What's a good ratio for a high jumper. I know most are pretty light for their height. Donald Driver was about 6' 170, but I don't know the weights of any others. I'm 6' and about 165ish to 170. Does this seem either on the heavy or light side?
Is there a certain point where added muscle will hinder performance?
we had a girl hjer (5-8 and 130 lbs) who dropped 5-7 pounds her senior year and she went 2-3" higher on a consistent basis. this year we had a senior boy (5-10 and 160 lbs) add 5-7 pounds and he increased his pr by 3 inches. i guess it "depends" on a number of variables. i don't think you can make blanket statements about height to weight ratio's - but it seems like the lighter and more powerful you are the better you will be in the jumping events. the problem is how do you get more powerful without adding mass? more of an emphasis on plyo's and fewer reps/set? i am not sure - but there are many more qualified people on this board to answer your question.
I agree that the more powerful you are for your weight the better, but I've heard that a sprinter usually has the best power for their weights (190-200lb range), yet you never see high jumpers that big.
HJ is a completely different animal because of the fact that performance in the event is primarily judged by displacement in the VERTICAL (rather than horizontal) direction. As a result, being lighter has greater benefits to a HJer than a sprinter.
It doesn't depend on weight so much as it depends on body fat and lean muscle mass. If you weigh 160 and have 20% body fat than yes, you should lose weight. However if you have 8-10% body fat than you are fine. I would focus more on lifting/training than on how much you weigh, assuming your bf is under control.
HJ is a completely different animal because of the fact that performance in the event is primarily judged by displacement in the VERTICAL (rather than horizontal) direction. As a result, being lighter has greater benefits to a HJer than a sprinter.
While displacement is horizontal, forces into the ground at maximal velocity are primarily vertical. So wouldn't being lighter have the same benefits for both a sprinter or even a long jumper?
I think the benefit of weighing more in sprinting comes from having more/stronger muscles that are being recruited when running, as opposed to being a stick and having less weight to move. Now if your talking about distance running that is a whole different beast- but short sprinting require strength/muscles.
I think the benefit of weighing more in sprinting comes from having more/stronger muscles that are being recruited when running, as opposed to being a stick and having less weight to move. Now if your talking about distance running that is a whole different beast- but short sprinting require strength/muscles.
Having strength and having muscles are far different. Body Builders have muscle but not necessarily strength. This was talked about at length in another thread but most of the top sprinters look BIG on television but in person are far less than what you expect.
Yes muscle strength is what I am talking about. They say the TV adds upto 15lbs! haha. But seriously top sprinters are cut/ripped, they are strong in person but not huge or big.
While displacement is horizontal, forces into the ground at maximal velocity are primarily vertical. So wouldn't being lighter have the same benefits for both a sprinter or even a long jumper?
Neither the vertical forces generated nor the requirement for vertical displacement are close for HJ and sprinting. Your point does show the importance of not carrying around unnecessary bulk though.
I think they are significantly higher for the TJ (because the impact forces are HUGE) and less for the LJ.
When you say significantly higher, we are referencing sprinting? Or because of the impact forces, the requirement for vertical (and horizontal) displacement exceeds even the high jump?
I think they are significantly higher for the TJ (because the impact forces are HUGE) and less for the LJ.
When you say significantly higher, we are referencing sprinting? Or because of the impact forces, the requirement for vertical (and horizontal) displacement exceeds even the high jump?
i think you misread him. vertical displacement is most important in high jump, but vertical forces are more important in the triple jump.
Right. Vertical displacement is higher in HJ. In the TJ, I'd imagine the forces encountered at step and jump landings would be higher than those observed in the HJ just simply due to the fact that they are falling from a much higher height (from the previous jump).
