Long Jump, Triple Jump, High Jump, Pole Vault

Characteristics of the Sport

 

Overview

Each jumping event has distinctive characteristics; however, quickness, speed and strength are common basic requirements for good jumpers.
 
Long Jump is an event in which athletes attempt to land as far from their take-off points as possible.
Triple Jump requires athletes to ‘hop’, ‘step’ and ‘jump’ as far from a take-off point as possible.
High Jump is an event where the competitors must jump over a bar at measured heights.
Pole Vault is an event in which the athlete attempts to clear a high cross bar with the aid of a long flexible pole.

 

Training

Elite “jumpers” train all year round concentrating on speed endurance running, plyometrics, and heavy strength weights in the off-season. Coming into competition phase, the emphasis is on speed, specific technical sessions in the pit and developing elastic strength and power.
     
Bounding and technical sessions have a high physical impact on the body therefore working on flexibility and core strength is a year round focus.

 

Competition

Major competitions for elite “jumpers” are the Olympic Games, World Championships and Grand Prix Circuit. Most Australian “jumpers” spend the winter months overseas returning to Australia to compete in key selection events during the Australian summer. The domestic season commences in November and continues until March, culminating in the National Championships. At junior and recreational levels, competitions are usually held on a weekly basis during the summer months.

 

Physical Characteristics

Power-to-weight ratio is important for “jumpers”, therefore maximising muscle mass and maintaining low body fat levels is desirable.

For all the events, particularly high-jump, a significant vertical leap is advantageous.

Common Nutrition Issues

 

Training Nutrition

Jumpers need to consume sufficient carbohydrate to fuel training needs, however carbohydrate requirements do not reach the level of endurance-type athletes. Given this, daily carbohydrate should reflect daily exercise levels. Jumpers need to be mindful of maintaining low body fat levels but still need to eat a sufficient variety and quantity of food to meet nutritional requirements and allow for the development of muscle mass. Diets need to be nutrient-dense. This is best achieved by including a wide variety of nutrient-dense carbohydrate sources such as bread, cereal, fruit, vegetables and sweetened dairy products in the diet. Moderate portions of lean sources of protein such as lean meat, skin-free chicken, eggs, low-fat dairy foods, lentils and tofu should also be on the menu. Energy-dense foods such as cakes, pastries, lollies, soft drinks, chocolate, alcohol and takeaways should be used sparingly.

Appropriate snacks need to be included before and after training to maximise performance during training and to promote recovery. The quantity should match the intensity and duration of the ensuing training session with an emphasis towards carbohydrate for the sprinting sessions and carbohydrate/protein for weight training.

A good base diet will provide adequate nutrients and energy to enhance adaptations from training, support optimal recovery and avoid excessive food-related stress.

 

Low-Body Fat Levels

Power-to-weight ratio is an important determinate of performance. Jumpers require low body fat levels whilst being strong and muscular. Low body-fat levels usually occur naturally for male athletes, thanks to the cumulative effect of training on the right genetic stock. However, male jumpers often need to reduce total body mass leading into the competition phase. Some of the additional muscle mass gained in off-season weight training is not sport specific, therefore needs to be trimmed to achieve an ideal body composition for competition. Female jumpers often need to manipulate their food intake and training to achieve their desired body fat levels.
Jumpers needing to reduce their body fat level should target excess kilojoules in the
diet. In particular, excess fat, sugary foods and alcohol can add unnecessary kilojoules and would be better replaced with more nutrient-dense foods.

 

Preparation for Competition

Since jumps will not deplete muscle glycogen stores, the day of competition is best tackled with glycogen stores topped up to their usual resting level. This can be achieved with the athlete’s usual carbohydrate intake and 24-36 hours of rest or very light training.

Hydration and gastrointestinal comfort are important considerations pre-competition.  Jumpers need to feel comfortable, confident and ‘light’ on the runway.  A reduced fibre intake may be helpful in the 24-36 hours before competition.  Products such as liquid meal supplements may be useful as a pre-event meal.

 

Competition Day Food and Fluid

A single jump involves only a brief explosion of energy and does not significantly affect muscle glycogen stores.  However, competition may drag out for many hours whilst each competitor takes a turn.  Qualifying rounds usually last for two hours or more.  The main focus of competition eating in these events is to maintain blood glucose levels, maintain hydration and maintain a comfortable stomach. 

Sports drinks are useful to assist with meeting fuel and fluid needs during competition.  Other easy-to-consume options include:

• Fruit
• Sports bars or cereal bars
• Flavoured yoghurt
• Plain sandwiches
• Tinned fruit
• Jelly lollies
• Liquid meal supplements

It is important to experiment in training so that you can be confident of your routine on competition day.

Case Study

Kate was a talented long jumper.  However, her haphazard approach to eating was letting her down.  Kate was grabbing food on the run.  This caused her to make poor food choices.  Meals and snacks were poorly timed around training sessions and Kate was often famished at the end of the day and consequently, consumed a substantial portion of her daily intake in the evening.  A sports dietitian showed Kate how to rearrange her food intake to better support the hard training she was doing.  The main changes for Kate involved:

• Consuming a better quality breakfast
• Using sports drink during the morning training session
• Refueling post-training with a lunch that provides carbohydrate and is rich in other nutrients.  Having lunch immediately after the morning training session facilitates faster recovery.
• Consuming a snack that provides protein and carbohydrate prior to weights.  This can enhance muscle synthesis.
• Dinner is consumed earlier to facilitate recovery after training.
• Dinner is a smaller meal.  A more consistent eating pattern throughout the day means Kate is less likely to over-consume food in the evening.

 

UNORGANISED		ORGANISED
Breakfast 7 AM	Banana Handful of biscuits	Breakfast 7 AM	Bowl of high fibre cereal with skim milk Piece of fruit
Training 10 AM	Track Work	Training 10 AM	Track Work
Lunch 1:30 PM	2 pieces fruit Yogurt	Lunch 12 NOON	Sandwich with meat and salad Yoghurt Piece of fruit
Snack 3:45 PM	Handful jelly lollies	Snack 3:15 PM	Glass of PowerBar Protein Plus Powder Piece of fruit
Training 4 PM	Weights	Training 4 PM	Weights
Dinner 7 PM	Large meal of fish, vegetables and rice	Dinner 6 PM	Smaller Meal of fish, vegetables and rice
Snack 8:30 PM	Large bowl of ice cream Biscuits	Snack 8:00 PM	Hot chocolate made with skim milk

 

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Written by Olivia Warnes and the Department of Sports Nutrition, AIS © Australian Sports Commission 2004

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