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Best Plyometric Exercises for SPEEDPlyometric and explosive movements -
Plyos are also good for challenging your strength since your muscles have to work hard to perform them correctly. And plyometrics can count as cardio, too, since they are high-intensity exercises that will get your breathless fast. Now, people may wonder if plyometrics are an isometric exercise technique.
The answer? An isometric exercise , by contrast, involves muscles staying super still while they work.
A plank , for example, is an isometric exercise. In terms of which muscle groups plyos work, for the most part they are actually full-body movements, says Hodges.
That said, many plyometric exercises—like jumping lunges, pop squats, and tuck jumps—place an extra emphasis on your core and lower half. But there are some upper-body-focused plyo moves too, says Hodges—for instance, plyo push-ups and explosive medicine-ball throws.
There are many benefits of plyometric exercises that might just convince you to add them to your workout routine.
They can help increase speed , strength, endurance, agility , and coordination, says Hodges. This can come in handy for athletes whose sports require them to perform quick, powerful movements—like track athletes, for instance, or volleyball players.
With proper plyometric training you can boost your ability to effectively and safely absorb shock and thus reduce the risk of injury in sports and workout settings. One more big benefit of plyos?
They are a good bang-for-your-exercise-buck, says Hodges. The big benefits of plyos come with a big caveat: There is a higher risk of injury with these moves than more traditional strength training or cardio since they are a high-impact form of exercise performed at max effort.
It also means that you should likely hold off on plyometric exercises for beginners until you have some experience with working out—people just getting started with fitness should become comfortable with the traditional forms of the moves first. The end part of the move, or the landing, is also very important.
Get help from a qualified fitness pro. Hodges typically likes to incorporate these moves in the middle or toward the end of a workout to ensure his body is ready to handle them. By Korin Miller.
By Ayana Underwood. By Krissy Brady. Then, once you do get into plyo exercises, be sure to listen carefully to your body. If you notice your form is starting to falter, either tone down the intensity of the move so that you can resume good form for example, lower the height of your box jumps , or just call it quits on plyometric exercises for the day for instance, go back to regular lunges instead of jump lunges.
Feeling excited about the benefits of plyos and ready to try a plyometric workout? But there are a few things you should know first. But in general, plyo beginners should start with one to two days a week of plyo work and gradually ramp up the intensity from there, Hodges advises.
Make sure that you pencil in enough rest time in between plyo sessions so that your body has enough time to recover. When you feel ready to sprinkle in plyometric exercises, start with a low rep count.
Hodges recommends between three or five reps as a general starting place. Also make sure that you give your body enough time to rest in between reps and sets so that you can maintain good form and truly give every plyo move your all or close to max effort.
The right amount of rest will vary based on your fitness level, goals, and the intensity of the specific move, so just be sure to stay mindful of how your body feels and tailor your rest periods accordingly.
Here are some plyo moves that you can try at home with just your bodyweight to create your own HIIT plyo workout! This move is a plyometric variation of the squat , a classic lower-body exercise that targets your quads, glutes, and core. This exercise is a plyometric variation of the split squat, another classic lower-body move that works your legs and glutes.
This move is similar to the split squat jump, but alternating feet makes it a little tougher—plus it brings a coordination challenge too. This move is a plyometric version of the reverse lunge. The reverse lunge works the major muscle groups in your lower half, including your quads, glutes, and calves—and the jump at the end adds explosiveness.
Another plyometric version of the squat, this exercise challenges your quads and glutes while you build explosiveness. This is a lateral plyometric exercise meaning, it involves explosive side-to-side movement that really works your inner and outer thighs. Burpees are a total-body plyometric move that work tons of muscles, including your shoulders , chest , core, glutes, and legs.
The lateral walk helps strengthen your hip abductors , and the jump adds power. This move is a plyometric version of the single-leg deadlift , a lower-body move that really works your backside muscles, including your hamstrings and glutes, as well as your core.
The lateral movement here has you working in the frontal plane of motion, which better mimics everyday motion where we move in all kinds of directions—not just forward and backward. Though most plyo moves focus on the lower half, this exercise, a push-up variation, concentrates on your upper half.
