Plyometrics

Initially, I wasn’t going to include an article on plyometrics in this exercise series. However, plyometrics are something that are quite helpful (and fun) for a lot of people and their goals, so it does make sense to discuss them. But I do want you to realise that plyometrics aren’t something that everyone needs to do.

If you haven’t already, it would be incredibly helpful to also read our articles on why exercise is important, the goals of exercise, the types of exercise we have available to us, and to have a rough idea of the general exercise guidelines. It would also be incredibly beneficial to visit our exercise hub, and read our content on resistance training and cardiovascular training.

Before we get stuck in, I would just like to remind you that we offer comprehensive online coaching. So if you need help with your own exercise program or nutrition, don’t hesitate to reach out. If you are a coach (or aspiring coach) and want to learn how to coach nutrition, then consider signing up to our Nutrition Coach Certification course. We do also have an exercise program design course in the works, if you are a coach who wants to learn more about effective program design and how to coach it. We do have other courses available too.

Now, let’s get stuck into understanding plyometrics!

What Are Plyometrics

Plyometrics, often just called “plyos,” refers to a type of exercise that involves explosive movements characterised by rapid stretching and contracting of muscles (known as the stretch-shortening cycle). These exercises aim to improve muscle power, speed, agility, and overall athleticism.

With plyometric exercises, muscles are generally rapidly stretched (eccentric phase) followed by an immediate contraction (concentric phase) to produce a powerful movement. This rapid stretching and contraction sequence helps enhance the muscle’s ability to generate force quickly, which is beneficial for activities requiring explosive strength, such as sprinting, jumping, and throwing.

We discussed the stretch shortening cycle more thoroughly in our article on understanding reps for resistance training and to some extent in our article on exercise selection for resistance training, but I will touch on the main points again here.

The stretch-shortening cycle (SSC) is a normal part of muscle action that occurs in the transition from an eccentric (muscle lengthening) contraction to a concentric (muscle shortening) contraction. During the eccentric portion of a rep, the muscles lengthen. As the weight is lowered, elastic energy is stored in the muscles and tendons. I often think of this as though the muscles are elastic bands and are being stretched back.

There is a lot of stored elastic energy by the time the muscles get to the bottom of the rep. Effectively, the elastic band is fully pulled back and ready to release that energy. The stored elastic energy can then be released during the concentric portion of the rep, and the combination of the stored elastic energy and the force of muscle contraction actually allows for a much more powerful movement.

This SSC is really important for sports, as it enhances the power and efficiency of muscle movements, especially those that require explosive strength and speed, such as jumping, sprinting, and throwing. Effectively, the SSC is the muscle version of cocking the hammer back on a gun.

We are effectively training this stretch shortening cycle with plyometrics. A common plyometrics exercise is a box jump (where you jump up onto a box). This is a very clear illustration of the stretch shortening cycle at work.

When you bend your knees to prepare for the jump, your muscles lengthen under tension, storing elastic energy. There is a brief transition between the eccentric (lowering) and concentric (contraction) phases. In this phase, the stored energy is maintained for a short duration. A quick transition here is crucial for maximising power. This is the equivalent of the gun being cocked and ready to fire. Then you have the concentric phase, where the stored energy is released as your muscles contract and you jump up onto the box.

This cycle allows for the rapid and powerful movements characteristic of plyometric exercises. The quicker and more efficient the transition between these phases, the more powerful the movement. Plyometrics are basically training the stretch-shortening cycle (SSC) which leads to enhanced muscle power and efficiency.

So, plyometrics are basically just exercises that more specifically train the stretch shortening cycle. You store some elastic energy, and then you contract your muscles explosively.

Benefits of Plyometrics

Now, you may be wondering what the benefits of plyometrics are, and why you would potentially include them in your program. Well, there are a variety of benefits to plyometrics, that may entice you to include them in your program.

Plyometric training can improve neuromuscular coordination, increase muscle fibre recruitment, enhance fast-twitch muscle fibre development, and improve the efficiency of the stretch-shortening cycle.

Plyometric exercises enhance the muscle’s ability to generate maximal force quickly, which can result in increased explosive power. This is beneficial for activities such as sprinting, jumping, and throwing, and as such, is an important part of training for certain sports.

Plyometrics challenge the neuromuscular system to coordinate rapid muscle contractions, leading to improvements in coordination and motor skills. This allows individuals to move more efficiently and react faster to external stimuli, thus enhancing overall speed and agility. Again, this is very important for many sports. 

Plyometric exercises engage fast-twitch muscle fibres, which are responsible for producing high levels of force. Training plyometrics, over time, can lead to gains in muscular strength (likely also occurring due to better neuromuscular coordination).

