Access
This article is part of Nature's premium content.
Published online 14 November 2002 | Nature | doi:10.1038/news021111-8
News
Weights gave Olympian long-jumpers a hand
Halteres added centimeters to the leaps of ancient Greek athletes.
They didn't have steroids, high-altitude training or high-tech shoes, but ancient Olympians can still teach us something about sporting technique.
New research indicates that the hand-held weights that Greek pentathletes swung in the standing long jump increased the power the jumper's muscles generated and so lengthened the distance they leapt1.
To read this story in full you will need to login or make a payment (see right).
Comments
Reader comments are usually moderated after posting. If you find something offensive or inappropriate, you can speed this process by clicking 'Report this comment' (or, if that doesn't work for you, email webadmin@nature.com). For more controversial topics, we reserve the right to moderate before comments are published.
There are currently no comments.
