Recent recommendations about exercise programs have focused primarily on low impact exercises. Low impact routines have been prescribed for many years in an attempt to reduce the risk of exercise related injury. However, use of low impact exercise exclusively ignores the potential benefits from higher impact activities, such as plyometric training (or simply, plyometrics). Although plyometrics may not be appropriate for those who are new to working out, for individuals who have been actively training for at least three months, plyometrics routines can improve the athlete’s strength, power, and explosiveness.
What is Plyometrics?
Plyometric exercise is defined as any exercise in which muscles are repeatedly and rapidly stretched ("loaded") and then contracted. The aim of plyometrics is to improve muscle power. Moves that involve jumping rapidly, either in a vertical plane or in a lateral plane qualify as lower extremity plyometrics. Various throwing or swinging exercises, usually employing a medicine ball are the basis of upper body pylometrics.
How Does Plyometric Exercise Work?
Plyometrics takes advantage of the physiologic fact that pre-contraction stretching of muscle fibers increases the power generated by the subsequent muscle contraction. For example, athletes performing a standing vertical jump will crouch or dip just prior to exploding upward. The tension within the stretched muscle will momentarily increase, resulting in greater power (and a higher jump) with the subsequent contraction. Athletes using plyometric training will increase muscle power over time, by using this technique of repetitive, maximum-force muscle contraction.
How Can Plyometrics Improve Athletic Performance?
By increasing muscle power, explosiveness and speed, pylometrics can improve an athlete’s performance in a variety of sports. Obvious examples of such improvement come from track and field. Plyometric training will improve the explosiveness of a sprinter, long jumper or pole vaulter. Athletes in throwing type events, such as shot put or javelin can improve as well, using both upper body and lower body plyometrics. Other athletes, such as soccer, baseball, and football players can improve sprinting explosiveness and speed with this technique. Gymnasts and ice skaters, who often jump during their performances, can also benefit from this type of training.
Will Plyometrics Lead to Injuries?
If performed by an already-fit athlete, using proper technique, the injury risk of plyometrics is no greater than in any other form of exercise. Some factors that may lead to plyometrics training injuries include:
- Poor conditioning prior to beginning a plyometrics routine
- Improper landing technique when employing jump training.
- Use of improper footwear when training.
- Use of a hard, non-padded landing surface during jump exercises.
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