Broad jumps are an exercise used in many sporting codes to develop or test lower body horizontal explosive power. It is one of the staple movements in my jump progressions for sports that require strong horizontal push offs (e.g. running/sprinting, dive at beginning of swimming race, etc). There is also a way to acutely enhance broad jump performance to potentially induce positive long term adaptations in regards to horizontal force production. Halterers are known as handheld weights used to enhance jump performance. This technique can be dated back to long jumping events during the ancient Olympic games approximately 3000 years ago and may even be the earliest tool used for the purpose of enhancing athletic performance [1]. Handheld load could potentially improve force application capability and muscular adaptations due to the increased loading.
https://youtu.be/dnlt1oIPLZU
The Unloaded Broad Jump
McKenzie et al. [1] set out to investigate the effects of individualised optimal handheld load on the technical (jump technique) and physical abilities (force application) and the performance of a single loaded broad jump.
Who Were The Subjects?
13 female premiere and/or representative players for top tier regional teams with an average playing experience of 11.2 ± 3.1 years.
How Was Individualised Optimal Handheld Load Found?
Each athlete performed broad jumps while holding weight plates in each hand where total load was sequentially involved: baseline (0kg), 2, 4, 6, 8, 10kg total weight. Plates were gripped with the 2 middle fingers held through the middle to create a more open handed grip to reduce as much forearm tension as possible. Each load was converted to load relative to body mass as a percentage.
What Were The Procedures And What Was Measured?
The Halterer Broad Jump
3 baseline jumps were performed followed by 3 jumps with the athletes optimal handheld load. Vertical and horizontal ground reaction force (GRF), ratio of force (RF: explained HERE) and jump distance.
What Were The Findings?
Horizontal mean eccentric force significantly increased (2.84 ± 0.7 to 3.47 ± 1.0 N/kg) between baseline and optimal load respectively. Of greater value, RF was significantly greater in the optimal load condition than baseline (29.1 ± 3.4% to 31.3 ± 4.4%) while total force did NOT significantly increase. The average broad jump distance increased from 188.2 ± 16.1cm to 196.4 ± 13.6cm from baseline to optimal load.
What Does This Mean?
The increase in mean horizontal eccentric force can be explained by the increased downwards force from the arm swing with handheld load which “slows the shortening velocity of the lower body muscles putting them in a better position to produce force and consequently increase jump distance” [1]. Jump distance can also be explained by the increase in RF where a greater percentage of the same total force was applied in the horizontal direction. While this is an acute response, it is speculated that if applied over time, a chronic adaptation may occur where the ability to produce horizontal force during ground contact in various sporting situations is improved.
How Can This Be Applied In Your Training?
The average optimal load for females in this study was 6.7% of body mass. So if you weighed 60kg as a female, a total of 4kgs of handheld weight would be a good estimate as your optimal load where 2kg plates would be held in each hand. Previous research in males has shown different average optimal loads of 9.2% of body mass. So if you were an 80kg male, 7kg of total weight would be a good estimate of your optimal load so 3.5kg of plates per hand.
But Why/How Should You Use The Halterer Broad Jump?
If you play a sport that requires sprint speed, then this exercise can potentially aid in redirecting force in the horizontal direction as a long term adaptation which is a major determinant in short sprint speed performance. This has a far greater impact on sprinting speed than the total force you can apply to the ground. Our article HERE goes into more detail about this.
The halterer broad jump can be done in single jumps or continuous jumps. The continuous jump takes longer to learn but is a good way to teach yourself how to absorb and redirect force efficiently. A good place to start on either jump would be 2-3 sets x 2-4 reps at your optimal load with adequate rest between sets. For a breakdown of how to perform a broad jump and a continuous broad jump without load, check out our videos below. The explanations can be carried over to the halterer broad jump technique.
https://youtu.be/hAKXdtdArYY
The Continuous Unloaded Broad Jump