Jumpers/former jumpers of Letsrun: what was your training like?

Jumping is a natural talent and can't really be "trained." With distance running, you can improve through hard work and smart training. With jumping, either you got it or you don't.

Just practice technique a little bit, work out enough that you aren't fat, and the rest is up to genetics.

I wasn’t a particularly good high jumper (6’9ish) and this was more than a decade ago. But below is what I recall.

1) 3-4 days of heavy leg lifting. Squats, cleans dead lifts etc... lots of focus on legs obviously

2) 2-3 days of pretty intense plyos

3) Good amount of cross training to keep weight off

4) 2-3 days of sprint work... more 400 type stuff (resistance bands, 4-6x200 near full recovery that kind of stuff)

5) 2-3 days of technical work lots of different drills... too many to name

just talent wrote:

Jumping is a natural talent and can't really be "trained." With distance running, you can improve through hard work and smart training. With jumping, either you got it or you don't.

Just practice technique a little bit, work out enough that you aren't fat, and the rest is up to genetics.

A post like yours is obviously from a person who never participated in high school T&F or teenage club T&F. If you did participate in high school T&F or teenage club T&F, you were not allowed to participate in any event(s) besides 1600m &/or 3200m. Sprinters and jumpers work very hard and have a greater risk of injury than do long distance runners.

highhoppingworm wrote:

I wasn’t a particularly good high jumper (6’9ish) and this was more than a decade ago. But below is what I recall.

1) 3-4 days of heavy leg lifting. Squats, cleans dead lifts etc... lots of focus on legs obviously

2) 2-3 days of pretty intense plyos

3) Good amount of cross training to keep weight off

4) 2-3 days of sprint work... more 400 type stuff (resistance bands, 4-6x200 near full recovery that kind of stuff)

5) 2-3 days of technical work lots of different drills... too many to name

I participated in the district meet in the high jump and long jump with exactly one day of training - the day before. I was a distance runner. The track coach asked the basketball coach who the best jumper on the team and that was me. I actually did pretty well in both events.

Florida Boy wrote:

Just something I’m curious about. How were your weeks set up? What were your workouts like? What was the technical work like?

Long/triple/high jumpers all welcome!

Mon. Sprints (accelerations or sled ) and Weights (Olympic lifts and squats)

Tues. Recovery -(200yds (down and back on football field) or bike, or swim

Wed. Sprints (flying 60m) and Plyos (hurdle hops and/or bounding)

Thu. Recovery (same as Tues)

Fri. Plyos (hurdle hops, bounding, or technique work) and Weights (same as Monday)

Sat. Recovery (same as Tuesday)

Sun. Rest.

Had much success with this program as an athlete back in the day, and as a Coach now.

Aunt Beatrice wrote:

highhoppingworm wrote:

I wasn’t a particularly good high jumper (6’9ish) and this was more than a decade ago. But below is what I recall.

1) 3-4 days of heavy leg lifting. Squats, cleans dead lifts etc... lots of focus on legs obviously

2) 2-3 days of pretty intense plyos

3) Good amount of cross training to keep weight off

4) 2-3 days of sprint work... more 400 type stuff (resistance bands, 4-6x200 near full recovery that kind of stuff)

5) 2-3 days of technical work lots of different drills... too many to name

I participated in the district meet in the high jump and long jump with exactly one day of training - the day before. I was a distance runner. The track coach asked the basketball coach who the best jumper on the team and that was me. I actually did pretty well in both events.

I have had good high jumpers that clear several inches more after receiving proper instruction. So, you might have done well, but not your best.

I was a lower level D1 conference champ in high jump and runner up in triple.

We didn't have a jump coach and our coach didn't really care what we did, so our usual practice was having slam dunk contests. Sometimes we hit the weight room and sometimes we ran with the sprinters. Not really any structure. Sometimes we'd jog around and flirt with girls and sometimes we'd lie on our backs on the high jump pit and stare at the clouds and talk about girls.

otter wrote:

Aunt Beatrice wrote:

I participated in the district meet in the high jump and long jump with exactly one day of training - the day before. I was a distance runner. The track coach asked the basketball coach who the best jumper on the team and that was me. I actually did pretty well in both events.

I have had good high jumpers that clear several inches more after receiving proper instruction. So, you might have done well, but not your best.

Of course. To be honest I felt like a fish out of water. The one day I practiced I jumped 6'4" in regular running shoes and felt so awkward. I am 6 feet and could dunk with ease. I long jumped maybe mid-22 and again felt so awkward.

For training our athletes were in the weight room 2-3 times per week. In the weight room I preferred a lot of Olympic lifts for our athletes, plyo’s, explosive movements.

We would do block starts to 30 meters, 30 meter flys, a ton of rest btwn. Short hills, frog leaps up short hills, bounds, etc..

Always fast movements first at practice. For example 30 flys, then Olympic lifts, in that order.

On jumping days, a good warm up then jumps before other workouts. Never more than 10 maximum effort jumps. Three step and five step approaches with last three steps short / long / short. This lowers the hips on the penultimate step and then allows the athlete to come up tall for the take off.

I would use coaches eye to catch small but important things. As an example tucking the chin in as the legs go over the bar becomes the body’s reaction to that is to kick the lower legs out for clearance.

Aunt Beatrice wrote:

otter wrote:

I have had good high jumpers that clear several inches more after receiving proper instruction. So, you might have done well, but not your best.

Of course. To be honest I felt like a fish out of water. The one day I practiced I jumped 6'4" in regular running shoes and felt so awkward. I am 6 feet and could dunk with ease. I long jumped maybe mid-22 and again felt so awkward.

Darn, 22 long jump with no real training? You should have been 6-10 or more for high jump

I did the long jump in high school.

A lot of pop ups - short approach jumps.

Into the long jump pit, or indoors onto the high jump pit. Worked on getting height.

Worked on the approach over and over to try to hit the board in stride.

Then tried to put that together for the jump in competition.

Plus sprint training.

Bump!

Great stuff so far!

Bump again, for fun