Medically reviewed by Daniel Bubnis, M.S., NASM-CPT, NASE Level II-CSS, Fitness — Written by Emily Cronkleton on January 23, 2019 Share on Pinterest 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. There are many plyometric exercises for the legs, including: Share on Pinterest Squat jumps
Share on Pinterest Reverse lunge knee-ups
You can also do plyometric exercises that target your upper body muscles. Here are a couple: Burpees
Clapping push-ups
The following two exercises improve speed in runners by targeting the hamstrings and gluteal muscles. Box jumpsFor 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.
Stairway hops
Tuck jumpsThis exercise improves your agility, strength, and stability. It’s useful in sports training for any activity that requires you to quickly change direction.
Lateral boundsThis exercise helps to increase your speed and jumping height. It’s useful for increasing power in soccer players.
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. In addition, plyometric exercises rapidly stretch your muscles, allowing you to move more efficiently. While this is good for increasing force, you must use caution since it can increase stress and injury. At the same time, doing plyometric exercises correctly has been shown to help prevent injury. 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. Do a 10-minute warmup before doing plyometrics to loosen and warm up your body. Follow each session with a cooldown. Yin yoga may be the perfect complement to a plyometric workout since yin yoga benefits the connective tissue and joints. You may consider doing a yin yoga session on your rest days. Use caution when adding plyometric exercises to your workout routine if you’re a beginner or have any injuries or chronic conditions. It’s best if you already have an established workout routine and are physically fit before beginning plyometric exercises. These exercises require strong ligaments and tendons since they can cause stress to the joints. Slowly add plyometric exercises to your routine, starting with basic, lower-intensity moves before moving into more challenging movements. Gradually build up the intensity and difficulty once you’re sure your body is strong enough to handle the exercises. If you find that plyometric training is too intense, consider trying out a different method of exercise. Talk to a personal trainer, exercise physiologist, or exercise professional if you’d like to learn more about this type of training. It may be beneficial to have at least a few one-on-one or group sessions to help you get started. Touch base with an exercise professional at least once a month so they can make sure you’re on the right track, provide helpful feedback, and teach you new techniques. Proper form is essential in order to ensure safety. Talk to your doctor before starting any new exercise program. This is especially important if you have any medical concerns, injuries, or take any medications. Plyometric exercises can help improve athletic performance in athletes and develop physical fitness in nonathletes. Plyometrics increase speed, power, and quickness. The exercises use a lot of force and require a lot of strength, mobility, and flexibility. This requires you to be relatively physically fit before beginning them. Consider working with an exercise professional when you’re starting out. This reduces the risk of injury and allows you to learn proper form and technique. While plyometric exercises can be challenging, you just may enjoy the experience as well as the results. Last medically reviewed on January 23, 2019 |