Pogo jumps train your calves and Achilles tendons to store and release energy faster, which directly improves your running efficiency and speed.
What pogo jumps do for your running
Every time your foot hits the ground during a run, your calf muscles and Achilles tendon act like a spring. They absorb impact, store elastic energy, then release it to propel you forward. This is called the stretch-shortening cycle, and pogo jumps are one of the best drills for making that cycle faster and more powerful.
For runners, a quicker stretch-shortening cycle means less time spent on the ground with each stride. That translates to a more efficient gait at easy paces and more explosive force when you need to kick or sprint. You'll also build resilience in the Achilles tendon, which is one of the most common injury sites for distance runners.
How to do pogo jumps
Stand tall with your hands on your hips and your feet roughly hip-width apart. Lock a slight bend in your knees and keep them at that angle throughout the drill. Your knees aren't the engine here. Your ankles and calves are.
Push off the balls of your feet and jump straight up. Think "up and off" rather than "jump and land." You want to spend as little time on the ground as possible between reps. The moment your forefoot touches back down, spring right back up.
Keep your core braced and your torso upright. If you're leaning forward, rocking side to side, or bending at the hips, you're compensating for weak calves by recruiting other muscle groups. Stay stiff through the trunk and let the lower leg do the work.
Aim for quick, rhythmic bounces. A good cue: imagine the ground is a hot plate and you want to get off it as quickly as you can each time you land.
Common mistakes
Bending too much at the knees. This turns the drill into a squat jump and takes load off the calves. Keep knee bend minimal and consistent throughout.
Landing flat-footed. The whole point of pogo jumps is training the elastic response in the forefoot and Achilles. Landing heel-first bypasses the stretch-shortening cycle entirely. Stay on the balls of your feet.
Letting the shoulders creep forward. A forward lean shifts your center of gravity and forces the quads and hip flexors to compensate. Stand tall, look straight ahead, and keep your hips stacked under your shoulders.
Going too slow between reps. If you're pausing on the ground between jumps, you're losing the reactive element. The drill should feel bouncy and continuous, like a pogo stick.
Progressions
Easier: Reduce height, keep rhythm. If you can't maintain quick ground contact while jumping high, lower the height of each jump and focus purely on speed off the ground. You can also do these next to a wall or railing for light balance support while you build confidence.
Standard: Hands on hips, maximal height with minimal ground contact. This is the version shown in the video. Aim for 2-3 sets of 10-15 reps.
Harder: Single-leg pogo jumps. Once double-leg pogos feel easy and springy, progress to one leg at a time. This dramatically increases the load on each calf and Achilles, and more closely mimics the single-leg demand of running. Start with 5-8 reps per side and build from there.
Harder still: Weighted pogo jumps. Hold light dumbbells at your sides or wear a weighted vest. The extra load forces the tendon to store more energy per rep. Only add weight once your single-leg form is solid.
Where pogo jumps fit in your plan
Pogo jumps work best early in a strength session, after your warm-up but before heavy lifts or fatiguing circuits. Because the drill relies on fast, reactive muscle contractions, you want fresh legs to get the most out of it. Doing them while fatigued defeats the purpose and increases injury risk.
They pair well with other plyometric drills like box jumps, bounding, or skipping for height. In a Runna strength plan, you'll typically see them programmed 1-2 times per week during base-building and speed phases.
This is one of many exercises in our strength training program for runners. With Runna, you can add strength and conditioning workouts to your running plan and manage everything in a single app, customized to your ability, equipment, and schedule.