Is there a workout that triggers more dread than burpees? CrossFit athletes have complained about this functional exercise for years so naturally they now seem to form a part of every hybrid race. Created by an American physiologist named Royal Huddleston Burpee in 1939 (so that’s how they got their name), they are designed to quickly test an individual’s overall fitness.
In HYROX broad jumps are added to the burpee to create a mutant workout station that marks the end of the first half of the race. A lack of preparation can leave athletes with legs like jelly and gasping for air, yet many experienced HYROX competitors claim this to be their favourite workout station. Follow our guide so you know how to tackle the Burpee Broad Jumps.
Let’s begin with the HYROX rules (page 21). Follow these to complete the Sled Pull workout station successfully and with no penalties:
- The first burpee must be completed behind the start line before you jump forward.
- Once your hands are placed on the ground they cannot be moved forward. Hand placement is only released when rising up into the broad jump.
- Your feet must be within 30 centimeters of your hands before kicking back into a push-up position.
- Your chest must clearly touch the ground when you are in the push-up phase.
- In the broad jump phase you must take off and land with both feet simultaneously. Feet must also be parallel when taking off and landing.
- Broad jumps can be as short or as long as you like.
- No steps forward are allowed between repetitions.
- You have to jump across the finish line to complete the station.
- The distance is 80 meters and time penalties will be assessed for failing to follow the rules.
What makes the Burpee Broad Jumps Challenging
Burpee Broad Jumps are notoriously hard because they combine a series of high-intensity movements into one explosive sequence. Here’s the breakdown:
- Full-body workout
BBJs demand a lot from almost every major muscle group:
- Upper body: The burpee portion works the chest, shoulders, triceps and core during the push up phase.
- Lower body: The squat and broad jump place significant strain on quads, glutes, hamstrings and calves.
- Core: Your abs and lower back must be engaged throughout to stabilise the torso and maintain balance during the jump and landing.
- Power AND stamina
Sprinters use broad jumps to train explosive power. They are a fast twitch exercise which quickly burn through a lot of energy. Combined with burpees you are forced to keep moving, leading to rapid depletion of muscular and cardiovascular reserves as you move through your reps.
- High cardio load
The rapid up and down movement of burpees combined with explosive forward jumps rapidly increases your heart rate. Your cardiovascular system has to deliver oxygen to your muscles fast, which is why BBJs can quickly lead you to feeling winded.
- Coordination and timing
The broad jumps add a layer of complexity to the standard burpee. In a HYROX judges will be watching closely to make sure your feet take off and land in a parallel position. As such poor form can lead to time penalties as well as inefficient movements.
Technique
Pacing – 80 meters is a long way and you will probably need to do 35-50 reps to complete the course. If you can complete the course at a steady pace without taking any breaks you will almost certainly be faster than if you push too hard at the start and then have to rest during the station.
Burpee portion – think of the lowering phase as a controlled fall until your chest hits the ground. Definitely don’t slam into the floor, but you can save some energy by letting gravity help you on your way down.
Feet – when bringing your feet from the push up position to the base of the broad jump there are two techniques people use. We’ll call the first one the Hunter McIntyre technique as the three-time world champion is its most-famous exponent. This technique sticks closest to the classic burpee motion where both feet are always parallel to each other through the burpee motion. This method is fast and (we think) looks better, but it takes more energy than the alternative.
The second technique involves stepping out from the push up position one leg at a time, bringing your feet parallel for the broad jump take off and landing and the descent into the burpee. We find this a bit easier.
One thing to keep in mind for both techniques is that you want to bring your feet all the way to your hands when rising for the broad jump. Over 80 meters you will save yourself from doing several reps by doing that.
Arm swings – use your arms in the broad jump phase. Swing them back then reach forward as you jump to gather momentum and jump a little further.
Momentum – when you land, immediately drop down into the burpee and take advantage of the momentum you have left over from the jump. If you need to rest our preference is to do so lying down as you have no momentum in that position anyway. Also, your heart rate seems to recover a bit faster when lying, rather than standing.
Breathe – there is so much movement and intensity in the Burpee Broad Jumps that some people forget to breathe. Find what works for you, but we focus on exhaling during the jump and inhaling during the descent. You need oxygen at this station! Also, concentrating on breathing can help you get in a rhythm.
Race Strategy
The Burpee Broad Jumps are one of the stations with the widest distribution in results. This is not like the SkiErg or Rowing stations where almost everyone finishes within 2 minutes of each other.
That means that there is time to be gained as you pursue your race goal at this station. Equally a poor performance here can really set you back. We push hard at the BBJs with that in mind, and also with the knowledge that the next station is the Row, which is less taxing and doesn’t offer the same opportunity to gain or lose time.
Training
First, what are the building blocks for Burpee Broad Jumps? You need power and mobility in the following areas:
Lower body – do box jumps, broad jumps, weighted squat jumps
Upper body – do push ups, hand-release push ups, burpee variations
Core – planks, hollow holds
Hip mobility – deep squat holds, dynamic hip openers, cossack squats
Next, get comfortable with your chosen technique so you can be as efficient as possible during this station.
Then, HYROX demands you to run and do the workout stations under fatigue so it’s important to train for that. Here are some ways we train for the HYROX burpee broad jump station:
Pre-run burpees:
Before each running session do a burpee workout to simulate how running will feel on the day. This can be as simple as 20 standard burpees before going into your run.
Burpee Broad Jump EMOM:
10 burpee broad jumps per minute for 10 minutes. If you can’t do this then reduce the number per minute and keep track of your progress.
Leg burner:
200 meter run, then 10 burpees, then sled push (pick a heavy weight), then 60 second rest. Do it 5 times.
Conclusion
Burpee broad jumps are one of the most challenging moves you’ll face in a Hyrox race, combining explosive power, endurance, coordination, and mental toughness into a single relentless exercise. By breaking the movement into its key components and training under fatigue you can turn this dreaded station into an opportunity to gain time on your competition.
Approach with strategy, not just brute force, and you’ll not only survive your burpee broad jumps—you’ll dominate them.
image sources
- Burpee: WODSHOTS
