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Plyometrics |
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In many sports, such as track, swimming,
basketball, and football, there is a need to develop an
explosive burst. One of the most common ways to develop this
quality is by doing exercises commonly called plyometrics.
Plyometrics can simply be defined as those exercises which
require rapid movement from the ground to air and back to ground.
Plyos, as they are commonly called, are effective because they recruit
the same muscles and parts of the nervous system needed in
competition for the explosive movements. Plyos are generally
grouped in 3 categories: Low Level, Medium Level, and High
Level. These categories are used to describe the amount of
impact forces the athlete will encounter doing a particular drill.
Low level plyometrics are such things as
skipping, rope jumping, double leg hopping, and side to side hopping. In
any training program one should always begin a season doing low level
plyos. These exercises prepare the nervous system and the
various joints for the more difficult exercises that will be done
later in the season. One can do an unlimited number of reps in
this category and can even use these types of exercises as a means to
increase cardiovascular fitness. There is little chance of
injury here because the impact forces are minimal.
Medium level plyos are a little more
difficult and require the athlete to have established both a fitness
and strength level base before undertaking these exercises.
Exercises in this group include hurdle hops over low heights, star
jumps, rocket jumps, single leg hopping, jumping on or over
boxes, and the exercises known as bounding. These types of
exercises are typically done in 3-4 sets of 10 reps each, or for
distances up to 40 meters. By doing this type of exercise one is
able to provide more explosive power in activities such as, the
block starts found in track and swimming, turns off the wall in
swimming, or the rapid acceleration thru the line in football, as well
as the quick leap needed in basketball. Grade school aged
children benefit greatly by doing this group of plyos, as it also aids
in coordination as well as explosiveness.
High Level plyos are the most physically
demanding and provide the greatest opportunity for both injury and
improvement. These exercises are typically done in late
mid-season after the athlete has established a tremendous strength
base. The most common exercise in this group are the depth
jumps, where an athlete stands on a very high box drops, down to the
ground and rebounds up to another box. Depth jumps are
typically done in 1-2 sets of no more than 10 reps each. They
should only be done once every 5 days and never within 10 days of a
major competition. This type of exercise is appropriate for high
school aged athletes and older.
In conclusion Plyos are a great tool to
enhance performance. These exercises will also help prevent
injury and extend your athletic life. Do them after preparing
your body with an adequate strength and fitness base and you will see
very good results.
You must, however, also be careful to sequence your workouts so that you are not doing hard workouts day after day. The workouts have to have easy recovery days sequenced into them. Be patient in your training, looking for incremental time drops rather than sudden dramatic improvement. Your career will be prolonged with smart planning and you will see career best times while not tearing down your body!
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