Want higher return on your exercise investment? Plyometrics, sometimes referred to as jump training, or “plyos,” combines cardio and strength training with sudden explosive movements, such as squat jumps or “burpees.” The idea is to exert max effort in the shortest amount of time. Plyometrics taps into stored muscle energy to increase speed, muscle development, agility, cardio function, stamina and calorie burn.
Every time you jump, skip or leap you do plyometrics (hopping on a bus, jumping up abruptly from your seat). “Any type of jumping, including little hops on the balls of your feet will elicit a similar response,” explained Neal Pire, a strength and conditioning specialist with the American College of Sports Medicine and author of Plyometrics for Athletes at All Levels.
Plyometrics shouldn’t be confused with HITT (high intensity interval training), which is a type of workout progression “designed to improve overall fitness and push your anaerobic capacity to new heights,” continued Pire, while plyometrics is an exercise technique. “HITT involves a series of exercises of varying intensity in a sequence that alternates between high intensity exercise and lower; plyometric exercises involve singular explosive movements (e.g. squat jump).”
While many athletes do plyometrics to increase performance, anyone can benefit. “There will come times when even my mother, who is 95, needs to be explosive,” said Pire.
Deborah McConnell, a health and fitness instructor with equipment manufacturer Life Fitness, suggests you warm up first, begin slowly and gradually increase intensity. “When you land, you want to make sure you land softly to absorb the shock,” she stresses. “Allow plenty of rest between days, and because of the intensity, do plyometrics at the beginning of the routine and not when you’re tired.”
