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Power with plyometric training

Improve conditioning, increase muscle development, and propel your physique to new heights!

While these moves may seem more suitable for the playground, they are actually beneficial to those of us a few years past playtime.

These explosive activities are collectively referred to as “Plyometry”. Simply put, plyometrics works to train muscles to produce the most force in the shortest time. “Athletes use plyometrics to develop muscle power, rapid force production, and dynamic agility in fast-paced movements,” says William Kraemer, professor of kinesiology at the University of Connecticut. “Almost every sport these days incorporates some form of plyometric training into their regimen, as it improves total body power in movements like jumping and throwing, hitting and snatching.”

The great thing about plyometric training is that an athlete can adapt a program to improve their own particular sport. For example, if you play basketball, you will want to focus on throwing and vertical jump skills. If you are a soccer enthusiast, you may want to be more lower-body intensive. Even recreational bodybuilders can benefit from adding some plyometrics to the mix. “Plyometrics hits certain fast-twitch muscle fibers that it won’t reach with other lifting exercises,” says Kraemer. “It also helps increase your power output by improving your rate of force production, a benefit you won’t get unless you’re doing Olympic-style lifting.”

So why not go back and play with plyometrics? It offers complete conditioning, improved power, increased muscle development, and is almost guaranteed to propel your physique to new heights.

UPPER PART OF THE BODY

Start with the lightest medicine ball available, usually 2-4 pounds, and slowly progress to a heavier ball. If you don’t have a sparring partner, use a solid wall or floor to throw the ball.

SIDE LAUNCH

Stand sideways to your partner with your knees slightly bent and your feet shoulder-width apart. Hold the medicine ball with both hands at waist level directly in front of your body and twist using your torso, hips, and shoulders as far away from your partner as possible. From this rope position, unroll hard, swing the ball, and toss it to your partner. Complete all reps on one side before switching to the other.

BENCH PUSH STEP

Lie on your back with your knees slightly bent, your feet flat on the floor, and your lower back naturally arched. Have a partner stand behind you and hold a medicine ball across the upper chest. Catch the ball as your partner drops it, absorbing his weight by bending your elbows and wrists and lowering it slightly toward your chest. Push the ball up immediately, throwing it straight up for your partner to catch.

LAUNCH FROM ABOVE

Stand in front of your partner with your knees slightly bent and your feet shoulder-width apart. Hold the medicine ball with your arms fully extended and your elbows slightly bent, and lift it over and slightly behind your head. Avoid arching your back and over-extending your shoulders. From this position, contract your abs, lats, triceps and shoulders and throw the ball hard towards your partner.

CLAPPING PUSH-UPS

Start in the push-up position with your hands shoulder-width apart, abs tight, and a flat back. Lower your body to a point a few inches above the ground, then explode up and off the ground, patting the air under your chest before landing with your hands in their original position. Go immediately to the next push-up and repeat, keeping ground contact time to a minimum for optimal training effects.

The training

Exercise

Sets

Repetitions

Break time

Side throw

2-3 (per side)

3-6

2-5 minutes

Bench push pass

2-3

3-6

2-5 minutes

Overhead shot

2-3

3-6

2-5 minutes

Clapping Lizards

2-3

3-6

2-5 minutes

LOWER BODY

Begin your lower body plyometric conditioning with the fewest number of sets and the maximum amount of rest. Minimize the time your feet are on the ground between reps for maximum performance.

TUCK JUMPS

From a standing position, jump as high as possible and use your abdominal muscles and hip flexors to bring your knees toward your chest as high as possible. Land on soft knees, compress a bit, then immediately move to the next jump, keeping ground contact to a minimum.

DEPTH JUMPS

Stand on a 12-inch box, step, or other stable surface, and step, don’t jump, from the box to the ground, landing on both feet simultaneously. Compress and absorb the impact by bending your knees and hips, then immediately jump up into the air, jump as high as possible, and land on soft knees.

