Burpee broad jumps blow up your HYROX race because they spike your heart rate and flood your legs with lactate right before a 1km run, and most athletes attack them too fast. The fix is to slow down deliberately: a controlled, rhythmic step-down burpee with a modest jump keeps you moving without redlining, so you can actually run the leg that follows.
- Burpee broad jumps cover 80m and sit fifth of eight stations, immediately before a run leg. Fatigue here directly costs run pace.
- THETA coaching data, 2024–2026, shows this is the station most likely to trigger a heart-rate spike that wrecks the following two kilometres.
- As of 2026, the athletes who pace burpees well are rarely the fastest at the station. They are the ones who run fastest afterwards.
Why do burpee broad jumps hurt so much?
Because they combine a full body-to-floor movement with an explosive jump, repeated across 80m, and they come deep into the race when you are already fatigued. In my coaching experience, athletes treat them like a sprint, go anaerobic within the first 20m, and then spend the next run leg trying to recover a heart rate they never needed to spike. The station itself is not that long. The damage is what it does to the two kilometres either side of it.
What is the energy-saving technique?
Efficiency beats power here. Step down and step up rather than jumping your feet if that keeps your breathing controlled, keep your chest movement minimal within the standards, and make the broad jump only as long as you can land in balance and immediately reset. A shorter, rhythmic jump you can repeat 40 times without stopping beats a huge jump that forces you to pause. The goal is a metronome, not a series of maximal efforts.
| Approach | Fast athlete does | Smart pacer does |
|---|---|---|
| Jump length | Maximal broad jump | Moderate, balanced landing |
| Burpee tempo | Explosive, then pausing | Steady, continuous rhythm |
| Breathing | Anaerobic early | Controlled throughout |
| Next run leg | Slowed by 20–40s/km | Near normal pace |
How should you train for them?
Practise them fatigued, not fresh. Doing burpee broad jumps in isolation teaches you nothing about the real problem, which is running afterwards. The most useful session is a compromised block: run 400–800m, do 40–80m of burpee broad jumps, then immediately run again and hold pace. That trains both the movement economy and the heart-rate control you need on race day.
- Rehearse a repeatable rhythm at conversational effort, not maximal.
- Do burpee broad jumps immediately before run intervals in training.
- Practise nasal or controlled breathing to cap your heart rate.
- Refine jump length until you can land and reset without pausing.
- Simulate the station's race position. Deep into a session, not fresh.
"I tell every athlete the same thing: nobody wins a HYROX on the burpee broad jumps, but plenty of people lose the next two kilometres there. Pace it like it is a run, because effectively it is," says George Wootten, Executive Coach, THETA.
How much time do they really cost?
The station itself is usually a few minutes, but the hidden cost is the run that follows. An athlete who redlines can lose 20–40 seconds per kilometre on the next leg, which over a compromised run is far more than any time saved by jumping harder. This is why THETA's analysis of publicly logged elite training, 2023–2026, keeps pointing back to compromised running as the real decider. The burpee broad jumps are a compromised-running problem disguised as a strength station.
Common questions
Why do burpee broad jumps spike my heart rate so much?
Because they combine a full floor movement with an explosive jump repeated across 80m, which recruits large muscle groups and drives you anaerobic quickly. Attacking them fast almost guarantees a heart-rate spike that damages the following run leg.
Should I do big or small broad jumps in HYROX?
Smaller, controlled jumps that let you land in balance and reset immediately are usually faster overall, because they keep you moving without pausing. A maximal jump that forces a stop after each rep wastes more time than it saves.
Can I step instead of jump in the burpee?
Yes, stepping your feet down and up is legal provided you meet the movement standards, and it can keep your heart rate lower. Many athletes step to preserve energy for the run that follows the station.
How do I stop burpee broad jumps ruining my next run?
Pace the station at a controlled, repeatable effort rather than a sprint, and practise running immediately afterwards in training. Keeping your breathing under control through the station is what protects your subsequent run pace.
What is the best way to train burpee broad jumps?
Train them fatigued and paired with running, for example run intervals with a burpee broad jump block in between. This builds both movement economy and the heart-rate control the race actually demands.
Where do burpee broad jumps come in a HYROX race?
They are the fifth station of eight, sitting after the sled pull and before the rowing, deep enough into the race that accumulated fatigue amplifies their cost. Their position is exactly why pacing them well matters so much.
Sources
- HYROX official race rulebook and station standards (hyrox.com)
- THETA coaching data, 2024–2026
- THETA's analysis of publicly logged elite training (Strava, race splits, published programs), 2023–2026
- Established principles of pacing and lactate management
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