How many reps of the backward broad jump should you do when you are new to the exercise?

Do 3 sets of 4 to 5 reps, checking your landing space and fully resetting before every single jump rather than rushing the set. Add distance gradually as your landing control improves, not before.

How do you make the backward broad jump easier or harder?

To make it easier, jump for less distance or lay a strip of tape a short jump behind you and check it before each rep. To make it harder, increase the distance or move straight into a forward broad jump the instant you stick the landing.

What is the backward broad jump good for and when should you skip it?

It shifts the emphasis onto the glutes and hamstrings and complements the standard forward broad jump nicely. It is a poor choice in a cluttered or unfamiliar space, or for anyone who has not yet built confidence landing broad jumps they can actually see coming.

Intermediate

Backward Broad Jump

Jumping backward flips the emphasis toward the glutes and hamstrings and challenges your ability to land safely without seeing where you are going. It is a useful posterior-chain power builder and a good complement to the standard forward broad jump.

Equipment: Body Weight
Body part: Glutes, Hamstring
Type: Plyometric
Browse by muscle: Gluteus Maximus, Biceps Femoris, Semitendinosus
Browse by movement: Hinge, Squat

How to do it

1
Stand tall with feet hip-width and a clear, open space behind you.
2
Hinge at the hips and swing the arms forward as you load into a quarter squat.
3
Swing the arms back and drive off both feet, jumping backward for distance.
4
Reach the feet back to prepare for landing.
5
Land softly on both feet in a quarter-squat, absorbing through the hips and knees.
6
Stabilize the landing, then reset and repeat.

Tips

Emphasize the hip hinge on takeoff to load the glutes and hamstrings.
Glance back to check your space before the set, then commit to a soft, controlled landing.
Start with modest distance and build up as your landing control improves.

Variations

Common mistakes

Skipping the glance behind you before committing to the jump risks landing on ground you never actually checked.
The head turns to look behind during the jump, twisting the torso in the air so the landing comes down off-line.
Jumping for maximum distance before the landing is under control turns a posterior-chain builder into an uncontrolled fall backward.
The knees track forward over the toes on landing instead of the hips sitting back, shifting load away from the glutes and hamstrings this jump is meant to train.

Frequently asked

How many reps of the backward broad jump should you do when you are new to the exercise?: Do 3 sets of 4 to 5 reps, checking your landing space and fully resetting before every single jump rather than rushing the set. Add distance gradually as your landing control improves, not before.
How do you make the backward broad jump easier or harder?: To make it easier, jump for less distance or lay a strip of tape a short jump behind you and check it before each rep. To make it harder, increase the distance or move straight into a forward broad jump the instant you stick the landing.
What is the backward broad jump good for and when should you skip it?: It shifts the emphasis onto the glutes and hamstrings and complements the standard forward broad jump nicely. It is a poor choice in a cluttered or unfamiliar space, or for anyone who has not yet built confidence landing broad jumps they can actually see coming.

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