Plyometrics

I was talking with a friend this morning about what workout we want to do later today and she was saying how she was sore from her workout yesterday.  She and my wife did a workout which included many different plyometric exercises.  She filled me in on how much she does not like doing jumping exercises but at the same time loves them for what they do for her.  I however, love plyometrics and it is where my love for fitness started.  Being a super skinny kid and not really knowing a lot, I was intimidated to go into a weight room.   But I knew I could always jump.  The first book I ever bought for myself was a book on plyometrics.

Plyometrics are defined as jump training.  Exercises in which muscle exert maximum force in short intervals to increase muscular power. 

These types of exercises are usually linked with athletes and not usually thought about as a go to exercise for the average gym goer.  The average person probably doesn't care what their vertical jump is nor do they care to increase it.  However, I believe that they can be an effective tool to help anyone achieve their fitness goals, whatever they are.

Plyometrics require a lot of energy and muscles to perform, therefore they will burn a large number of calories during a workout.  In November 2011 an American Council of Exercise study revealed that people that participated in 43 minutes of plyometrics burned between 492-770 calories depending on their weight.  The average calories burned in one hour of weight training according to the Harvard Medical School is between 180-266 depending on the participants weight. 

Now with this type of exercise there is always a risk of injury.  Plyometrics place a great amount of stress on joints as well as the ligaments and tendons.  If you have joint issues or arthritis do not attempt plyometrics without first getting cleared by your doctor.  One major tip I would like to offer is whenever doing plyometrics make sure that you land softly.  By that I mean bend the knees upon landing and allow yourself to sink into a squatting position.  This will minimize the impact on the knee joint allowing more of the impact to be absorbed by the muscles.

If you are a beginner start with no more than 60-80 foot contacts and 1-2 workouts per week.  This will allow your muscles and joints to strengthen and minimize risk of injury.

Some good exercises include: box jumps, jump squats and depth jumps for the lower body.  Clapping push ups and medicine ball throws are good examples for the upper body.