What are plyometrics? Plyometrics are exercises that are designed to train your body in fast, explosive movement. These exercises are based around having muscles exert maximum force in as short a time as possible, with the goal of increasing both speed and power. They are also sometimes called proprioceptive neuro-muscular facilitation (PNF), since it’s designed to make the nervous system more efficient. Plyometrics work by increasing the body’s neuro-muscular efficiency. The electrical signals that tell your muscles to contract become more coordinated. They engage the stretch reflex (technically called the myostatic-reflex). If a muscle is rapidly stretched (lengthened) before contracting, it will make an even stronger concentric contraction to protect itself. Plyometrics are done quickly, so you store kinetic energy in your muscles at the bottom of a movement and release it in the explosive part of the movement, like a rubber band getting stretched back before you shoot it at someone. The rubber band flying through the air is your explosive movement.
At WST we incorporate plyos into our program by performing plyometric jumps before a lifting routine, or in combination with a heavy lift. Why before? Because athletes are able to perform skilled plyometric exercises when they are fresh, and it does not limit strength by causing excessive fatigue. When in conjunction with heavy lifting like a dead lift, you want to work up to a heavy 5 rep or 3 rep, and superset the lift with a jump (plyometric exercise) that is in the same plane of the lift. You want to be able to perform the lift for 3-4 sets. Jumping in the same plane enforces power in the same direction. The same goes for upper body lifting if you are going to do a bench press you can superset plyo pushups at the designated height. Some examples of plyometric exercises WST commonly uses are broad jumps, box jumps, depth jumps, hurdle hops, plyo pushups, and horizontal switch chins.
By: WST Trainer Vicky Ziolkowsi
