Plyometric Workouts | Plyometric Drills and Exercises
Plyometric workouts are a great way for athletes to become more explosive. They have been used to increase athlete's verticals, explosiveness, and reaction time. By completing a series of plyometric exercises athletes can greatly improve their sport specific performance. When athletes begin using plyometric exercises, it is important to understand how to effectively use and benefit from plyometric workouts.
Who Needs Plyometric Workouts
Athletes looking to be competitive in their sport must use plyometric training to enhance their skills. Plyometric training increases the body's ability to explode with greater force. Plyometric exercises will increase neurological efficiency and muscle contraction potential leading to a greater output. These fundamental increases in body physiology will make every athlete perform at a higher level. Whether the athlete plays football, wrestles, volleyball, baseball, track, soccer, gymnastics, basketball, or is on a cheer squad, plyometric training will improve the fundamentals of body control and explosiveness.
Increase Skills Faster With Plyometric Workouts
When completing plyometric workouts, athletes must be aware of a major component. Every drill, every exercise must be completed as explosive as possible. Moving through plyometric exercises at 50 to 70% intensity will limit the benefits of the exercise. Wasting time at this intensity level will do little to nothing for sport specific performance. Each drill must be completed at 100% intensity. Athletes must consciously think to explode with every movement. As soon as the athlete's feet hit the
ground on each jump, he or she must immediately get back off the ground.
A perfect plyometric exercise sequence happens in three phases. The first is the stretch portion of the exercise. As the athletes foot or upper body, depending on what exercise, makes contact muscles and tendons begin to stretch. The body's muscles and tendons have an elasticity component to them. Just like any elastic band, when stretched, there is a lot of elastic energy built up in order to bring the band back to its relaxed state. The same concept applies to the muscle. When stretched, this built-up energy can be used to train the body to be more explosive. The second phase of a plyometric exercise is amortization. This is the split second in between the stretch and the concentric contraction. The third phase of a plyometric muscle contraction is the concentric contraction. During the muscle conration the body will utilize all of the built-up energy from the stretch and amortization portion of the sequence. The muscles will contract utilizing all of the extra energy and produce a more powerful movement.
The key to all of this is understanding that as soon as the foot hits the ground the athlete must immediately explode back off the ground. Any hesitation will diminish the results of the plyometric exercise. Over time athletes will change their neurological and fast twitch physiology to be a more powerful athlete. This overloading and explosive drill sequence will provide athletes with advanced level output capabilities.
Get Started Training With Plyometric Workouts
Below is a list of plyometric workouts that you can complete at home or at a gym. Each individual workout will be provided with the sets and reps, as well as the rest periods, that you need to complete to optimize your results. Move through these workouts and see your skills increase dramatically. Plyometric drills have been used to increase verticals, speed, and explosive power. Be safe and allow enough time for rest in between sets. Get started training today and choose your plyometric workout.