What is Plyometric?

What is Plyometric?

Plyometric exercises are powerful aerobic exercises used to increase your speed, endurance, and strength. They require you to exert your muscles to their maximum potential in short periods of time.

Also known as jump training, plyometric exercises are usually geared toward highly trained athletes or people in peak physical condition. However, they can also be used by people wishing to improve their fitness.

Plyometric exercises can cause stress to the tendons, ligaments, and lower-extremity joints, especially the knees and ankles. It’s important that you have the strength and fitness level necessary to do these exercises safely and effectively.

If you’re adding plyometric exercises to your workout routine, work up to them gradually. Slowly increase the duration, difficulty, and intensity of the exercises.

Leg exercises

There are many plyometric exercises for the legs, including:

Squat jumps

• Stand with your feet slightly wider than your hips.
• Lower your body to squat down.
• Press up through your feet, engage your abdominals, and jump up explosively.
• Lift your arms overhead as you jump.
• Upon landing, lower yourself back down to the squatting position.
• Do 2 to 3 sets of 10 repetitions.

Reverse lunge knee-ups

• Start in a standing lunge with your left foot forward.
• Place your right hand on the floor next to your front foot and extend your left arm straight back.
• Explosively jump up to bring your right knee up as high as you can, lifting your left arm and dropping your right arm back and down.
• Upon landing, move back into the starting lunge position.
• Continue for 30 seconds.
• Then do the opposite side.

Upper body exercises

You can also do plyometric exercises that target your upper body muscles. Here are a couple:

Burpees

• From standing, bend your legs to come into a squat position.
• Place your hands down on the floor as you jump your feet back into a plank position, keeping your spine straight.
• Lower your chest to the floor for one push-up.
• Jump your feet forward to the outside of your hands, coming into a squat.
• Explosively jump up and lift your arms overhead.
• Do 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions.

Clapping push-ups

• Start in a plank position.
• Do a regular push-up by lowering your body down toward the floor.
• As you press up, push hard enough to lift your hands and body as high off the ground as possible.
• Clap your hands together.
• Return to the starting position.
• Continue for 30 seconds.

Exercises for runners

The following two exercises improve speed in runners by targeting the hamstrings and gluteal muscles.

Box jumps

For this exercise, you’ll need a box or something to jump on that’s 12 to 36 inches high. To increase the intensity, you can do the exercise using one leg.

• From standing, squat down to jump onto the box with both feet.
• Lift your arms up as you jump to gain momentum.
• Jump up and backward off the box, gently landing with bent knees.
• Do 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions.

Stairway hops

• Start at the bottom of a staircase.
• Hop up the stairs on your right leg.
• Walk back down.
• Then do the opposite side.

Benefits of the Plyometric

There are many benefits to doing plyometric exercises. Since they require little to no equipment, they can be done anytime, anywhere. Plyometric training increases muscle strength, which allows you to run faster, jump higher, and change direction quickly. They improve performance in any sport that involves running, jumping, or kicking.

In what’s known as the stretch-shortening cycle, concentric contractions (shortening the muscles) are followed by eccentric contractions (stretching the muscles). This provides excellent results in strengthening muscles while improving agility, stability, and balance. These combined benefits allow your muscles to work more quickly and efficiently.

Plyometrics tone the entire body, burn calories, and improve cardiovascular health. They also boost your stamina and metabolism.

Make sure you have the strength, flexibility, and mobility to perform these exercises, especially in your ankles, knees, and hips. Core, lower back, and leg strength are also important. Many plyometric exercises are full-body exercises. They help tone the body by engaging lots of different muscles. Connective tissue is strengthened and you can increase resiliency and elasticity.

Plyometrics can be used by nonathletes to promote general fitness, which can help you in your daily activities. It’s important that you do the exercises properly in order to gain the benefits and prevent injury. Using correct alignment and form can help prevent strain and injury. Always do them when you’re fresh and full of energy.