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What are you favorite/suggested plyometric exercises? Mainly for running...
Plyometrics
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<b>For advanced exercisers only</b><br><br><b>Box jumps</b><br>
Place a step or box in front of you. Height depends on your leg length, fitness, and athleticism, but start with a box that's maybe 10-12" high. Squat down, swing your arms back, and explode up and onto the box, landing softly with your knees bent and your hips and weight back. Step off gently. Repeat.<br><br>
To advance, jump onto the box and then jump back off it, landing softly.<br><br>
To advance, increase your tempo.<br><br><b>Jump lunges</b><br>
Get into a lunge or split squat position with one leg in front of the other, back heel up off the floor. Make sure there's plenty of room between your feet. Squat down -- straight down and straight up -- a few times. On the last one, jump into the air and switch your feet, bringing the other foot forward. Do the same number of squats, then jump and switch.<br><br>
To advance, do less squats and more jump switches. So start with 8 squats, switch, 8 squats, switch, etc. Then move to 4 squats, switch, 4, switch. Then 2s. Then singles. Make sure you keep your hips and weight back and your posture tall. You should be able to see the toes of your front foot throughout the movement. If your front knee is hovering over your ankle when you're fully down in the split squat, you'll be able to see your toes. If your front knee extends too far forward, your toes will disappear.<br><br><b>Burpees</b><br>
Start in a plank position -- hands under your shoulders, making a straight line from your head to your heels. Jump your feet in toward your hands, stand up, and jump up as high as you can. Land softly into a squat, shoot your legs back and put your hands down into another plank. Repeat many, many times.<br><br>
To advance, add 3-4 pushups to the planks.<br><br><br><br><br>
Those should get you started, at least. <img alt="smile.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/smile.gif">
Place a step or box in front of you. Height depends on your leg length, fitness, and athleticism, but start with a box that's maybe 10-12" high. Squat down, swing your arms back, and explode up and onto the box, landing softly with your knees bent and your hips and weight back. Step off gently. Repeat.<br><br>
To advance, jump onto the box and then jump back off it, landing softly.<br><br>
To advance, increase your tempo.<br><br><b>Jump lunges</b><br>
Get into a lunge or split squat position with one leg in front of the other, back heel up off the floor. Make sure there's plenty of room between your feet. Squat down -- straight down and straight up -- a few times. On the last one, jump into the air and switch your feet, bringing the other foot forward. Do the same number of squats, then jump and switch.<br><br>
To advance, do less squats and more jump switches. So start with 8 squats, switch, 8 squats, switch, etc. Then move to 4 squats, switch, 4, switch. Then 2s. Then singles. Make sure you keep your hips and weight back and your posture tall. You should be able to see the toes of your front foot throughout the movement. If your front knee is hovering over your ankle when you're fully down in the split squat, you'll be able to see your toes. If your front knee extends too far forward, your toes will disappear.<br><br><b>Burpees</b><br>
Start in a plank position -- hands under your shoulders, making a straight line from your head to your heels. Jump your feet in toward your hands, stand up, and jump up as high as you can. Land softly into a squat, shoot your legs back and put your hands down into another plank. Repeat many, many times.<br><br>
To advance, add 3-4 pushups to the planks.<br><br><br><br><br>
Those should get you started, at least. <img alt="smile.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/smile.gif">
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jeez theia, take all the easy ones why don't ya? lol<br><br>
easy standard to improve your turnover are jump rope, tires, ladders and those big bunny hops.<br><br>
What's that one called where you do jump squats up and over the bench? I like to set up 3 steps of varying height. start all the way on the right side. right foot on the ground, left foot on the step. push off your left foot and hop over to the left side of the bench. Then push off your right foot (always through the heel) and hop back over to the right side of the bench. Start slow and work it faster and faster for 1 minute. Then leap frog that step and move on to the second step. Repeat the process on this step for 1 min. Then on to the third step. Repeat.<br><br>
After 3 min of this you can turn and jump <span style="text-decoration:underline;">over</span> the steps. Maybe with some bosu lunges after the third. Repeat<br><br>
Another good one is to 'hop on one foot' back and forth over anything. I like to use those parking stops. concrete bumpers.<br><br>
This last one is particularly good for teaching the muscles to shorten and lengthen for uneven ground (i.e. trail running) because parking lots are never even
easy standard to improve your turnover are jump rope, tires, ladders and those big bunny hops.<br><br>
What's that one called where you do jump squats up and over the bench? I like to set up 3 steps of varying height. start all the way on the right side. right foot on the ground, left foot on the step. push off your left foot and hop over to the left side of the bench. Then push off your right foot (always through the heel) and hop back over to the right side of the bench. Start slow and work it faster and faster for 1 minute. Then leap frog that step and move on to the second step. Repeat the process on this step for 1 min. Then on to the third step. Repeat.<br><br>
After 3 min of this you can turn and jump <span style="text-decoration:underline;">over</span> the steps. Maybe with some bosu lunges after the third. Repeat<br><br>
Another good one is to 'hop on one foot' back and forth over anything. I like to use those parking stops. concrete bumpers.<br><br>
This last one is particularly good for teaching the muscles to shorten and lengthen for uneven ground (i.e. trail running) because parking lots are never even
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Do you guys have anything easy that I can do in the backyard? I have no box, jump rope, tires or pull up bars... Just me, my legs and the grass...
