Plyometrics Workout - Agility - Power - Strength Training Exercises

A plyometrics workout should be part of not just an extreme workout but also a workout that is look to improve, power, strength and agility. Explosive sports like Rugby League, Rugby Union, American Football and Ice Hockey are naturals for plyometrics. Sports like Soccer and Basketball get major benefits from explosiveness and strength plus the increased vertical jump. Think off any sport that would benefit from quicker explosion off the ground.

For fitness enthusiasts, athletes and children alike a plyometrics workout will see your muscles trained to react faster. These help growing and aging muscles. For those familiar with Tony Horton’s P90X workout he likes to say plyometrics is the X in P90X. Plyometrics is a relative young workout principle it has been made popular by Rugby League and American Football clubs in particular.

A Russian Doctor Dr. Yuri Verkhoshansky is credited with plyometrics around 40 years ago. He observed Olympians and noticed where the muscles were most stressed and powerful. From here he developed plyometric depth jumps and depth drops. We actually do this naturally in many exercises and daily actions when we are younger. Watch your children running and jumping in playgrounds.

I highly recommend plyometrics as part of a fitness workout but caution whether you are ready for it. I would suggest the fitness test at the 90-Day extreme fitness workout if you do that and provided your joints are suitable start jumping. If not it is time to build up for a plyometrics workout. This kind of exercise will limit muscle loss as you age and help muscle strength as you grow.  

Plyometric exercises provide incredible results and should be part of an athletes workout in explosive sports such as American football, basketball, Rugby League, Rugby Union, Ice Hockey, Field Hockey, martial arts, Lacrosse, Soccer (Football), athletics, Boxing, MMA, swimming, skiing, tennis and golf. The point is all sports scan benefit from incorporating a plyometric workout into their training regime. If you can think of any sport or activity that can benefit from the Strength-Shortening Cycle (SSC) to create power output then plyometrics is beneficial to it.

If you work out for your own physical fitness at home or at the gym then you should incorporate plyometrics exercises into your workout. You can incorporate simple jumping exercises or what I recommend to get you on the right track is the p90X 90-day extreme fitness program. The program incorporates plyometric exercises and indeed one whole routine is Plyometrics. What you are aiming to achieve with your plyometric workout is increase your coordination, power and explosiveness.

The functional muscle gains will flow on to an overall health and fitness improvement. From this you get greatly improved physical performance. In simple terms your vertical leap will improve, your lateral power will increase; your explosive speed will improve. A plyometrics workout that works in with a weight lifting workout gets dramatic results as your fast muscle twitch muscles are getting the best of both worlds. Plyometric workouts use resistance as strength training for your skeletal muscles; each plyometric exercise is isotonic using opposing force generated from resistance. Think of pushing, squeezing, stretching, lifting as all forms of resistance. It is useful to combine isometric exercises in your pre plyometric stretch. These stretches will get muscles ready for the explosive exercises

When you are selecting your plyometric workouts you have a few options. You can create your own or work with existing workouts. The SPEEDSTER Training System is comprehensive and is particularly useful for improving speed and quickness and has you work through a three phase training program. Speedster incorporates the essence of plyometric training, resistance, isotonic and isometric.

The Speedster program employs more pulling and squeezing exercises than the jumping ones in more own routine or the P90X routine. This program is excellent for teams. There are a number of plyometric aids in this plyometric workout. There is the SPEEDSTER Training Harness and the Torpedo Sprint Sled to your SPEEDSTER Harness. You adjust this adding weight to the sled and pulling. This is very powerful for leg explosiveness and strength. This will improve you leg speed and vertical leap.

There are many other bands and aids from Speedster, which you can see in the reviews in the article. Check them out and see if the SPEEDSTER Workout or aids can improve your power and strength. 

Tony Horton says that Plyometrics puts the X in P90X. I have to agree with him as the P90X workout employs the SSC principle nicely. The short intensity of the plyometrics, KempoX and Core Synergistics in particular employ SSC exercises. These exercises get the greatest force out of your muscles by stretching them and doing it rapid fire.

P90X is a planned cycle using plyometrics to increase your muscles fast-twitch muscle fibers. The P90X training stimulus to your muscles is enhanced by ballistic stretching, Yoga X and Stretch X. This combined with weight training exercises and the plyometric exercises really does get your body working.

Extreme fitness indeed. Remember though everyone is different with different skill levels and experience of effective plyometrics workouts will vary. Don’t be afraid to change it up. I concentrate on my weaknesses to then get overall the greatest gains.  

The reason plyometric exercises for children are important are because Plyometrics stimulates fast-twitch muscle fibers. The significance of this is this then gives the child the greatest potential for his or her muscle growth. Now we are not talking about unnatural body building muscle growth at too young an age, which can lead to stunted growth. We are looking at the fast muscle twitch muscles. You can from a young age naturally progress slow-twitch muscle fibers into fast-twitch fibers with plyometric workout training.

Here are 10 benefits from children's plyometrics. 

1. Stronger bones, joints, tendons and ligaments
2. Improved stamina
3. Greater endurance through greater heart and long capacity
4. More flexibility
5. Greater agility and mobility
6. Quicker reaction time
7. Greater protection from injury
8. Improved posture
9. Positive habit development  
10. It can be fun

We live in a day and age where childhood obesity is at record levels. Children inactivity and muscle growth is also at lows. I am huge proponent of Children’s plyometric exercises. When planning them make them fun. Hopscotch is plyometric, as is playing touch Rugby, shooting hoops or a mini trampoline like urban rebounder. There are many other sports and games children enjoy. Start your children off in the right direction.  

Plyometric boxes Plyometric boxes are great training aids. You can use them for other exercises other than plyometrics also such as stretching, inverse pushups and press ups also. When you are formulating your plyometric workout the plyometric boxes are perfect for performing a reactive muscle strength test.

Reactive Muscle Strength Test

1. Begin to find out your standing vertical. That is taking your highest touch with your arms fully extended. Record this as your control number.
2. Take a series of plyometric boxes in six-inch increments. Stand on each box, step off the box and then jump in the air as high as you can.
3. Continue jumping from each six-inch higher box until your jump off the plyometric box is lower than your standing vertical. Now measure that jump off Plyometric

Test Results

• If your standing vertical is 30 inches and your jump is 24 inches then you know you need increase your plyometric exercises from lacking in power. We are measuring the explosive element.
• If your standing vertical is 30 inches and your jump off a 36-inch box is only 32 inches then you know you are lacking in strength so you need to combine weights into your plyometric workout.

The plyometrics boxes will give you more flexibility and reactive strength and explosive strength. Within a workout they will also increase muscle recovery and endurance. Plyometrics boxes see improved vertical leap, improved running or leg speed and muscle explosiveness. You will also find your muscles and body will improve it’s ability to absorb force.  

Plyometrics gives you power and strength as it reshapes, developed and strengthens slow-twitch and fast-twitch muscle fibers. The benefits also include reducing injury risk as your ligaments and tendons are strengthened. This is helpful for body contact events but also many popular pastimes from hiking to snow skiing. You can significantly increase your strength power by combining weight lifting with plyometrics.

Sprint training for runners and swimmers will also benefit in combination of a plyometric workout. There are many obvious plyometric benefits in the butterfly stroke in the swimming pool or the hurdles or pole vault in track and field. Stimulating those fast-twitch muscle fibers is what it is all about. Begin off slowly in your plyometrics workout and remember it is about intensity and power not over doing it. Try the P90X, urban rebounder or SPEEDSTER workouts or develop your own. Start jumping to a stronger body.