Sports training
Strength and landing workout for jumpers: landings, complex pairs, tendons and trunk
In a small randomised trial in 36 teenage long jumpers, 8 weeks of complex training, heavy squats and Romanian deadlifts each followed by jumps three times a week, raised the vertical jump by 15.6%, against 5.7% with the same lifting alone. This session uses the trial's first-phase pairs after landings and hops, then adds the tendon and trunk work jumpers need: jumper's knee and Achilles problems are common in jump sports, and vaulters' and high jumpers' backs take heavy loads. Learn the lifts first, and if you're under 18, train with a qualified adult.
Warm-up
- Treadmill jogging5 min easyIntermediate · Quads, Calves, Glutes · 3D demoEasier: Treadmill walkingHarder: Sprint intervals
- World's greatest stretch4 each sideIntermediate · Hip flexors, Adductors, Glutes · 3D demoReach up as you turnEasier: Low lunge (Anjaneyasana)Harder: Active pancake lift-off
Landings
Rest 60 s
- Snapdown to athletic landing2 × 5, holding each landing 2 sBeginner · Quads, Glutes, Hamstrings · 3D demoKnees over the toes, chest upHarder: Box drop landing
- Box drop landing3 × 5 from 20 to 30 cmIntermediate · Quads, Glutes, Hamstrings · 3D demoLand on both feet and freeze, quietlyEasier: Snapdown to athletic landingHarder: Depth jump
- Single-leg hop and stick2 × 5 each leg, holding each landing 2 sIntermediate · Quads, Glutes, Calves · 3D demoTake-off leg firstEasier: Standing broad jump with stuck landingHarder: Alternate-leg bounding
Pair 1 (2 rounds: 60 to 90 s between the lift and the jumps, 2 to 3 min between rounds)
- Barbell back squat8 to 12 at about 60% of your best, at an effort of 6 to 7 out of 10Advanced · Quads, Glutes, Hamstrings · 3D demo2 s down, a 1 s pause, then up; safety pins setEasier: Bodyweight squatHarder: Overhead squat
- Intermediate · Quads, Glutes, Calves · 3D demoStraight up, land quietlyEasier: Bodyweight squatHarder: Box jump
Pair 2 (2 rounds, rests as above)
- Barbell Romanian deadlift8 to 12 at about 60% of your bestIntermediate · Hamstrings, Glutes, Back · 3D demoBar close to your legs, flat backEasier: Dumbbell Romanian deadliftHarder: Romanian deadlift from a deficit
- Box jump10 onto a 30 cm boxIntermediate · Quads, Glutes, Calves · 3D demoLand softly on the box and step downEasier: Jump squatHarder: Depth jump
Tendons
Rest 1 to 2 min
- Spanish squat (band squat hold)4 holds of 30 to 45 sIntermediate · Quads, Glutes · 3D demoHard but OK; knees bent to about 60 degreesEasier: Straight-leg raiseHarder: Pistol squat
- Single-leg calf raise from a step3 × 10 to 15 each legIntermediate · Calves · 3D demoSlow on the way downEasier: Slow calf raiseHarder: Single-leg pogo hops
Trunk
- Hollow body hold3 × 20 sIntermediate · Abs, Hip flexors · 3D demoLower back pressed downEasier: Dead bugHarder: Dragon flag
- Side plank2 × 30 s each sideIntermediate · Abs, Hip abductors, Shoulders · 3D demoHips highEasier: Knee side plankHarder: Side plank with leg lift
- Intermediate · Back, Glutes, Hamstrings · 3D demoHinge from the hips; don't swing or over-archEasier: Ball back extensionHarder: Horizontal back extension (hyperextension, Roman chair)
Tips
- About 105 landings in all, counting the bounces: within the 100 to 120 a session our jump guide gives intermediate athletes.
- Twice a week out of season, as in our jump guide; the trial used three short sessions a week after a 4-week phase learning the movements. In season, once, early in the week.
- Progress as the trial did after 2 weeks: 65% to 70% of your best with 10 to 12 depth jumps from 40 cm or bounds. For power cleans, use our power clean guide's sets and reps, not the trial's.
- Keep knee tendon pain at 3 out of 10 or less, settling by the next morning, as our jumper's knee guide explains.
- Vaulters: add pull-ups and the hollow and arch holds from our gymnastics conditioning workout. Back pain that lasts more than a couple of weeks, or is worse arching back, needs checking.
The doses are suggested starting points, not a prescription. Choose a range you can control and stop for sharp or increasing pain, numbness or tingling. Get individual advice after an injury or surgery, or if you are pregnant or managing a health condition.
Guides that recommend it
Find more moves like these
More sports training
Injury prevention exercises for runners
Foot, calf, balance and hop exercises taken from the running trials with positive results, in a 25-minute home routine for 3 or 4 days a week.
25 minBeginner11 movesOther / check instructions, A bench or box
Plyometrics for runners
A 20-minute hop and bound session for runners: ankle bounces to pogo hops, one-leg hops and bounding, building foot contacts slowly over 10 weeks.
20 minIntermediate8 movesCardio machine
Strength workout for cyclists (gym)
A 50-minute gym session for cyclists: heavy squats, one-leg presses, hip flexion and calf raises as in the cycling trials, plus jumps for bone.
50 minIntermediate13 movesCardio machine, A barbellQuestions people ask
How long does the strength and landing workout for jumpers: landings, complex pairs, tendons and trunk take?
About 50 minutes, including any warm-up and cool-down listed. Shorten it by doing fewer rounds; lengthen it by adding one.
What equipment do I need?
You need: Cardio machine, A step, A barbell, A bench or box, A band, An anchor point, A wall. Each move links to its guide, where you can find an alternative if you are missing something.
Is it suitable for me?
It is written at intermediate level. 13 of its 15 moves have an easier option listed beside them; use them freely.
How do I make it easier or harder?
Use the easier or harder option listed under each move, change the number of rounds, or adjust the rest. Progress one change at a time.