Showjumper – Level 2 Foundation - Development Strength Programme

Jumping asks specific things of your body. Every fence ends with a landing that sends force of well over your own bodyweight up through your foot and leg in a split second.  Your ankle, knee and hip have to soak that up so you stay balanced instead of being jolted onto the forehand. At take-off the horse comes up underneath you and closes your hip for you. Your job is to wait and let that happen, not throw yourself forward to meet the fence.  Holding your position for one jump is one thing. Holding it at fence ten, still quiet and balanced when your legs are tired, is what stops you interfering when it counts.

This programme aims to build the strength underneath all of it. A lower leg that stays where you put it instead of swinging back or sliding forward, the hips and core to hold yourself balanced over a fence, and legs that can take landing after landing without you gripping to stay on. It is the strength-under-load layer that sits on top of the mobility and stability work.

What the programme includes:

• Two full-body strength sessions, run twice weekly or repeated on demand.  

• 3 blocks of 4 weeks.  Each block the workouts change to provide new stimulus and progression that gets more demanding.

• A dedicated mobility and recovery session

• A mobility "snack"

• Pre-ride warm-ups

• Post-ride cool-downs

• Full instructions and guidance on load, judging effort, progression

• Clear coaching cues and video demonstrations

• Habit tracking and in-app insights to keep you consistent

• Rider group to ask questions, add comments or support

• Delivered through the Onya Coaching app

Is Level 2 for you?

This is for riders who have already done some structured strength training. That means you have trained with weights before, not bodyweight or mat work alone. You know your way around a hinge, a squat and a split squat, and you can load them lightly without your form falling apart. You are past your first month or two in a gym or training at home with bands and weights.

Your level here is set by your strength training experience, not by how high you jump. A rider competing at 1.40 who is new to the gym should start at Foundation. An experienced lifter jumping smaller tracks may be ready for this level or beyond. 

If weights are new to you, or you have mostly done bodyweight, Pilates or yoga, start with Foundation and come back to this when you are ready.

The programme calendar starts the Monday after purchase.  The mobility workouts and programme instructions are available from the day of purchase so you can familiarise yourself with the app and get started if you are keen to do something before the Monday programme start!

Your purchase is a one off payment for the 12 week programme in app access.  It is not a permanent or recurring subscription.

All workouts are written by me with exercises to be the most showjumper specific, extensively researched and backed by my 25 years coaching riders and showjumping combined with my Level 4 Strength and Conditioning qualification.