Blow Up Your Exercise Routine With Plyometrics

Bored with your exercise routine? Worried you’ve plateaued? Try doing some plyometrics. Plyometric training is designed to challenge and elevate your fitness in a series of explosive, controlled movements.

Sports medicine physician Dominic King, DO, shares what makes plyometric training so unique and how to fit it into your next workout.

What are plyometrics?

Plyometrics is a type of exercise that uses quick, powerful movements to improve strength, speed and agility. Plyometric training uses the stretch-shortening cycle, where your muscles quickly stretch and then contract. This quick movement helps your body create a lot of force in a short amount of time.

“Plyometrics is like loading and releasing a spring,” illustrates Dr. King. “If you took a spring, pushed it all the way down and then let it go, that’s the stretch-shortening cycle.”

Athletes can improve their performance by using plyometrics to build power and speed — but these movements can also help with everyday activities.

“You quickly stretch and contract your muscles every day without even realizing it,” he adds. “If you trip and you’re able to catch yourself really quickly before you fall, there’s plyometric movement in that, too.”

Plyometric training exercises

Remember, explosive movement is key when doing plyometrics.

“To make a pushup plyometric, you push yourself up with enough force that your hands come up off the floor,” explains Dr. King. “Once you get that movement down, you might even clap your hands before landing.”

Here are some other plyometric training exercises.

Plyometric exercise #1: Squat jumps

Squats are a basic part of almost any exercise routine, but what makes it plyometric is the explosive movement that pushes you back up to the starting position.

1. Stand tall with your feet shoulder-width apart and arms at your sides.
2. Engage your core. As you slowly lower into a squat, lift your arms out in front of you.
3. Hold this position briefly, then push through your feet and drive your arms down to your sides to propel your body upward in an explosive jump.
4. Land softly and quietly on the balls of your feet, then immediately lower yourself down into a controlled squat and repeat for eight to 10 reps.

“When you come up from the squat, lengthen your muscles and keep your body straight, almost as if your body is an arrow or a rocket taking off,” instructs Dr. King.

Plyometric exercise #2: Box jumps

Box jumps are plyometric because they involve jumping onto a platform and then back down to the floor. To help prevent injury, use a soft foam plyo box, a set of stairs or another elevated, sturdy surface that won’t move or tip over.

1. Stand facing the box with your feet hip-width apart and arms at your sides.
2. Lower down into the squat-jump position, bringing your arms out in front of you.
3. After holding the squat briefly, push through your feet and drive your arms down as you jump onto the platform with both feet.
4. Land softly and quietly onto the platform, with your knees positioned over your toes to absorb the impact and reduce the risk of injury.
5. Step or lightly jump back down to your starting position and immediately lower yourself back down into a controlled squat. Repeat for eight to 10 reps.

Plyometric exercise #3: Skater hops

The plyometric part of skater hops involves jumping from one foot to the other in quick succession.

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart, then lower yourself into a controlled squat.
2. Push off the floor with your left leg to propel yourself to the right.
3. Land softly and quietly on the ball of your right foot, then immediately squat and push off again with your right foot to propel yourself back to the left side.
4. Repeat this process in a controlled, quick series of eight to 10 reps, jumping as fast as possible.

Plyometric exercise #4: Double-under jump rope

For this plyometric exercise, you have to think quick on your feet. As you pick up speed with the jump rope, your jumps remain controlled but explosive.

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and a jump-rope handle in each hand.
2. Engage your core and bend your knees slightly.
3. Begin with a single-bounce jump-rope rhythm.
4. When you’re ready, increase your “explosive” movements by pushing off more forcefully through your feet to get higher off the ground.
5. While airborne, increase the speed of the jump rope so it passes under your feet twice before you land.
6. Land on the balls of your feet with your knees over your toes.
7. Repeat for 60 seconds or until you feel comfortable.

Plyometric exercise #5: Standing wall push-ups

Like push-ups on the floor, these plyometric wall exercises give you more room for explosive movement.

1. Stand facing a wall, about two feet away, with your feet hip-width apart.
2. Place your hands on the wall at chest height and shoulder-width apart, like you’re about to do a push-up.
3. Engage your core, keeping your body in a straight line from your head to your heels.
4. Slowly bend your elbows and lower your chest toward the wall.
5. Push off the wall explosively enough so that your hands leave the wall and you come to a near-standing position.
6. Avoid slamming your hands back into the wall when you come down for your next push-up. Instead, try to lower yourself back to the wall in a quiet and controlled way.
7. Repeat for eight to 10 reps.

Plyometric exercise #6: Burpees

Burpees are one of the more advanced plyometric training exercises.

“You can do burpees really slowly if you’d like, but the controlled, explosive jumps into and out of the high plank are what make this a full-body plyometric exercise,” says Dr. King.

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Slowly crouch and place your hands on the floor in front of your feet.
3. Quickly jump your feet back into a high plank position, keeping your body in a straight line.
4. Slowly lower your chest toward the floor as if you’re doing a push-up.
5. Quickly push yourself back up into a high plank.
6. Jump your feet forward to return to a crouching position.
7. Jump straight up, reaching your arms overhead, before landing softly on the balls of your feet.
8. Repeat for eight to 10 reps.

Plyometric benefits

Plyometrics offers the best of both strength training and cardiovascular exercise.

“Strength training helps strengthen your muscles and cardio helps you build up resistance over time,” says Dr. King. “Plyometrics is like a bridge between both of those types of exercise. It takes those two concepts and slams them together into fast, intense movements.”

Working plyometrics into your fitness routine may:

• Increase your power and explosiveness
• Strengthen muscles and connective tissue
• Improve timing, coordination and reaction speed
• Enhance movement efficiency and control
• Boosts athletic performance

“For athletes, plyometrics are the building blocks of performance,” he continues. “Plyometric training helps you jump higher, run faster and cut back and forth more effectively.”

Plyometric training safety tips

When doing plyometrics, you can reduce your risk of injury by following some safety precautions:

• Limit plyometrics to one or two times a week. This is key, especially when you’re getting started. “Plyometric training offers a more intense challenge,” notes Dr. King.
• Do plyometrics right after you warm up. “Plyometric training is draining, so you want to get the most out of them while you have the energy,” he advises.
• Focus on quiet, soft landings. Your feet shouldn’t thump on the floor — that’s a quick way to roll your ankle. Land on the balls of your feet and sink into the landing.
• Prioritize quality over quantity. Work on perfecting your form before picking up the pace. Once you have a solid foundation, you can increase speed or number of reps.
• If these exercises cause pain, meet with a sports medicine specialist. “Some discomfort is expected, but if you feel like you’re pushing through pain, stop and let us take a look at what’s happening,” recommends Dr. King.

Plyometrics can be a fun new addition to your routine, especially if you feel like you’re plateauing. Shake things up with some high-intensity training, and you could be well on your way to the next level.