By Boo Schexnayder
Boo Schexnayder is regarded as one of the world’s premier field event coaches and authorities in sports training program design. Noted for his 18 years on the LSU Track and Field coaching staff, he has developed 26 NCAA champions and 8 Olympic and World championship medalists in the jumping events during his career. He currently operates Schexnayder Athletic Consulting, advising athletes and coaches in a variety of sports, and is a 2025 inductee into the USTFCCCA Hall of Fame.
Weight training is a critical piece in the athletic development program for many sports, including the jumping events in track and field. Well-organized, properly administered strength training is a piece of every successful jump development program.
Generic training is never a good idea, and training simply to produce fatigue should not be an option. Training should be purposeful and organized so that every exercise, set, and rep serves a purpose and fills a logical position in a long-term progression.
PROGRAM GOALS
Weight-training programs should be planned in order to accomplish several goals:
1. Develop Adequate Levels of Maximal Strength
The “slow” forms of strength are not overly important in speed-based sports, and they can, in fact, be overdeveloped. However, proficiency and competency in maximal strength improves biomechanical effectiveness by increasing the efficiency of the body’s musculoskeletal lever systems.
2. Develop Power
Power, the ability to produce force quickly, is important in the jumping events, during which large forces must be produced and applied in a fraction of a second. Developing an athlete’s explosive power may be the most specific and critical purpose of the weight-training program.
3. Develop Reactive Strength and Elasticity
The program should assist in developing reactive strength and elasticity to high levels, supplementing and assisting the sprint and plyometric programs in the development of these qualities.
ORGANIZATIONAL PRINCIPLES FOR JUMP TRAINING PROGRAMS
1. Neural Improvements are Key
Strength improvements gained via hypertrophy are not an option in the jumping events. Not only are we trying to limit increases in body size, but hypertrophy-based strength increases are associated with increases in the slower forms of strength, which are not our primary goal. Rather, the program should be planned to produce neural adaptations, increasing strength by improving motor unit recruitment.
2. Employ Quality-Based Training
Jumpers tend to be tall and slim, which gives them a suboptimal structure for withstanding large lifting volumes. It’s important that the time spent on weight training is efficient and that the training is quality-based. The athlete will get a lot more from multiple sets of a few exercises than from performing many exercises. Long weight-training workouts result in a decrease in power output at the end of the session or cause athletes to pace themselves at the start of the workout to ensure their ability to complete it. Neither is a good option.
3. The Value of Simplicity
Exercises with simple movement patterns enable high-power outputs, greater movement speeds, and weight-based loading. A jumper can be heavy or fancy, or explosive or fancy, but not both. Standard Olympic exercises, like pulls, cleans, and snatches, and simple squats and press-and-pull movements should form the foundation of the program. In addition, these lifts activate large amounts of muscle, which results in greater levels of adaptation. Whole-body responses, like those from the nervous or endocrine systems, should be prioritized. In addition, single-leg exercises should be part of the program because they are specific to the movements in the jumps, but double-leg lifts are superior when high speeds or loads are required.
CATEGORIES OF WEIGHT-TRAINING EXERCISES
Each type of weight-training exercise has a specific role in the weight-training program for jumpers. We’ll categorize weight-lifting exercises as follows:
1. Olympic Lifts
Olympic lifts are the competitive lifts, specifically the snatch, clean, and jerk, along with their derivatives or variations. Olympic lifts develop maximal strength, power, reactive strength, coordination, and assist in skill development and transfer. They produce no long-term negative effects, and tend to sharpen proprioceptors, rather than fatiguing them. The multitude of advantages and the absence of negatives mean they should be the foundation of the program.
2. Static Lifts
Static lifts involve high loads, slow speeds, simple movements, and involve major muscle groups. They are used to develop maximal strength. Most are variations of squats and presses, but isometrics and slow eccentrics fall into this category as well. Large ranges of motion are usually preferred, allowing individual muscles to assume their usual roles in the movement. This improves joint firing sequences and alleviates any imbalances that may exist. However, static lifts can cause proprioceptive fatigue, which decreases coordination and muscle elasticity. These exercises should therefore be programmed with care and aren’t advised at times of the year near critical competitions.
3. Ballistic Lifts
Ballistic lifts are fast, elastic exercises that involve gross movements and major muscle groups. Most ballistic lifts can be classified as weighted jumps or speed presses. They are specific to the jumps and are great for developing power and reactive strength, working hand-in-hand with the plyometric program to accomplish those goals. The spinal loading associated with these lifts requires a certain level of preparation before undertaking them, so they might not be the best choice early in the training year or for younger, less experienced athletes.
4. Regional Lifts
Regional lifts use smaller muscle groups and address a particular body region. They may be bilateral or unilateral. Loads employed are typically lighter than the other types of lifts, so complex or sport-specific movements can be used. In jumps training programs, these exercises are used to supplement strength development.
Throughout the year, regional lifts can be organized into circuits, performed frequently over the first 6 to 8 weeks of training, followed by periodic use on an as-needed basis for the remainder of the training year. Whenever an additional restorative stimulus is needed, circuits can return to the program.
A variety of exercises that address all body parts should be selected. This permits the stimulation of various regions of the body biochemically in a strategic sequence. A variety of movements (e.g., flexions, rotations, extension, etc.) should be selected. Good circuits include at least 12 different exercises and 24 total sets. Do 10 reps of each exercise at a high enough intensity that the final rep produces a little distress at the end of the set. Rest intervals between sets range from 60 to 90 seconds. Implementation of these circuits offers the advantage of enabling regional lifts to be performed independently of the Olympic, static, and ballistic lifts. This allows them to continue their role of strength supplementation but allows a short worklist in other weight-training sessions. Rather than littering the key sessions with several regional lifts that dull their intensity, they can be done on another day and permit the athlete to train with more intensity and focus on the key days.
