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Hurdle Jump

The hurdle jump strings together several maximal vertical efforts in a row, so it builds both jump power and the reactive ability to reload fast between contacts. The hurdles force you to clear real height and to keep the knees driving up rather than drifting forward. Start with low hurdles and short rows, and raise them only when your landings stay quiet and balanced.

Equipment
Agility Gear
Body part
Glutes, Quads
Type
Plyometric
Browse by movement
Squat
Muscles worked
Target
Gluteus Maximus, Rectus Femoris, Vastus Lateralis
Secondary
Biceps Femoris, Semitendinosus, Gastrocnemius Lateral Head, Gastrocnemius Medial Head
Tertiary
Soleus Gastrocnemius, Lower Rectus Abdominals, Gluteus Medius

How to do it

  1. 1

    Set two to five low hurdles in a line, spaced a comfortable stride apart.

  2. 2

    Stand a short distance before the first hurdle with feet hip-width.

  3. 3

    Dip into a quarter squat and swing the arms back to load.

  4. 4

    Jump up and over the hurdle with both feet, driving the knees up to clear it.

  5. 5

    Land softly on the balls of both feet and immediately rebound over the next hurdle.

  6. 6

    Keep a quick, rhythmic cadence through the row, then reset and repeat.

Tips

  • Jump up and over rather than forward; too much horizontal drift crowds the next hurdle.
  • Drive the knees toward the chest to clear the height instead of tucking the heels back.
  • Keep ground contacts short and springy, and stop the set the moment the rhythm breaks down.

Variations

Common mistakes

  • Solid, unforgiving hurdles get used because they are what the gym owns, and a clipped foot at speed becomes a fall. Use hurdles that tip over, or a row of foam blocks and pool noodles.
  • Spacing gets copied from a video instead of matched to your own stride: a row set too tight forces a shuffle between jumps, and one set too wide breaks the effort into separate standing jumps.
  • The arms stop working after the first hurdle and hang at chest height for the rest of the row, so every rebound after the first loses the upward pull the opening jump had.
  • Eyes drop to the hurdle directly in front of you, which pitches the chest down and drifts each jump forward into the next hurdle. Look at the far end of the row instead.
  • Sets get tacked onto the end of a lifting session when the legs are already cooked, which is exactly when contacts get slow and landings get heavy. Put hurdle jumps early, straight after your preparation work.

Frequently asked

How many hurdle jumps should I do in a session?
Keep the volume low: three to five trips through a row of three to five hurdles, which is roughly 9 to 25 ground contacts, with 60 to 90 seconds between trips so every jump is fresh. Two sessions a week is plenty and they belong early in a workout. Before starting, you should be able to land a two-foot jump from a low box quietly and in balance, and squat through a full range without knee pain. Progress by raising the hurdles slightly rather than adding trips; when the landings get loud, the session is done.
What can I use instead of hurdles for hurdle jumps?
Anything that gives way when you clip it: pool noodles laid across cones, rolled towels, foam blocks, or a line of shoes if you keep the height honest. Avoid boxes, benches and steel hurdles, because catching a foot on something that does not move is how ankles get hurt. With nothing at all, jump over a chalk line and drive the knees to the height a hurdle would have demanded, or do tuck jumps in place, which asks for the same knee drive with no obstacle to clear.
What are hurdle jumps good for, and when should I skip them?
They train reactive strength: absorbing a landing and turning it straight back into another jump, which is what repeated jumping in a game actually demands. Sprinters and court and field athletes get the most from them. They are the wrong choice if you cannot yet land a single jump quietly, if a knee or Achilles is sore, or if the only surface available is concrete, where repeated landings add up fast. They also do not belong in a conditioning circuit; done for reps until you are gasping, they lose the quality that makes them worth doing.

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