This plan is based on a research paper (Garcia-Pinillos et al. 2020) which showed that completing this program as part of your running warm up will significantly improve your running performance over the 3k distance. It will also improve your jumping performance, countermovement jump, squat jump, drop jump, and foot-arch stiffness. These training improvements have also previously been shown to improve running economy at longer distances. This plan is therefore also suitable to longer endurance runners.

This is a simple addition to your home training which you can incorporate into your running program for everything from sprint triathlon through to marathon and ultra marathon training.

Weeks 1 & 2 you will do 2 sessions each week of 30sec jumping / 30sec rest x5 with a cadence of 100-120rpm. This is with both feet (bilateral).

Weeks 3 & 4 you will do 3 sessions each week of 30sec jumping / 30sec rest x5 with a cadence of 100-120rpm. This is with both feet (bilateral).

Weeks 5 & 6 you will again do 3 sessions each week of 30sec jumping / 30sec rest x5 but increase the cadence of 120-140rpm. This is with alternating feet (unilateral)

Weeks 7 & 8 you will now do 4 sessions each week of 30sec jumping / 30sec rest x5 and with a cadence of 120-140rpm. This is with alternating feet (unilateral)

Weeks 9 & 10 you will do 4 sessions each week but now with 40sec jumping / 20sec rest x5and with a cadence of 120-140rpm. This is with alternating feet (unilateral)

Reference: Garcia-Pinillos, F., Lago-Fuentes,C., Latorre-Roman, P., Pantoja-Vallejo, A. and Ramirez-Campillo, R. (2020) Jump-Rope Training: Improved 3km Time-Trial Perfomance in Endurance Runners via Enhanced Lower-Limb Reactivity and Foot-Arch Stiffness. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance (Ahead of Print)