Plyometric Training

What is Plyometric Training?

Plyometrics are exercises which develop Power. Power is a combination of strength and speed. Improving an athlete's power almost inevitably leads to an enhancement in athletic performance. Jumping, hopping and bounding exercises have long been used as training tools to improve power or explosiveness. More recently, these types of exercises have been called "plyometrics". To put it in technical terms: Plyometrics are exercises which seek to enhance the explosive reaction of the individual through powerful muscular contractions as a result of rapid eccentric contractions. In simple terms, stretching the muscle followed immediately by a rapid contraction of it. An example would be: jumping off a 60 cm (approximately 2 ft) box, bending your knees on landing, thus making your quadriceps (thighs muscles) stretch, and then immediately pushing off with both legs and jumping on to a 1 metre (approximately 3 1/3 ft) high box.

When a concentric contraction occurs (muscle shortens) immediately following an eccentric contraction (muscle lengthens) then the force generated can be dramatically increased. It is important to realise that this energy boost is lost if the eccentric contraction is not followed immediately by a concentric effort. To express this greater force the muscle must contract within the shortest time possible.

The golden rule of any conditioning program is specificity. This means that the movement you perform in training should match, as closely as possible, the movements encountered during competition. If you are a volleyball player interested in increasing vertical jump height, then drop jumping or box jumping may be the right exercise. However if you are a javelin thrower aiming for a more explosive launch, then upper body plyometrics is far more appropriate. For karate a routine involving both upper and lower body exercises would seem appropriate as you need explossiveness in both arms and legs.

As is the case in all other types of training, technique is the key. In this case landing is the most important of all. When the body meets the ground is where the potential for damage is highest. Land like a cat. The joints should not be stiff. Allow the legs to act as a shock absorber. The best way to land is to pretend that you are jumping off of a step behind someone and you don't want them to hear you land. This is true for running as well. Use the body's natural ability the absorb shock. If you hear a lot of noise when you run or land from a jump, remember that energy was used to create that noise and your body was the instrument. Keep it quiet. Some people advocate landing on the ball of the foot and some on the full foot. Either way, energy must smoothly and evenly transfer up the leg. The use of arms in a jump has been shown to contribute up to 10% of the jump results.

At this point, having all but sold you all on the virtues of plyometric training, let me offer a word or two of warning. Firstly, there is currently a debate about the benefits versus the risks involved with training in this fashion. Both camps have impressive credentials which makes a prudent athlete take a moment to think. Plyometric exercises are not for everyone. They are high intensity exercises which are very demanding on your body. You should always start to incorporate plyometrics slowly into your routine and ensure that you start with 10 sec bursts with a substantial walked off recovery period and a thorough warm up prior to the execution of any exercises. Should any pain arise in your joints you should halt the exercise immediately. It may be necessary to do some prior weight training to prepare your body for the ardors of plyometrics. As always, common sense and a good knowledge of your own body should dictate what you can, should, and need to do. Most complaints tend to come from those who were either ill prepared or did not allow their bodies time to recover between workouts and to vary the workouts. Running every day is not good for you either! People with joint problems should, however, avoid plyometrics.

If you're new to plyometrics, for fun, why not go check out my circuits in the Circuit Training pages and see if you can spot the plyometric exercises.

WARNING:

This is for those of you who decided that the "User Agreement" found below did not apply to you and therefore did not bother to read it. Let me give you a highlight minus a ton of legal mumbo jumbo: "Your use of the Service and the Sites is at your own risk"... what this means basically, is that if you choose to do plyometric exercises as described here or on other pages on this site, and, God forbid, injure yourself... you're on your own... We accept no risk for your use of the information we provide. So, having said that, make sure you know what you're doing before doing it, and if you don't, seek more knowledge or guidence Grasshopper... (For you international readers, "Grasshopper" was the main character's name in a popular TV show called Kung Fu. - Training information and TV trivia... there's no end to my altruism!)

This additional warning serves as an additional friendly reminder of the "User Agreement" and does not in anyway supersede it or change it.