Plyometric movements are used by just about all professional athletes to improve explosive strength, power, speed, and performance.
You’ve probably seen athletes or other advanced clients performing exercises like box jumps in your local gym. These movements are quick and explosive in nature, and are designed to utilize the pre-stretch immediately prior to a movement to increase power. In other words, your muscle is more powerful if it is “loaded” first by being stretched eccentrically then followed by a quick concentric contraction.
These intense movements should only be performed by intermediate to advanced clients that have adequately demonstrated proper mechanics in movements such as the squat, lateral lunge, and roman deadlift. Due to the added stress placed on the joints during plyometric movements, these exercises are not recommended for those with hip, knee, or other major joint problems as they may exacerbate the issue.
Some of the top plyometric exercises are:
- Depth jump
- Box jump
- Lateral hop
- Jump lunge
- Jumping jack
- High knees
- One Leg mountain climber
- Plyometric push-up
- Medicine ball slam
