The ability to jump requires power, which is a combination of speed and strength. One without the other does NOT result being able to move body mass a given vertical distance. You need BOTH. Fortunately, the act of jumping actually trains both. Jump high, jump hard, get more reps, go a longer distance, get higher. Each of these are ways to improve.
But what is a necessary part of the jump that many do not consider? Well, it sounds silly… but if you don’t JUMP then you can’t LAND. And it is actually the landing that can be even more stressful on the body. Stress does not need to be perceived as good or bad. It just is. In physical training, stress equates to the stimulus that is necessary to cause changes in tissue structure and function that makes it stronger and more resilient… as long as it doesn’t break or strain. It is the amount of stress that is “just right” that allows for the body to recover from the stimulus and create positive changes and adaptation so that it can grow.
When one jumps off the ground it takes X amount of energy. But in order to land safely, the body must absorb all of its body mass plus the force that gravity places on it from above, X+ gravity. That means the landing actually requires MORE energy than the jump itself. The physiology is more detailed than that BUT, suffice it to say that jumping and landing is something that is good for the physical body.
Jumping also requires mental and neurological components that one might not consider. Think about trying to gauge the height of the box, taking a step up to calibrate your mental tape measure, and then getting just the right amount of explosiveness that you barely “make the landing” on the top of the box. Think about the brain/body programming that had to work- the hardware and the software integrating to make it happen…. the neuromuscular side. Then think about the last time you were a bit overwhelmed by the height of the box in front of you. Or even in the real world: size up that huge puddle forming in front of Ollo/Bui restaurants in a rain storm… and you take the leap. In either situation you MAKE IT… and you ahve overcome a physical challenge that used to stifle you- a mental WIN.
Jump… go ahead and jump. Remember to LAND, too!
Monday’s WOD at 7, 9, 10am and again at 4pm
24 min EMOM (8 rounds):
Min 1: 5 Power Clean
Min 2: 5 Front Squats
Min 3: 5 Tall Box Jumps
(as heavy and high as possible, building across rounds)
