You’ve got to love plyometrics. The exercises are simple, you just use your bodyweight in most cases, and you can perform them anywhere. They’re explosive movements and can be very high-intensity. Please don’t attempt plyometrics if you are injured, healing from an injury or are overtrained. Plyometrics can be very effective to your training routine so long as the exercises are done correctly, with safety and injury prevention as your primary concerns.
So, how do they work? Well, plyometric drills/exercises excite the elastic component of the muscles so that the muscles are trained to react powerfully and explosively. By performing upper and body plyometrics several times per week, upper and lower body power has been shown to dramatically improve power and performance. Usually, you see them incorporated into agility type of training, like in football. However, they are making their way into mainstream training. If you try them, you will see why.
My favorites are the jump squat, box jump/step down, plank walk (up and down on bosu ball, block, or stairs), and the jump lunge. They totally kick my butt. The goal is to perform them for 30-60 seconds. For a couple illustrations on execution, take a look at these videos on You Tube:
YouTube Video #3 (if you can stand the music selection, you will see a decent workout example!)
Remember, it is important to alternate upper and lower body plyometric exercises with weight lifting so that both the upper and lower body do not get overworked on a given day. Good luck and GET STRONG!
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