Plyometrics and Power

Looking to get stronger, fitter, faster, and more powerful? Plyometrics, or fast, explosive movements, are a great way to improve your overall fitness levels and get your heart rate up. Box jumps, jumping lunges, brad jumps and clapping push-ups are just a few examples of plyometric movements. These exercises require no equipment and help you develop explosive power that will ultimately lead to increases in strength and speed.

These movements make use of your fast twitch muscle fibers (as opposed to the slow twitch muscle fibers used predominantly used in strength training) to create as a tremendous amount of strength and speed in a very short period of time.

In a lift like the squat, powerful hips will help you get out of the hole once the weight gets heavy. Exercises like the box jump or broad jump help to develop that explosive power that will ultimately translate to squatting or deadlifting more weight. Likewise, clapping push-ups can really teach an athlete how to develop bar speed on a bench press.

One study at Western Michigan University showed that a 6-week plyometric training program significantly increased the agility of athletes. The amount of power developed in a successful plyometric program can ultimately translate to other activities such as shuttle sprints.

Assuming you really pay attention to the way you perform these movements (focusing on stability), there are numerous benefits to plyometric training. At the end of your next workout, spend about 10-15 minutes on a few, quick sets of explosive exercises. Focus on form, then speed. Once you get the form down, you will see your strength and overall athletic performance skyrocket.

1. Gehri, Daniel J., Mark D. Ricard, Douglas M. Kleiner, and Donald T. Kirkendall. "A Comparison of Plyometric Training Techniques for Improving Vertical Jump Ability and Energy Production." The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 12.2 (1998): 85. Print.
2. Miller, Michael G., Jeremy J. Herniman, Mark D. Ricard, Christopher C. Cheatham, and Timothy J. Michael. "The Effects of a 6-Week Plyometric Training Program on Agility." Journal of Sports Science and Medicine 5 (2006): 459-65. Web.