Plyometrics Training, what is it and how can I get started?

 You may of heard about the word plyometric, or pylo training when researching about exercise and fitness, but wondered what is was or what is meant by it.  First of all, this is a style of training aimed at generating explosive power and fat stripping, it isn’t for everyone.

This type of training is very high impact, therefore it isn’t suitable for clients that have problems with joints such as knees or shoulders, as this could cause more pain as opposed to generating gains from training this way.

Speed and strength are integral components of fitness found in virtually all athletic movements. Simply put the combination of speed and strength is power. Plyometric training 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. For many years, coaches and athletes have sought to improve power in order to enhance performance.

Plyometric exercises can be applied to almost any basic exercise, for example a squat can be turned into a jump squat, concentrating on that exertion of maximum power in the quickest form.

When I’m training clients I use a lot  of these differing plyometric exercises designed to keep the heart rate high whilst improving power and explosiveness of the client. I always explain and look for a ‘clink’ or a ‘snap’ as those noises, show improvements in the amount of power generated.

When undergoing these types of sessions you are focusing on how quickly you can load and then explode the weight or height (if jumping high onto something) to complete the exercise. This could be by jumping on a box, doing a clap press up, using Olympic lifting exercises such as a clean and press or snatch, or simply using your legs to power up a shoulder press or upright row more explosively.

This type of training hasn’t just been around recently, for years coaches have been using jumping,bounding and hopping exercises in various ways to enhance athletic performance. However In recent years, this method of training for power or explosiveness has been termed plyometrics training.

Whatever the origins of the word the term is used to describe the method of training that seeks to enhance the explosive reaction of the individual through powerful muscular contractions because of rapid eccentric contractions.

This training is great for keeping your heart rate high, however if your training in the gym on a daily basis, don’t always use this type of training. You are asking for your muscles to contract maximum power in the quickest time possible. If you continually train like this everyday, your body won’t be able to keep up, and you won’t get the gains you were looking for. Plyometric training should be undertaken 3 times a week maximum.

You can even mix this style of training with interval training. As previously mentioned I do a lot of interval training on the rowing machine. Change the screen to ‘watts’ and concentrate on hitting as much power (wattage) as possible. Do this for 20 seconds on and then rest for 30 seconds, repeat 4 repetitions. This is how you mix plyometric (maximum output) and interval training (short burst of energy) together.

To find out how I can help you develop more power and ultimately strip that fat please call me on 0161 399 00 77.