Standing Long Jump

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Despite losing its spot as an Olympic event after 1912, the standing long jump is still a great way not only to test, but to improve your lower body power. In fact, it might be the best, most accessible way to do so. Compared to other jumping exercises it's easy to measure, emphasizes the hip hinge movement pattern, and isn't too high impact. While lower body power is useful for most people, athletes in particular can greatly benefit from the standing long jump.

The Basics

The standing long jump is primarily used as a power exercise. Properly training for power means low reps per set and long rest periods between sets. This allows you to perform each rep at full effort.

Form

Set Up

• Stand with your toes just behind the line
• Your feet should be roughly shoulder width apart
• Focus on how far past the line you want to jump

Execution

• Raise your arms above your head and shift your weight to the balls of your feet
• Drive your arms down while bending at the waist and slightly at the knees to preload your muscles
• Focus on using your hips and glutes
• Simultaneously raise your arms to just above shoulder height and extend your hips, knees, and ankles to jump forward
• While in the air, extend your legs out in front of you and bring your arms back behind you
• Land safely, absorbing the impact by bending at your knees and hips

Common Mistakes

Focusing on Your Form

While most certainly not a mistake while learning proper form or tweaking things, you can jump farther if you focus on where you're going to jump rather than your form.

Stepping/Hopping Before the Jump

The standing long jump is just that, a standing long jump. Any additional steps or hops before the jump allow you to jump farther than you normally would.

Additional Info

Measurement

Compared to the vertical jump, most people have the tools needed to fairly accurately measure a long jump. All that's really needed is a tape measure. Simply have a marked starting line and measure from that line to the closest point of contact after the jump. While this may not be as precise as using a sand landing pit, it will be within an inch or two.

Programming

The standing long jump is a power exercise, which means it should usually be performed at near maximum speed and effort. As such, keeping the total reps low, especially if you're just starting out is important. Anywhere from 3-5 sets of 2-5 reps is recommended.

Landing Surface, Technique, and Performance

Using a sand landing pit can improve your performance because it lets you extend your legs a little further than you safely could with other surfaces like concrete.

Reviews

Performance Standard Ranks

The ranks assume that you are generally healthy, with no underlying health conditions or injuries and have the mobility to perform the exercise correctly. You can determine your rank by comparing your numbers to the tables below. Your rank is also tracked automatically when using our Workout Log feature.

Power Standards

The table shows the distance/height in inches needed to reach each of the power ranks. The standards are based on competition data, world records, and the average time needed to attain each rank. To see personalized power standards for multiple exercises, check out the Power Standards page.