Plyometric exercises train the body to move explosively, which enhances functional strength and agility. This can translate to better performance in daily activities such as lifting, carrying groceries, climbing stairs, and playing with children or grandchildren.

It also has the potential to help reduce falls in the elderly, as they are better able to catch themselves before they fall due to still being able to move explosively. 

Plyometrics improves the elasticity of muscles and tendons, allowing them to store and release energy more effectively. This elasticity contributes to better performance and reduces the risk of injury by improving the body’s ability to handle sudden, dynamic movements.

Plyometrics generally involve high-impact movements that help stimulate bone remodelling and increase bone density. This can be particularly beneficial for maintaining bone health and reducing the risk of osteoporosis, especially as individuals age. However, due to the high-intensity nature of plyometrics, it’s essential to perform them with proper technique and progression to minimise the risk of injury.

In general, plyometrics should only be done by individuals who are strong enough to actually control and stabilise their body. So we tend to only recommend people do them if they are already quite strong or after they have spent a decent amount of time getting stronger in the gym. And even then, a lot of the benefits of plyometrics can be obtained from resistance training itself. 

Who Could Benefit from Plyometrics

So, should you include plyometrics in your training?

Well, let’s first circle back to the general exercise guidelines.

The most up to date exercise guidelines for health suggest that adults aim for the following: 

• 150-300 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic exercise per week (half that for vigorous exercise). 
• At least 2 resistance training sessions per week, strengthening all major muscle groups. 
• Beyond formal exercise – move more, sit less (no specific recommendation). 

So, where do plyometrics fit into this?

Well, they are really actually additive to these guidelines. While they accomplish some of the same outcomes as resistance training, they don’t accomplish all of the same outcomes as resistance training.

As a result, we would only really recommend adding plyometrics in once you are consistently hitting the general guidelines.

Beyond just saying “add them in after you hit the guidelines, if you want to”, there are certain populations and circumstances where it does make more sense to include plyometrics.

Athletes

Plyometrics are particularly beneficial for athletes across various sports due to its focus on explosive power and agility. Sports that involve a lot of jumping, sprinting, or quick directional changes, such as basketball, volleyball, football (soccer), and track and field, can see significant performance improvements from plyometric training. Athletes can enhance their vertical jump, speed, and overall power, making them more competitive and effective in their respective sports.

So, for certain athletes, bringing in some plyometric work can be a really high yield endeavour.

General Fitness Enthusiasts

Even if you’re not an athlete, plyometrics can be a valuable addition to your fitness routine. This form of exercise helps improve muscular strength and coordination. This can be accomplished by resistance training (which also has the added benefit of building muscles and allowing you to progress strength much more), however, some people do find resistance training to be a bit boring. Having some plyometrics in the plan for these people can make training a bit more enjoyable and exciting.

While I am sure you can find other circumstances where adding in plyometrics may make sense, for the vast majority of people, it isn’t the best use of training time. They can be a nice addition, but they certainly aren’t necessary.

There are also some extra considerations we have to take into account when discussing plyometrics.

Considerations for Different Age Groups, Populations and Issues

While plyometrics are beneficial for many people, we do have to tailor the plan and take into account someone’s age with them.

• Young People: Younger individuals, especially teenagers, can benefit greatly from plyometrics as part of their physical development. It helps improve coordination and athletic skills. However, it’s crucial to ensure proper form and start with low-impact exercises to avoid injury. You ideally want to have a baseline level of strength and control over your body before jumping into intensive plyometric work.
• Adults: Adults in their prime can incorporate a wide range of plyometric exercises to enhance their overall fitness, improve athletic performance, and maintain a healthy weight. Much like with younger individuals, there are some baseline strength requirements before beginning plyometrics. Further to this, many adults have accumulated various injuries and little niggles throughout their life, and as a result, they may have to modify and adjust any plyometric exercises they do choose to do. We must also consider the fact that adulthood is generally when most individuals have the least time to allocate to exercise. So spending lots of that exercise time on the relatively low yield (plyometric work) when they could be spending that time on at least hitting their resistance and cardio minimum targets, doesn’t make sense.
• Seniors: Older adults can still benefit from plyometrics, but modifications are generally necessary. Low-impact exercises, like gentle hopping or step-ups, can improve bone density, balance, and coordination, rather than the more intensive plyometric work. There is a minimum strength requirement for plyometrics, and older individuals generally don’t have that strength. They also generally have a higher risk of complications (e.g. bone fractures etc) if they were to fall, so plyometrics may not be worth the risk.