BASIC PROGRAM LAYOUT
The jumper’s primary weight-training sessions should begin with one of the Olympic lifts. This should be followed by static or ballistic lifting 2 to 3 times per week for the upper and lower body, depending on the time of year and purpose of the session. Regional lifts are scheduled as separate sessions outside of these key sessions and are organized as circuits.
PHASES OF TRAINING
The weight-training program for jumping events should include three phases:
Phase 1: Neural Activation
The primary goal of the first phase of training is to increase neural activation. In this phase, the focus is on improving the nervous system’s ability to activate muscle tissue through increased frequency of stimulation of motor units (muscle fibers). This permits greater efficiency and faster progress in the succeeding training phases. This is accomplished with high volumes of light, fast Olympic lifts. The light loads also ensure greater safety in the early phases of training. A portion of this phase, which focuses on low-intensity squat- and press-type exercises, is dedicated to preparation for maximal strength training with heavy static lifts in the next phase.
Phase 1 Session Components
At least 3 weeks, not to exceed 6 weeks.
Olympic Lifts: 6 sets of 4-5 reps at 55-65% one-rep max.
Lower-Body Static Lifts (deep squats or similar leg movements): 4-5 sets of 5-6 reps, not to exceed 30 total reps or an intensity of 75% one-rep max.
Upper-Body Static Lifts (alternate pressing and pulling movements from session to session): 3-4 sets of 5-8 reps, not to exceed 25 total reps or an intensity of 75% one-rep max.
Phase 2: Maximal Strength Development
This phase focuses on developing maximal strength. The light Olympic lifts in Phase 1 have improved the nervous system’s ability to activate muscle tissue, so progress in this area can now occur faster. In addition, faster accumulation of strength results in less accumulation of the negative consequences of static lifts. In scheduling these static lifts, feature one heavy session per week with heavy squats and another session with diverse, single-leg exercises.
Power development via our Olympic lifting program continues in this phase. The light, fast-bar philosophy continues to maintain neural stimulation. However, the Olympic lifts get a little heavier once per week, in preparation for the intense training to come in the next phase.
Phase 2 Session Components
This phase can last indefinitely, but if (or when) the athlete has developed the ability to deep squat (thighs lower than parallel to the ground) twice his or her body weight, he or she should discontinue the lower-body training and move to the next phase. This improves the athlete’s general movement quality by keeping maximal strength, power, and reactive strength in balance. If this is accomplished quickly, the athlete should still spend at least 4 weeks using this Olympic lifting programming philosophy.
Olympic Lifts: Alternate between medium and light sessions of cleans.
Medium sessions: 6 sets of 2-4 reps at 70-85% one-rep max.
Light sessions: 6 sets of 4-5 reps at 55-65% one-rep max.
Lower Body Static Lifts: Alternate between heavy and medium sessions.
Heavy sessions: deep squatting; 5-6 sets of 3-5 reps at 75-95% one-rep max, not to exceed 18 total reps.
Medium sessions: multiple single-leg exercises; 2-3 sets of 3-4 reps per leg at 80% one-rep max, not to exceed 30 total reps. Splitting the total reps between multiple exercises increases the diversity of the movements used, mitigating the chance of injury related to repetitive movements. Limited, very heavy half-squats might be used here as well to hit specific joint angles associated with good jump technique.
Upper Body Static Lifts: Alternate between heavy and medium sessions, using simple pressing and pulling movements.
Heavy sessions: 3-4 sets of 3-5 reps at 75-90% one-rep max, not to exceed 16 total reps.
Medium sessions: multiple single-arm exercises; 3-4 sets of 5-8 reps, not to exceed 25 total reps or an intensity of 70% one-rep max.
Phase 3: In-Season
The in-season lifting program shows two key shifts in philosophy. At this time of year, the Olympic lifting program becomes polarized. All Olympic lifting sessions are either very light and fast or very heavy. No lifting is done in intermediate intensity zones. The purpose of the previous medium intensity training was to prepare the athletes for the heavy training. With the heavy Olympic lifting in place, the preparatory work is no longer needed. In addition, medium-intensity training during the competitive season isn’t intense enough to help much, but is too heavy to recover easily from. Therefore, it should be omitted from the program.
The static lifting program is discontinued and ballistic lifts are substituted. Discontinued static lifting permits the athletes to be at their coordinative sharpest and elastic bests. The ballistic lifts produce high levels of neural stimulation and tissue load and, as such, will allow continued increases in the more specific forms of strength.
Phase 3 Session Components
Olympic Lifts: Alternate between heavy and light sessions, using cleans.
Heavy sessions: 6 sets of 1-3 reps at 90-100% one-rep max.
Light sessions: 6 sets of 4-5 reps at 55-65% one-rep max.
Lower-Body Ballistics: Abandon squats and replace with ballistic exercises, such as weighted jumps. Use 10-30% body weight, 5-6 sets of 5-12 reps, not to exceed 45 total reps. Vary exercise choice and load from session to session to maintain sharpness. If the athlete doesn’t have a competition for an extended time, he or she can return to squat-type exercises for 5-6 sets of 2-3 reps, not to exceed 12 total reps, and done no more than once every 7 days.
Upper-Body Ballistics: Abandon pressing and pulling exercise and replace with ballistic exercises, such as speed presses. Use 40-55% body weight, 3-4 sets of 5-6 reps, not to exceed 25 total reps.