LIMIT

Think of this as an energy jump. With each jump to each side, exaggerate the movement with all parts of your body, raising your knee as high as possible and swinging your arms as aggressively as possible to jump as high and as far as possible. Instead of doing reps here, you’re shooting from a distance, so with each jump, jump up and forward as far as possible until you move 20 yards.

180 DEGREE JUMPS

Stand with your knees slightly bent and at the same time jump up and turn 180 degrees to look in the opposite direction. Land on both feet and compress like you’re going to jump again, but hold this position for a count of two before exploding and turning to face your starting direction.

The training

Exercise

Sets

Repetitions

Break time

Tuck jumps

2-6

3-6

2-5 minutes

Depth jumps *

2-3

3-6

2-5 minutes

Delimiter

2-3

20 yards

2-5 minutes

180 degree jumps

2-3

3-6

2-5 minutes

* Try to do this towards the beginning of the workout, as they are particularly strenuous.

BEGINNERS

For the first two weeks, take the time to learn the exercises, simply go through the movements of the exercises slowly and completely to master them. Do one set of each, leaving 2-3 days of rest in between for a full recovery. After those initial two weeks, begin to increase your effort to the maximum, keeping your sets at two and your reps at 3-4.

INTERMEDIATE

As your performance improves and increases, you can increase your reps to six and your sets to three.

ADVANCED

Now shoot the moon. Try to jump higher, throw further, and cover more distance with each and every rep. You may return to the 3-rep range for a while, as your body has to adjust to a stronger stimulus again. But don’t be discouraged! It only gives you a higher standard to shoot for in the months to come.

PLYO-PLANNING

Since plyometrics works very specific explosive muscle groups, it pairs well with resistance activities such as cardio training and / or low-profile weight training on the same day. “Do it first and make sure you are fully rested before doing it again,” says Kraemer. “If you’re fatigued, you won’t be able to give it your all and you won’t train the right muscle groups.”

Allow at least two days of rest between plyometric sessions to ensure a full recovery, remembering that the more exercises you do, the longer your recovery interval will be. If you choose to do plyometrics more than twice a week, limit your exercises per session to 1-2 instead of 3-4 to ensure adequate recovery time.

Also avoid doing more than two plyometric sessions per week for the same body group. If you are doing upper and lower body plyometrics both days, be sure to choose different exercises for each session. “Also change the order,” suggests Kraemer. “If you do the lower body first on the first day, do the upper body first on the second day.”

For all of your exercises, keep the rep range fairly low. “Generally, you stick to 3-6 reps per set, depending on how strenuous the exercise is,” says Kraemer. “If you can get more than that, you are probably not doing well, you are not recruiting the muscles you are trying to reach, and you are generally wasting your time.”

Most important of all, remember to rest completely between each set of plyometrics. “You have to realize that this is not a conditioning program or an endurance test, it is a neurological recruiting activity,” says Kraemer. “You’re working your best every time and you have to make a full recovery to be able to work at your best capacity on the next set. You almost have to learn to be lazy!”

PLIOMETRY RULES AND REGS

  • FOREVER Do a dynamic warm-up for 5-10 minutes, such as biking, walking, jogging, or jumping before starting your plyometrics.
  • STRETCH after plyometrics and not before. “It will stretch the elastic component of the muscles, reducing their ability to get maximum power,” says Kraemer.
  • WAER Sports shoe with good lateral stability, adequate arch support and non-slip sole.
  • TO TRAIN on tolerant surfaces such as a good cushioning court, basketball court, or grass area.
  • SUITABLE the form is imperative. For lower body exercises, land gently on the balls of your feet, bending your knees and hips to avoid injury. (If you hear bumps, slaps, and a general shrill noise coming from the foot area, you are landing too hard!) When performing upper body exercises, avoid hyperextending your shoulders and elbows, and focus on recruiting your muscle center back and obliques) to add power.
  • TO KNOW your limits and listen to your body. If you’re overly sore or tired from a heavy lifting session or previous plyometric workout, forgo additional plyometrics in favor of some cardio or light-strength exercises until you feel less fatigued.

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