However, it is not just age that we must consider. There are a variety of other populations and individual issues that must be considered when contemplating including plyometrics in a plan of action.

Individuals who have or have had prior illnesses, especially those that result in reduced muscles strength and coordination may not be in a position to safely perform plyometrics. Individuals with joint issues, or who are dealing with or are recovering from various injuries may not be able to safely perform plyometrics or may not be advised to attempt plyometrics.

Many populations or individuals are also in a position where the increased risk of falling is not worth the potential benefits of plyometrics. For example, the elderly may never recover from a fall. Individuals with low bone density, such as post-menopausal women or even athletes who have been restricting calories for a long time, may be taking on excessive risk of bone fractures or even breaks, by performing plyometrics. Similarly, for pregnant women or other individuals who need to be more cautious of their abdomen, plyometrics may simply not be worth the risk or need to be heavily modified.

Plyometrics certainly aren’t for everyone, and you should consider whether or not you need to include plyometrics in your plan to achieve your goal(s).

How To Include Plyometrics Into Your Training

However, if you do want to include some plyometric work, unless you have very specific needs for a sport, the process is relatively straightforward. You simply select an appropriate plyometric exercise (a few are noted below) and perform the exercise explosively.

Generally, these should be done with low fatigue, relatively low volume, and with an overwhelming focus on high quality reps. So you would do something like 3-5 reps explosively as you can, but these should be far from your maximum capacity. The goal isn’t to go as heavy as possible or to reach failure, it is to move as explosively as possible.

You would do these for something like 3 sets, and allow adequate rest between sets to ensure full recovery. Rest periods should generally be at least 2 minutes, to ensure you are able to perform the subsequent sets as explosively as possible.

Plyometric Exercises:

There are more options for plyometric exercises, but this really starts to get into the realm of specific sport training, rather than general exercise. 

In general, we tend to recommend that people perform any plyometric work at the start of their workout. This is when you are freshest, and best able to perform high quality reps. Performing the plyometrics first also serves to “activate” the nervous system, and allow you to get a little bit more out of the subsequent training. 

Plyometrics Conclusion

Most people probably don’t need to perform plyometric work. You are able to get a large amount of the benefits from simply performing resistance training. So, don’t think that you absolutely NEED to add plyometrics to your training program.

They can certainly be a nice addition, and may be a necessary addition for certain sports, but for the general public, they aren’t mandatory. Plyometrics should only be consider after someone is consistently performing at least the bare minimum of the exercise guidelines. You do actually need to be quite strong to perform plyometrics in a safe manner, so at the very least, 6-12 months of consistent resistance training would be a good idea before considering adding in plyometrics.

If you do want to add in plyometrics, we generally recommend you include them at the beginning of a training session, as you will be fresher then and better able to ensure the reps are high quality. We generally don’t recommend programming them at the end of a session when fatigue is high, as this just increases the likelihood of injury.

As with everything, there is always more to learn, and we haven’t even begun to scratch the surface with all this stuff. However, if you are interested in staying up to date with all our content, we recommend subscribing to our newsletter and bookmarking our free content page. We do have a lot of content on how to design your own exercise program on our exercise hub.

If you would like more help with your training (or nutrition), we do also have online coaching spaces available.

We also recommend reading our foundational nutrition article, along with our foundational articles on sleep and stress management, if you really want to learn more about how to optimise your lifestyle. If you want even more free information on exercise, you can follow us on Instagram, YouTube or listen to the podcast, where we discuss all the little intricacies of exercise.

Finally, if you want to learn how to coach nutrition, then consider our Nutrition Coach Certification course. We do also have an exercise program design course in the works, if you are a coach who wants to learn more about effective program design and how to coach it. We do have other courses available too. If you don’t understand something, or you just need clarification, you can always reach out to us on Instagram or via email.

The previous article in this series is about Understanding Flexibility and Mobility, and How To Train Them and the next article in this series is Designing An Actual Workout Program, if you are interested in continuing to learn about exercise program design. You can also go to our exercise hub to find more exercise content.

Paddy Farrell

www.triagemethod.com

Hey, I'm Paddy!

I am a coach who loves to help people master their health and fitness. I am a personal trainer, strength and conditioning coach, and I have a degree in Biochemistry and Biomolecular Science. I have been coaching people for over 10 years now.

When I grew up, you couldn't find great health and fitness information, and you still can't really. So my content aims to solve that!

I enjoy training in the gym, doing martial arts and hiking in the mountains (around Europe, mainly). I am also an avid reader of history, politics and science. When I am not in the mountains, exercising or reading, you will likely find me in a museum.