HYROX Burpee Broad Jump Guide
The only bodyweight station in HYROX and the great equalizer. Station four covers 80m of combined burpees and broad jumps with identical standards across all divisions. What separates athletes here is technique efficiency and pacing discipline, not strength or equipment.
Burpee Broad Jump Technique
The HYROX burpee broad jump combines a chest-to-floor burpee with a standing broad jump as a single fluid rep. The landing point of each jump becomes the start of the next burpee, and the 80m distance is covered entirely through the accumulated forward displacement of each jump.
The Efficient Burpee
HYROX uses the chest-to-floor burpee standard: both the chest and thighs must contact the ground simultaneously at the bottom of each rep. There is no push-up requirement, which saves significant upper body energy over 80m. Key efficiency cues: keep hand placement narrow to reduce the distance the chest travels, use a controlled drop rather than fighting the descent, and push the floor away explosively from the bottom position.
For athletes with good hip mobility, stepping the feet forward rather than jumping them (both in the kick-back and the recovery) saves energy and reduces the aerobic spike of each rep. This step-based variation is legal in HYROX competition and is used by many elite athletes managing fatigue across a long race.
Jump Distance Optimization
Jump distance directly determines the total number of reps required to cover 80m. A 1.5m jump requires approximately 53 reps. A 2.0m jump requires approximately 40 reps. A 2.5m jump requires approximately 32 reps. Every 10cm of additional jump distance over 80m saves roughly 3-4 reps, which at a 5-second rep rate saves 15-20 seconds.
The optimal jump technique uses an arm swing to generate momentum. Swing the arms back during the quarter squat loading phase, then drive them forward and upward aggressively as the legs extend. The arm swing contributes approximately 10-15% of horizontal displacement. Do not neglect it even under race fatigue.
Connecting the Movement
The most important technical skill is the transition between landing and the next burpee. Athletes who pause, stand fully, then begin the next burpee are significantly slower than those who flow the landing directly into hand placement. As your feet land, hinge immediately forward and place the hands without a standing pause. This continuous flow, practiced deliberately in training, can save 1-2 seconds per rep across the full 80m.
Race Position Considerations
The Burpee Broad Jump is station four, meaning athletes arrive having already completed the SkiErg, Sled Push, Sled Pull, and three running segments. The accumulated fatigue is the primary challenge of this station, not the movement complexity. Athletes who have practiced the burpee broad jump in a pre-fatigued state in training will execute significantly better on race day.
Performance Benchmarks
Target times for the Burpee Broad Jump 80m by experience level. All divisions face identical standards at this station.
| Level | Men | Women | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beginner | 7:00 – 10:00 | 8:00 – 12:00 | Short jumps, frequent pauses, first race |
| Intermediate | 5:30 – 7:00 | 6:30 – 8:00 | Consistent cadence, 1.8–2.0m jumps |
| Advanced | 4:30 – 5:30 | 5:30 – 6:30 | Unbroken, 2.0–2.3m jumps |
| Elite | < 4:30 | < 5:30 | Continuous flow, maximum jump distance |
Jump distance is the dominant variable. An elite male athlete completing this in under 4:30 is averaging roughly 2.3m per jump at a consistent sub-7-second rep rate. Improving jump distance by 20cm can reduce total time by 40-60 seconds.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Athletes feel relatively fresh at station four and the bodyweight nature of the movement makes it tempting to sprint through the opening reps. Going out at maximum effort in the first 20m almost always leads to a dramatic slowdown in the final 40m where rep times can double. Start at a pace you can sustain for the full 80m.
Many beginners subconsciously shorten their jump distance to make each rep feel more manageable. This is counterproductive because it increases total rep count and total time. Focus on maximizing jump distance on every single rep, even when fatigued. A 1.5m jump from a tired athlete takes the same energy as a 2.0m jump with better mechanics but covers 25% less ground.
Standing fully upright between the burpee and the jump breaks momentum and costs time. The transition from standing to the loaded jump position should be a single continuous motion. Even a one-second pause per rep adds over 30-40 seconds across the full 80m.
Athletes who jump with arms passively by their sides generate meaningfully less horizontal distance per jump. The arm swing provides 10-15% of jump distance. Actively cue the arm drive back during the load phase and forward-and-up during the jump phase on every rep throughout the 80m.
Training the burpee broad jump fresh in the gym gives very little information about how you will perform at station four in a race. Replicate race conditions in training by doing burpee broad jumps immediately after a SkiErg effort or sled work. This is the only way to calibrate your race-day pacing.
Best Training Exercises
Because the burpee broad jump is a bodyweight movement, it can be trained anywhere and at high frequency. The primary goals are improving jump distance, reducing rep-to-rep transition time, and building the aerobic capacity to maintain cadence under fatigue.
- Burpee broad jump repeats: 5 x 20m with 60s rest. Focus on maximal jump distance every rep. This is the most specific preparation available.
- Standing broad jump singles: Practice maximum-effort broad jumps from a standing start to ingrain the arm swing and hip drive pattern without the burpee fatigue component.
- Tuck jumps: Build explosive hip extension and knee drive that transfers to jump distance under fatigue.
- Box jumps: Trains explosive power through the posterior chain. Use a conservative box height and focus on speed of execution rather than maximum height.
- Tempo burpees: 3-4 sets of 10 burpees focusing on minimizing time between each rep. Use a metronome to establish and hold a target cadence.
- Pre-fatigued combos: Run 400m at race pace then immediately perform 20m of burpee broad jumps. This trains the specific transition from running to the station that occurs on race day.
- Hip flexor mobility: Tight hip flexors limit hip extension in the jump phase. A daily hip flexor stretch routine measurably improves broad jump distance for many athletes.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. The Burpee Broad Jump is the only station in HYROX where all divisions face identical standards. There is no weight difference between Women Open, Women Pro, Men Open, or Men Pro. The distance is 80m for every competitor. This makes it a rare true equalizer in a race that is otherwise heavily influenced by division-specific weights.
The official HYROX burpee standard requires both the chest and thighs to touch the floor simultaneously at the bottom of each rep. There is no push-up requirement. Athletes must stand fully upright before executing the broad jump. Judges enforce this standard and can call out athletes for incomplete reps that must be redone.
The target for competitive athletes is 2.0m or more per jump. Elite athletes average 2.2-2.5m per jump during the station. A 2.0m average requires approximately 40 total reps to cover 80m. A 1.5m average requires approximately 53 reps. Beginners should target 1.5-1.8m and build from there.
Yes. The step-out and step-in burpee variation is permitted in HYROX competition. Many experienced athletes use this variation to manage heart rate and upper body fatigue, reserving their explosive energy for the broad jump itself. The step variation is slightly slower per burpee but allows a higher-quality broad jump, which can result in a net time benefit.
Start at a sustainable pace and maintain it for all 80m. A consistent 8-second rep pace throughout is faster than a 6-second pace for the first 30m followed by 12-second reps in the final 50m. Before your first race, practice the station to determine a rep pace you can hold for 40-plus reps. Use that as your starting pace on race day, not your fresh-legs pace.