Plyometrics over the years have been making a comeback. It was long overlooked as just a technique used to train athletes who were trying to gain the competitive advantage over their opponents. But now we see plyometrics incorporated all over the fitness domain.
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| photo Idgym |
To the beginner, plyometrics is “What the hell?! When is this sh** over?!!”
But hey don’t fret.
Anyone can do plyometrics. However, I would not recommend plyometrics to those who are too old to work out or those too young that they have not yet reached puberty.
The method of doing plyometrics will push you to train for maximum force production of your muscles in the shortest amount of time.
Every time you jump and land, your muscle fibers will stretch and pull at your ligaments. The combination of muscles contracting and of stretching will get your heart pumping and muscles maxing out effort.
Benefits
Plyometrics will not only boosts your muscle strength, power, and agility. But it will also jump start your metabolism and force your body into burning calories at a higher rate. Especially since you will expend more energy doing plyometrics then in your standard day-to-day lift sessions.Forcing you to burn more calories with each and every activity.
The high intensity forces more stress on your body’s muscle fibers, specifically in your fast-twitch fibers. Which are the strongest fibers in the human body.
For women, there are additional benefits for building and working out the most popular part of the female body; the butt. You will see a drastic change in your body after adding plyometrics into your lower body workouts.
For men, you will see added power from a few weeks of training especially in you squats and hip mobility.
For athletes, through plyometrics, you will see speed and agility increase. You will also see inches added to your vertical jump.
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Frequency of workouts
For those who have been extremely active, you can do plyometrics twice a week. And resting every 5th week.For those beginning to get back in the gym, one to two times a week is the responsible frequency to avoid injury.
For those slightly on the older side but still active, once a week.
Skip plyometrics if you’re training for long distance running and endurance. Too much high intensity workouts combined with endurance training can lead to over-training. In which your muscles will take longer to heal and are more susceptible to injury.
Exercises
My favorite exercises that I have used over the years are as follows. Beginners perform 3 sets 12-15 reps for 4 weeks. Once you have become accustomed to proper form and technique then 8-10 reps;Box Jump- Lower body
Scissor Jumps – Lower body
Lunge Jumps- Lower body
Plyo Push-ups – Upper body
Jump Squats – Lower body
Medicine Ball Throws - Full body
Jump Rope – Lower body/Cardio
Where can you do plyometrics?
Absolutely anywhere. The best part of plyometrics is that you really don’t need any equipment’s unless you wanted to add some resistance to your workout.You can train in your basement, in your front yard, in your backyard, in front of your TV, or in your local gym.
So get out there today, and add plyometrics into this week’s workout (If you already haven’t). And do not forget to always properly stretch before, in between, and after performing plyometrics.
Did I miss anything? If so please comment below. And don’t forget to SHARE this article with the first person it reminds you of.
Caveat -The older you are, you may only want to perform plyometrics once a week. If you have arthritis, hip replacements, bad knees, etc. then seek medical advice before performing and plyometrics. If you are a child still growing, I would recommend waiting until mid- teenage years.Tweet Me
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