Push-ups really work your chest as well as your shoulders, triceps , and core. The broad jump helps build explosive power and strengthens your lower body, including your glutes and calves. Demoing the moves above are Jowan Ortega GIFs 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 11, and 13 , a personal trainer, sports performance coach, and partner at Form Fitness in Brooklyn; Crystal Williams GIFs 6 and 15 , a group fitness instructor and trainer in New York City; Nikki Pebbles GIF 3 , a special populations personal trainer in New York City; Gail Barranda Rivas GIF 10 , a certified group fitness instructor; and Mia Lazarewicz, CSCS GIF 14 , a certified personal trainer.
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How can you use plyometrics in your workout routine? Plyometric Exercises Here are some plyo moves that you can try at home with just your bodyweight to create your own HIIT plyo workout!
Pop Squat. Katie Thompson. Start with your feet wider than hip-width and do a squat by sending your hips back, bending both knees, and bringing your palms together in front of your chest.
A high box jump contributes more to improvements in speed and reactivity. Standing in front of a box, raise your arms straight above your head.
Swing them down to the side of your body. At the same time bend at your knees and hips. Then forcefully propel your arms back up.
As the momentum of your arms moves forward, explode back up onto the box. Stand tall with feet hip-width apart. Get into squat position by bending at the knees and hips. Stand back up, extend your hips forward and drive through the ground.
Propel yourself into the air and land softly. Move directly into the next squat jump rep. Begin in a regular push-up position. Lower your chest down slowly to the ground and explode back up. Push yourself off the ground. As your hands leave the ground, clap and return your hands to catch yourself as lightly as possible.
Move right into the next repetition. In a lunge position, drop the back knee to the ground. From here, explode up jumping off the ground. While in the air switch the front and back leg, land softly, and repeat. Perform 5 sets of 5 reps on each leg.
Rest for up to 60 seconds in between each set. You made it through the workout. It is crucial to stretch after a workout because you have optimal blood flow. This makes stretching more effective for recovery.
While standing, grab onto the top of one foot behind your body. With your hand pull it as close to your glutes as possible.
Hold for 20 seconds and release. Then bring your leg in front of the body. Drive your knee up and pull it towards your chest. Lastly, grab onto your foot and let your knee drop towards the outside of the body. Pull your foot upwards and hold for 20 seconds.
Perform on both sides. Bring one arm across the chest and use the other arm to pull it further across the body. Hold for 20 seconds on each side. Then keep your arms straight out and elevated at shoulder height. Rotate the upper body both right and left and keep your feet planted. Repeat 5 times each way.
Start in a lunge position with the front foot elevated. Lean into the front leg allowing the back leg to stay straight and stretch. Keep the back leg as straight as possible and remain upright. This will ensure you stretch mainly the hips of the back leg.
Hold for 30 seconds on each side. Nice work! You have completed a full minute plyometric workout. These exercises will build power and strength over time.
Want to learn more about the importance of plyometric training? Check out these blogs:. Using Plyometrics for Power Development. Your Guide to Creating a Plyometric Workout to Burn Fat. Learn how to help athletes achieve their optimal performance with everything you need to build the best agility, conditioning, and strength training that sports science has to offer!
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All Categories Anatomy Audio Blogs Behavior Change Business More. The Warm-up It is important to warm-up prior to plyometric exercise.
Sports Performance Plyomdtric Model. Power is the ability to anf large amounts of force quickly. Plyometric and explosive movements there any athletes that would not want to improve their ability to generate power? Or who want to increase their explosive strength? What about clients seeking to improve general fitness?
Recent research has mpvements that Plyometric and explosive movements workouts Plyometric and explosive movements Plyomerric muscle, burn fat, and improve Mindful drinking habits performance, nad, and power. A study on handball players found that a 7-week program Plyomeetric body fat content by about 15 percent and increased lean muscle mass by 2 percent. The athletes also improved their lower-body strength, thanks to all those jumps. Carvalho A, et al. Effects of strength training combined with specific plyometric exercises on body composition, vertical jump height and lower limb strength development in elite male handball players: A case study. DOI: Plyometrics are great for anyone involved in team sports.
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