10 Best Scissors Jump Alternatives for Home Quad Training
If you can’t do Scissors Jumps, use alternatives that still stress the quads and explosive hip extension. Effective options include jump lunges, jump squats, box jumps, Bulgarian split squats, and step-ups. Focus on soft landings and knees tracking toes to maintain quad activation and reduce impact.
Original Exercise: Scissors Jump
How to Perform Scissors Jump
- Assume a lunge stance position with one foot forward with the knee bent, and the rear knee nearly touching the ground.
- Ensure that the front knee is over the midline of the foot. Extending through both legs, jump as high as possible, swinging your arms to gain lift.
- As you jump as high as you can, switch the position of your legs, moving your front leg to the back and the rear leg to the front.
- As you land, absorb the impact through the legs by adopting the lunge position, and repeat.
Pro Tips
- Category: Plyometrics
- Force: Push
- Movement type: Compound
Best Scissors Jump Alternatives
1. Alternate Leg Diagonal Bound
94.4% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Assume a comfortable stance with one foot slightly in front of the other.
- Begin by pushing off with the front leg, driving the opposite knee forward and as high as possible before landing. Attempt to cover as much distance to each side with each bound.
- It may help to use a line on the ground to guage distance from side to side.
- Repeat the sequence with the other leg.
2. Bodyweight Walking Lunge
91% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Begin standing with your feet shoulder width apart and your hands on your hips.
- Step forward with one leg, flexing the knees to drop your hips. Descend until your rear knee nearly touches the ground. Your posture should remain upright, and your front knee should stay above the front foot.
- Drive through the heel of your lead foot and extend both knees to raise yourself back up.
- Step forward with your rear foot, repeating the lunge on the opposite leg.
3. Dumbbell Lunges
79.7% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand with your torso upright holding two dumbbells in your hands by your sides. This will be your starting position.
- Step forward with your right leg around 2 feet or so from the foot being left stationary behind and lower your upper body down, while keeping the torso upright and maintaining balance. Inhale as you go down. Note: As in the other exercises, do not allow your knee to go forward beyond your toes as you come down, as this will put undue stress on the knee joint. Make sure that you keep your front shin perpendicular to the ground.
- Using mainly the heel of your foot, push up and go back to the starting position as you exhale.
- Repeat the movement for the recommended amount of repetitions and then perform with the left leg.
4. Dumbbell Single Leg Split Squat
79% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand.
- Take a step forward with one foot and position your feet so that your front foot is flat on the ground and your back foot is elevated on a bench or step.
- Lower your body by bending your front knee and hip, keeping your back knee slightly bent and your back heel off the ground.
- Continue lowering until your front thigh is parallel to the ground, then push through your front heel to return to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions, then switch legs and repeat.
5. Barbell Walking Lunge
77% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Begin standing with your feet shoulder width apart and a barbell across your upper back.
- Step forward with one leg, flexing the knees to drop your hips. Descend until your rear knee nearly touches the ground. Your posture should remain upright, and your front knee should stay above the front foot.
- Drive through the heel of your lead foot and extend both knees to raise yourself back up.
- Step forward with your rear foot, repeating the lunge on the opposite leg.
6. Box Skip
75% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- You will need several boxes lined up about 8 feet apart.
- Begin facing the first box with one leg slightly behind the other.
- Drive off the back leg, attempting to gain as much height with the hips as possible.
- Immediately upon landing on the box, drive the other leg forward and upward to gain height and distance, leaping from the box. Land between the first two boxes with the same leg that landed on the first box.
- Then, step to the next box and repeat.
7. Backward Drag
68% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Load a sled with the desired weight, attaching a rope or straps to the sled that you can hold onto.
- Begin the exercise by moving backwards for a given distance. Leaning back, extend through the legs for short steps to move as quickly as possible.
8. Barbell Lunge
67% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Start by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart and a barbell resting on your upper back.
- Take a step forward with your right foot, keeping your torso upright.
- Lower your body by bending your right knee until your thigh is parallel to the ground.
- Push through your right heel to return to the starting position.
- Repeat with your left leg, alternating legs for the desired number of repetitions.
9. Dumbbell Forward Lunge Triceps Extension
65.4% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand.
- Take a step forward with your right foot, lowering your body into a lunge position.
- Keep your back straight and your chest up.
- Extend your arms straight overhead, keeping your elbows close to your ears.
- Lower the dumbbells behind your head by bending your elbows.
10. Barbell Step Ups
64.2% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand up straight while holding a barbell placed on the back of your shoulders (slightly below the neck) and stand upright behind an elevated platform (such as the one used for spotting behind a flat bench). This is your starting position.
- Place the right foot on the elevated platform. Step on the platform by extending the hip and the knee of your right leg. Use the heel mainly to lift the rest of your body up and place the foot of the left leg on the platform as well. Breathe out as you execute the force required to come up.
- Step down with the left leg by flexing the hip and knee of the right leg as you inhale. Return to the original standing position by placing the right foot of to next to the left foot on the initial position.
- Repeat with the right leg for the recommended amount of repetitions and then perform with the left leg.
Why You Might Need a Scissors Jump Alternative
Many lifters swap out Scissors Jumps for several reasons: pain, poor plyometric mechanics, space limits, or a desire for more load. Knee pain or poor ankle mobility often makes repeated airborne alternating leg landings unsafe; you may prefer controlled unilateral work like Bulgarian split squats that load the quads without high-impact deceleration. Technique cue: for split squats, keep torso upright and the front knee over the mid-foot to maximize quad shear force. Conversely, if you need power carryover, use jump squats or box jumps and emphasize rapid triple extension—ankle, knee, hip—to train explosive quad and hip extensor coordination. They also reduce cumulative joint stress when programmed correctly.
How to Choose the Right Substitute
Choose a substitute based on goal, joint health, and training context. For power and rate-of-force development pick jump squats or box jumps; cue: explode through the ball of the foot while extending the hip and knee. For hypertrophy or load control pick Bulgarian split squats or slow eccentric step-ups; cue: lower with a 3–4 second descent to increase quadriceps time under tension. If you have ankle or knee restrictions, prioritize single-leg isometrics or Bulgarian split holds to maintain quad activation with lower impact. Adjust volume and rest to mimic the original stimulus—short rest and higher intent for power, longer sets and slower tempo for hypertrophy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What muscles does Scissors Jump work?
Scissors Jumps primarily load the quadriceps through repeated knee extension and eccentric deceleration on landing. They also recruit glutes and calves during hip and ankle extension and require core stability to control alternating leg motion.
What is the best bodyweight alternative to Scissors Jump?
Jump lunges are the closest bodyweight substitute because they preserve alternating-leg plyometry and replicate quad loading. Cue: drive the front knee forward and absorb with a soft landing while keeping your torso upright to maximize quad activation and limit hip-dominant shifts.
Can I build muscle without doing Scissors Jump?
Yes. You can build quadriceps mass with slower, higher-tension options like Bulgarian split squats, weighted step-ups, and controlled tempo squats that increase mechanical tension and time under tension. Focus on progressive overload—add reps, tempo changes, or external load—and keep strict form to target the quads.
More Exercise Alternatives
Find Alternatives for Any Exercise
Use our free tool to discover the best substitute exercises based on your available equipment and goals.
Try the Exercise Substitution Finder →