HYROX burpee broad jumps: technique, standards and pacing

HYROX burpee broad jumps are 80 metres of burpees, each followed by a two-footed jump forward, and they are the fourth of the race's eight stations. To get through them cleanly you need your chest to touch the floor on every rep, both feet to take off and land together, and a steady pace you can hold without blowing up before the rowing.

Nothing is heavy, yet you are up and down off the floor dozens of times on tired legs. This guide covers the standards from the official HYROX Season 26/27 singles rulebook, simple technique, pacing for your first race, and how to train it in a normal week.

What are the HYROX burpee broad jump rules?

HYROX is eight 1 km runs, each followed by a workout station. Burpee broad jumps come fourth, after the SkiErg, sled push and sled pull, and before the rowing, farmers carry, sandbag lunges and wall balls. The distance is 80 metres for every division. Here is what the current singles rulebook asks for, in plain English. Doubles and relay racers have their own rulebooks, so check yours.

Some venues split the 80 metres into sections with a turn. You do not burpee around the turning point, but both feet must fully cross each white line before you turn, and every new section starts again with your chest down and hands behind the line. Grid lanes are only a guide, so faster racers can move across to overtake.

Penalties at this station work on a warning system. Your first infringement earns a formal warning, the second a 15-second time penalty, and every one after that another 15 seconds, with no more warnings. You may also hear that your thighs have to touch the floor. The current rulebook only specifies the chest.

How do you do a burpee broad jump with good technique?

Think of each rep as two simple moves joined together: a burpee to the floor and a jump forward. If full burpees are still new to you, start with our step-by-step burpee guide for beginners, then add the jump.

• Step 1: Hands down close. From standing, hinge at the hips and place your hands shoulder-width apart, just in front of your toes. Close hands mean less distance for your feet to travel and no risk of breaking the 30 cm rule.
• Step 2: Chest to the floor. Step or jump your feet back and lower all the way down. Letting your hips and thighs rest on the floor too is fine, and it is the easiest way to make sure your chest really touches.
• Step 3: Push up and bring your feet in. Push the floor away, use a knee if it helps, then step or jump your feet up to just behind your hands. Never past your fingertips.
• Step 4: Set your feet level. Before you jump, take a split second to make sure your feet are side by side, roughly hip-width apart.
• Step 5: Swing and jump. Swing your arms back as your hips sit back, then drive your arms forward and push through both feet together. Aim forward, not up.
• Step 6: Land and go. Land on both feet at once with soft knees, then fold straight down into the next burpee without any shuffle step.

A simple cue to repeat in your head: hands to toes, chest to floor, feet to hands, jump. Breathe out as your chest goes down and again as you jump.

How far should each jump be?

Further is not always faster. Jump length is up to you, and the maths is simple: if each rep moves you about 2 metres, 80 metres takes around 40 reps. At about 1.5 metres it is roughly 53 reps. A huge jump saves a few burpees, but it costs far more effort, and tired legs make it much harder to land with your feet level.

Most first-timers do well with a comfortable jump, roughly three-quarters of their best standing broad jump, that they can land under control every time.

How should first-timers pace burpee broad jumps?

Remember where this station sits. You arrive having already run four times and done the SkiErg, sled push and sled pull (our sled push training guide explains why that work hits the legs so hard), and you still have four more runs and four more stations to go, starting with 1,000 metres of rowing. The aim is to finish this station with something left, not to win it.

• Start slower than you want to. The first ten reps should feel almost too easy. Going out hard is the classic mistake.
• Find a rhythm and keep it. For example, one rep every 6 to 8 seconds. At 7 seconds a rep, 45 reps takes a little over five minutes.
• Step when it helps. Stepping back and stepping up is legal, and so is using a knee. Many racers switch between jumping and stepping as the station goes on.
• Rest standing, not lying down. If you need a breather, take it on your feet for a few breaths. Getting up off the floor after a long pause is harder than it looks.
• Ease into run 5. Let the first few hundred metres be relaxed while your heart rate settles.

You will need the same patience at the final station, covered in our HYROX wall balls technique guide.

What are the most common burpee broad jump mistakes?

Most warnings and penalties come from a few habits that creep in when you get tired.

• Hovering at the bottom. Your chest stops a few centimetres short of the floor. Lower all the way down every time.
• Staggered feet. One foot lands ahead of the other, or you jump off one foot first. Pause for a split second to set your feet level.
• The shuffle step. A small adjustment step after landing is not allowed. Land balanced so you do not need one.
• Diving hands. Reaching far forward with your hands, or sliding them forward once they are down. Keep them close to your toes.
• Overstepping. Stepping your feet past your hands as you come up.
• Landing on the finish line. If either foot touches it, you owe another rep.

What drills help you get better at burpee broad jumps?

• Broad jump and stick: 3 sets of 5 jumps. Hold each landing for two seconds and check your feet are level.
• Chest-to-floor burpees: 3 sets of 8 slow step-back burpees, making the chest touch obvious on every rep.
• Technique sets: 4 or 5 sets of 5 burpee broad jumps with full rest, focusing only on clean standards.
• Run then jump: 3 or 4 rounds of a steady 400 metre run straight into 10 to 20 metres of burpee broad jumps, so you learn the movement on tired legs.
• Support work: goblet squats, push-ups and planks build the legs, chest and trunk that keep each rep tidy.

How do you fit burpee broad jumps into a normal training week?

You do not need a dedicated session. Small doses spread through a normal week work well, as in this example for someone training four or five days.

Build gradually. Start with pieces of 10 to 20 metres, work up to 40 metres in one go, and save one or two full 80 metre efforts, ideally straight after a run, for the last few weeks before your race. Burpee broad jumps are tough on the legs, so keep a hard set away from the day before your longer run.

This is where one joined-up plan helps. Edge builds running, strength, HIIT and mobility into a single personalised plan, so station practice sits alongside your runs instead of being piled on top of them. And from November, Edge Rewards will turn logged training like this into points.

This article is general guidance, not medical advice. If you are new to exercise, returning from injury, or managing a health condition, speak to your GP before starting, and see a physio for any niggle that does not settle.