shepard/james

The goblet jump squat fires up the central nervous system and recruits a monster amount of muscle fibers. Yet it's highly underused and underrated. You could load goblet jump squat with any size dumbbell without compromising your mechanics. The front-loading also takes stress off the spine. Weighted jumps are crucial for explosive athletes. And they're a great primer exercise that'll prepare any lifter for a squat session. Try 3 sets of 5 before your next leg day. – Calvin Huynh

Stand on the steps, which allows you to sink rock bottom, and hold onto the dumbbell with outstretched arms, which allows you to stay more upright. Keep your knees out and chest up. Push through the heels, sit the butt straight down, and let the knees migrate forward and outward. Then descend as deep as possible without losing good spinal position. Do 3-4 sets of 8-20 reps. Want more quad? Elevate your heels onto 10-pound plates for a "constant-tension" style where you don't quite lock out at the top. – Bret Contreras