How to progress to plyometrics – Canadian Running Magazine

Plyometric training (also known as jump training) has many benefits for runners, but it also has a high potential for injury, especially for beginners. This doesn’t mean you should avoid them, but it’s important to properly prepare your body for jump training by working slowly. If you want to add plyos into your strength program, use the following exercises to build your strength so you can perform them properly and safely.

The benefits of plios

When you run, your body briefly absorbs and stores the energy of impact (ie your foot hits the ground) before releasing that energy to propel you forward. This is called elastic energy, and when you improve your body’s ability to store elastic energy, you can increase its efficiency so you can ultimately run faster for longer. There have also been some studies showing that plyometric training can increase your VO2maxwhich can also make you a more efficient broker.

drawbacks

Jump training is, at its core, a form of high-intensity explosive strength training. This intensity is what delivers results, but it also comes with a higher risk of injury, particularly for someone who is new to this or doesn’t have a solid amount of strength training under their belt. For this reason, it is important build your strength prior to starting a plyometric routine to make sure your body is ready for it.

If you want to start plyometric training, start by doing the following five exercises for several weeks (eight to 10 if you’re new to strength training, four to eight if you’ve been strength training for a while) to get your body clever.

eccentric strength training

It is not a single exercise, but a group of exercises. eccentric exercises focus on the part of the movement where you contract the muscle as it lengthens, such as when you lower the dumbbell during a bicep curl. When you run, your quads and hamstrings perform eccentric movements to control your stride and produce energy to push and pull your body forward, and the same goes for plyometrics.

For this reason, one of the best ways to prepare your body for plyometrics is to do several weeks of eccentric strength training. This will also strengthen your connective tissues so that they are capable of handling the forces involved in jumping (and landing). try to add these five exercises in your strength training routine to prepare for plyos.

reductions

The forces generated when you land are much greater than when you push off during a jump, so it’s important to prepare your body for this stage of the jump. When doing this exercise, make sure you maintain dorsiflexion (keep your toes pointing up) the entire time and slowly lower your foot; You must count at least three times before your foot hits the ground. As you get stronger, you can increase the height of the step to make it more challenging.

Seesaw walk to vertical jump

The goal of plyometric training is to obtain the maximum eccentric contraction and then have the central nervous system change that movement to a concentric contraction to produce the jump. This move accomplishes two things in moving toward that goal: The seesaw teaches you how to load your hamstrings and then come back to your feet, and adding the jump helps integrate that action into your landing.

Double tap swagger walk

This drill challenges you to connect back-to-back moves. It’s low force but it’s a great way to start emphasizing the ankle and foot in preparation for the higher forces that come with the jump.

High knee A-skips

The A-skip is a fantastic exercise for runners because it not only prepares you for plyometrics, but also help you improve your running form. It takes you through all the positions that are involved in most lower body movements, but is relatively low impact. The video above gives a great breakdown of everything needed to perform a proper A-skip, so be sure to pay attention to all the queues so you can get the most out of the move.