Intermediate

Multiple Hurdle Hops

Unlike a single hurdle jump, this drill strings several hurdles together so each landing feeds directly into the next takeoff. It builds reactive power, rhythm, and the ability to reuse elastic energy across repeated efforts, which carries over to running and jumping sports.

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

How to do it

  1. 1

    Set three to six low hurdles in a line, spaced for a comfortable, controlled hop.

  2. 2

    Stand tall in front of the first hurdle with feet hip-width.

  3. 3

    Dip briefly and swing the arms up to jump over the first hurdle with both feet.

  4. 4

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

  5. 5

    Keep the knees tucking up to clear each hurdle and the torso tall.

  6. 6

    Continue through the line, then walk back and reset before the next set.

Tips

  • Minimize ground-contact time between hurdles; think 'bounce', not 'pause and reset'.
  • Use a strong double-arm swing to help drive each takeoff.
  • Start with low hurdles and short spacing, then progress height and distance as rhythm improves.

Variations

Common mistakes

  • The brief dip grows into a deeper squat with every hurdle, so by the fourth you are performing separate standing jumps from a heavy position instead of chaining rebounds.
  • Clearance comes from piking the hips and throwing the feet out in front, which lands you behind your own center of mass and costs the next takeoff. Tuck the knees up under the chest.
  • Height gets set at the maximum you can just clear, and a row you barely clear can only be jumped one hurdle at a time. Pick a height that lets the rhythm survive the whole line.
  • Ten hurdles get laid out because the space allows it, but the last four are always the slow heavy ones; three to six per trip is the working range.
  • The trip back to the start becomes a jog and the next set begins while the calves are still burning. Walk back, breathe, and let the legs feel fresh before the first hurdle again.

Frequently asked

How many sets of multiple hurdle hops should you do when you are new to the exercise?
Three or four trips down a row of three or four hurdles, which is 9 to 16 contacts, with 90 seconds of rest between trips so the last hop is as quick as the first. Once a week is enough when you are also squatting or sprinting, and these go early in the session. Progress by adding a hurdle to the row before you add height; by the time six shin-high hurdles feel rhythmic you are ready for taller obstacles.
Can I do multiple hurdle hops without hurdles?
Yes, and the safer version of this drill uses something that gives way: a line of rolled towels, pool noodles across cones, or strips of tape spaced a stride apart. Tape asks you to supply the knee height yourself, which is most of the point anyway. Avoid a row of boxes, benches or plates on edge, because clipping something solid mid-rhythm is how an ankle or a chin gets hurt. With no space at all, continuous tuck jumps train the same repeated rebound.
What are multiple hurdle hops good for, and when are they a poor choice?
They train reactive strength across repeated contacts, which is the quality separating one good jump from five in a row, so they suit basketball, volleyball and anyone who jumps more than once in a play. They are a poor choice before you can land a single two-foot jump quietly and in balance, a poor choice on concrete, and a poor conditioning finisher, since the moment contacts slow down the drill stops doing its job.

Related exercises

Other movements among FitRay's 2,000+ exercises that load the same target muscle — same equipment and level first.

All Glutes exercises