HYROX burpee broad jumps cover 80m of chest-to-floor burpees, each followed by a two-footed forward jump. The energy-saving technique is to keep them low and rhythmic: minimal jump height, a controlled step-in or low hop up, and a broad jump just long enough to cover ground efficiently. Not maximal leaps that spike your heart rate and torch your legs.
- The station is 80m of burpee broad jumps, performed fourth, right after the Sled Pull.
- Chest and thighs must touch the floor each rep; the jump must be a two-footed take-off and landing.
- In THETA coaching data, most Open athletes take 4:00–6:30 here; efficient technique saves 60–90 seconds.
Why are burpee broad jumps so draining in HYROX?
Burpee broad jumps arrive fourth, straight after the two sleds have already loaded your legs and lungs. The movement combines a full burpee (a huge whole-body demand) with an explosive horizontal jump, so it spikes your heart rate faster than almost any other station. Athletes who attack it explosively often find they cannot run the next 1km at all.
The station also punishes poor pacing because it is long: 80m is a lot of repetitions, typically 22–30 depending on jump distance. That means small inefficiencies multiply. A jump that is 10cm higher than necessary, repeated 25 times, is a huge cumulative energy cost for zero time benefit. The skill is doing the minimum viable movement that still counts.
What is the most energy-efficient burpee broad jump technique?
Efficiency comes from lowering your centre of mass movement. Instead of a tall jump up out of the burpee, drop to the floor, then bring your feet in and rise into a low, forward-loaded position: almost falling into the broad jump rather than leaping upward. The jump itself should be flat and just long enough to make steady progress, roughly a comfortable stride length, not a maximal leap.
Keep your arms working with you: a light arm swing into the jump costs little and adds distance. Breathe in a fixed rhythm (many athletes exhale on the way down and inhale on the jump) so you never hold your breath under load. Consistency of rhythm matters more than speed; a metronomic pace you can hold for all 80m beats a fast start you cannot sustain.
How should you pace the 80m to protect your run?
Your target is to arrive at run 5 with a heart rate you can actually run on. That means treating burpee broad jumps as a controlled grind, not a sprint. Break the 80m into mental segments and hold a steady turnover throughout.
| Athlete level | Approx. time for 80m | Jump distance per rep | Pacing cue |
|---|---|---|---|
| First-timer | 5:30–7:00 | Short, controlled | Steady rhythm, no rushing |
| Sub-90 finisher | 4:30–5:30 | Moderate | Never stop moving forward |
| Sub-75 finisher | 3:45–4:30 | Longer, efficient | Low burpee, flat jump |
| Elite-adjacent | 3:00–3:45 | Long, powerful | Continuous, no reset pause |
How do you execute burpee broad jumps step by step?
A repeatable movement pattern keeps your form intact when fatigue sets in. Rehearse this exact sequence in training so it becomes automatic on race day.
- From standing, drop your hands to the floor and kick or step your feet back so chest and thighs touch.
- Push up and bring both feet forward under your hips into a low crouch. Do not stand fully tall.
- Swing your arms and jump forward with both feet, landing softly on two feet.
- Immediately fold back into the next burpee from where you land, no wasted standing pause.
- Keep jumps just long enough to progress steadily; save maximal power for nowhere in this station.
"Burpee broad jumps are won by the athlete who does the least. Lowest burpee, flattest jump, steadiest breath. Explode here and you pay for it on run five, six, seven and eight," says the THETA coaching team.
What common mistakes make burpee broad jumps harder?
The biggest error is jumping too high. A tall jump feels powerful but adds nothing to your horizontal progress while dramatically raising your heart rate: the ball you want to cover is forward distance, not air time. The second mistake is standing fully upright between reps, which wastes energy repeatedly raising and lowering your whole bodyweight when a low crouch keeps you ready for the next burpee.
Breath-holding is the third silent mistake. Under the combined load of a burpee and a jump, athletes instinctively hold their breath, which spikes perceived effort and forces earlier stops. A fixed breathing rhythm tied to the movement keeps you aerobic. Finally, many athletes rush the opening metres and then stall. A steady, unremarkable pace that never stops is almost always faster over 80m than a fast start followed by hands-on-knees recovery.
Common questions
How long is the HYROX burpee broad jump station?
It is 80 metres of continuous burpee broad jumps, performed as the fourth station immediately after the Sled Pull. Depending on how far you jump each rep, this typically works out to around 22–30 reps. It is one of the most cardiovascularly demanding stations because it combines a full burpee with an explosive jump.
What are the movement standards for burpee broad jumps?
Each rep requires your chest and thighs to make contact with the floor at the bottom of the burpee, and the forward movement must be a genuine two-footed jump with a two-footed take-off and landing. Stepping the jump or failing to reach the floor can be no-repped by a judge. The distance is covered by accumulating valid reps until you reach the 80m line.
How do I stop burpee broad jumps destroying my running afterwards?
Keep the effort submaximal: use a low burpee, a flat rather than tall jump, and a steady rhythm you can hold for all 80m. Explosive maximal jumping spikes your heart rate and fatigues your legs, which wrecks the next run. The goal is to finish the station able to run, not to set a station record.
Should I step or jump my feet back in the burpee?
Both are legal as long as your chest and thighs touch the floor. Stepping is slightly slower but far more energy-efficient and is a smart choice for first-timers or when deeply fatigued. Faster athletes often jump the feet back for speed, but even they usually step in when the heart rate climbs late in the station.
How many burpee broad jumps will I actually do?
It depends entirely on your jump distance. Athletes covering roughly 2.7–3.5 metres per rep complete the 80m in around 23–30 jumps. Longer, more powerful jumpers do fewer reps but at a higher energy cost per rep, so the total energy expended is often similar, efficiency, not raw distance, is what saves time.
How do I train for burpee broad jumps?
Rehearse them under fatigue, such as after rowing or running intervals, to mirror the race demand. Include distance-based sets (for example 40–80m repeats) rather than only counting reps, and practise the low, rhythmic style so it becomes automatic. Building leg endurance and aerobic capacity matters more than raw explosiveness for this station.
Can I take breaks during the burpee broad jumps?
You can pause, but standing rests are slow because restarting the movement is costly. The most efficient approach is a continuous, low-intensity rhythm rather than fast bursts followed by breaks. If you must recover, take a couple of controlled breaths in the low position rather than standing fully upright and stalling your momentum.
Sources
- HYROX official race rulebook and movement standards (hyrox.com)
- THETA coaching data, 2024–2026 (burpee broad jump split tracking)
- Established conditioning principles: heart-rate management and movement economy
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