• Step Side Sky PunchIntermediate · abs, calves, deltoids, glutes, obliques, pectorals, and quadriceps
• Air Punches MarchBeginner · calves, pectorals, and quadriceps
• Alternate Front Kick In Place With Arm CirclesBeginner · abs, calves, deltoids, and pectorals