Last Updated on April 16, 2023 by Andrew Pirie
Svetlana Shkolina
Svetlana Shkolina World Champion Women High Jump Exercises and Diet
Published December 29, 2019
Svetlana Shkolina of Russia won the women’s high jump at the world championships Saturday. With a leap of 6 feet, 8 inches.
And beating Brigetta Barrett of the United States by 1¼ inches.
While she earned a bronze medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Also, she set an outdoor personal best of 2.03 meters at the 2012 Olympics.
And her indoor personal best is 2.00 meters, achieved in February 2010 in Arnstadt.
- Svetlana Shkolina’s full name is Svetlana Vladimirovna Shkolina.
- She is 6’2″ (187 cm)
- and weighs about 146 lbs (66 kg).
- 27 years of age.
- And has affiliations with Trade Unions, Moskva, Russia.
Her brief set of top achievements
- once Olympic Games Bronze medalist
- once World Championships Gold medalist
- once the Olympic Games finalist
- thrice World Championships finalist
- and three times Diamond League meeting winner.
Characteristics of the Sports High Jump: a High Jump is an event where the competitors must jump over a bar at measured heights.
Training for High Jump: Elite “jumpers” train all year round, concentrating on speed endurance running, plyometrics, and heavy strength weights in the off-season.
Coming into the competition phase, the emphasis is on speed, specific technical sessions in the pit, and developing 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.
How fit must a jumper be?
The jumping events involve short, intense efforts, so anaerobic fitness must be excellent, while aerobic fitness is less important.
High jump
High jump exercises for an event involve short, intense efforts, so anaerobic fitness must be excellent, while aerobic fitness is less important.
- Typical build High jumpers are typically tall and lanky.
- Muscles are well-defined without being too bulky.
- In addition to power and strength, high jumpers need to be flexible and supple.
High Jump Exercises: Technique
Three phases can be practiced with High Jump Exercises to the high jump: approach, take-off or lift-off, and bar clearance.
Each phase is dependent on the one before it.
Most high jumpers use a technique called the ‘Fosbury Flop,’ which revolutionized the event when athlete Dick Fosbury first used it in the 1960s.
The ‘Flop’ involves running toward the bar in a J-shaped approach, lifting off with the left foot, pivoting the right leg back, and clearing the bar backward.
The high jump exercises approach, which involves accelerating the body along a curved path that leads up to the bar, is as much a part of high jumping as the lift-off or clearance and is practiced hundreds of times to perfect its speed, rhythm, and timing.
If the run is weak or poorly timed, the jump will be too.
The J-shaped form of approach allows for more horizontal speed, places the athlete in a good take-off position, and allows for turning in the air.
The approach is a gradual acceleration, somewhere between a sprint and a jog, comprising about eight to twelve controlled, bouncy strides to build up momentum for the vertical spring.
While the ‘J’ curve is significant, the athlete must put one foot in front of the other and not step out of the curve.
At this point, the athlete is leaning away from the bar, allowing for the centrifugal force to pull the body into a vertical position for the jump.
High Jump Exercises: Vertical Leap
The lift-off combines horizontal momentum with a vertical leap. And includes the last few strides of the run.
The movement is relatively fast in these last strides, with a crouch and spring in the last stride.
The jumper must push against the ground with as much force as possible and launch directly upwards.
As the jumper leaves the ground, the free leg swings forward and upward to assist the upward lift while the arms swing up.
The ideal bar clearance position is with the body’s center over the crossbar at the jump’s peak as the body travels up and over.
Both arms are thrust over the head, and the jumper looks back and up over the right shoulder.
This head position enables the back to arch as the shoulders travel over the bar.
Once the hips clear the bar, the jumper “kicks” to get the heels up so the trailing feet clear the bar too.
Training program and High Jump Exercises
The training combines working on all aspects of the jump technique and strength training several days a week.
A jump athlete will usually have his or her training divided up into phases during the year.
Typically, the first few months will focus on the general development of strength, mobility, endurance, and basic technique.
This will be followed by a period of honing specific fitness and advanced technical skills.
The athlete will then participate in minor competitions and aim to achieve qualification times for the main competition.
Preparation for and participation in the major event follows. The last month or so of the year is used as an active recovery period.
Cardiovascular fitness
High jumpers have good cardiovascular fitness levels, but this is less important than in long-distance endurance events.
High Jump Exercises: Speed drills
High jumpers are concerned with form, power, and timing rather than speed, and their training drills reflect this.
High Jump Exercises: Resistance training and muscles
Explosive power in the take-off is vital in attaining a maximum height in the jump, and strength training, particularly of the leg and thigh muscles, is essential to achieve this.
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High Jump Exercises: Reaction time
Reaction speed plays a minor role in the high jump. Knowing at which point to make the take-off is more a result of repetition in training than a quick reaction.
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High Jump Exercises: Endurance training
Endurance is not the main focus of training.
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High Jump Exercises: Nutrition
Plans for high jump athletes are designed to improve muscle strength and supply them with sufficient energy.
This diet includes carbohydrate-rich foods that provide fuel for training and protein-rich foods for building muscle.
Many nutritionists recommend following up on a resistance session with a ‘recovery snack. Contains high levels of protein and carbohydrates to enhance recovery.
It may be even more valuable to have this snack immediately before the workout.
Athletes typically eat several meals and snacks (from five to nine) throughout the day and according to their training and competition schedule.
Carbohydrate is essential for providing energy in the days leading up to the competition. Still, carbohydrate loading is not as important in quick, intense jumping events as in endurance events.
The final pre-event meal need not even be carbohydrate-based.
However, jump events do not help drastically lower carbohydrate and fluid levels. Athletes may have to compete in a series of heats and semi-finals over a fairly long period.
Thus the athlete needs to keep plenty of carbohydrate-rich drinks and light snacks at hand during a multi-event program.
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