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sure. you can do the jump lunges and the squat thrust (burpee) w/o any equip. also the big hops. Both feet together, swing your arms, jump as far as you can. To do any hurdle variation (tires, or ladder) you can use the garden hose. Or schwa from around the house. Jump over a ball. a bat, your fins, your bike, your ski's, milk crate or just your imagination. The point , for you, is the muscle training not really the height. So jumping over nothing is just fine or something as simple as throwing the broom out in the backyard and aim to jump over it, front- to-back, side-to-side, single footed, try jumping over it backwards, Ha, not as easy as you thought?<br>
as for the box or the steps, get creative, look around the garage, and sturdy solid surface will do. Cinderblock? parkbench? Jump off a back porch step then jump straight up in the air.<br><br>
some excerpts:<br>
Plyometric training utilises the stretch-reflex mechanism, allowing for much greater than normal force to be generated by pre-stretching a muscle (the eccentric contraction) before it contracts. In plyometric exercise, overload is applied to skeletal muscle in a manner that rapidly stretches the muscle immediately prior to the concentric contraction i.e. drop jumping, standing jump, multiple jumps, single leg jumps, hops, and bounds. These exercises develop neuromuscular firing patterns and improve the muscle contractility of specific muscle groups.<br><br><b><i>Bounding and hurdling</i></b><br>
If forward motion is more the name of your game, try some bounding. This is a form of plyometric training, where over sized strides are used in the running action and extra time spent in the air. Two-legged bounds reduce the impact to be endured, but to increase the intensity one legged bounding, or hopping, can be used. Bounding upstairs is a useful way to work on both the vertical and horizontal aspects of the running action. Multiple jumps over a series of obstacles like hurdles are valuable drills for athletes training for sprinting or jumping events.<br>
Examples of lower body plyometric exercises with intensity level:
<ul><li>Standing based jumps performed on the spot (low intensity) - Tuck Jumps, Split Jumps</li>
<li>Jumps from standing (low-medium intensity) - Standing long jump, Standing hop, Standing jump for height</li>
<li>Multiple jumps from standing (medium intensity) - bounds, bunny hops, double footed jumps over low hurdle, double footed jumps up steps</li>
<li>Multiple jumps with run in (High intensity) - 11 stride run + 2 hops and a jump into sandpit, 2 stride run in + bounds</li>
<li>Depth jumping (high-very high intensity) - jumps down and up off box (40 to 100cm), bounding up hill</li>
<li>Eccentric drop and hold drills (high-very high intensity) - hop and hold, bound/hop/bound/hop over 30 metres (athletes stop and hold on each landing before springing into the next move), drop and hold from a height greater than one metre</li>
</ul>
leg page= good explanations<br><a href="http://www.brianmac.co.uk/legplymo.htm" target="_blank">http://www.brianmac.co.uk/legplymo.htm</a><br><br>
tri link for beginner program<br><a href="http://www.trainingsmartonline.com/images/Free_Triathlon_Articles/Triathlon_Plyometrics.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.trainingsmartonline.com/i...lyometrics.pdf</a>
as for the box or the steps, get creative, look around the garage, and sturdy solid surface will do. Cinderblock? parkbench? Jump off a back porch step then jump straight up in the air.<br><br>
some excerpts:<br>
Plyometric training utilises the stretch-reflex mechanism, allowing for much greater than normal force to be generated by pre-stretching a muscle (the eccentric contraction) before it contracts. In plyometric exercise, overload is applied to skeletal muscle in a manner that rapidly stretches the muscle immediately prior to the concentric contraction i.e. drop jumping, standing jump, multiple jumps, single leg jumps, hops, and bounds. These exercises develop neuromuscular firing patterns and improve the muscle contractility of specific muscle groups.<br><br><b><i>Bounding and hurdling</i></b><br>
If forward motion is more the name of your game, try some bounding. This is a form of plyometric training, where over sized strides are used in the running action and extra time spent in the air. Two-legged bounds reduce the impact to be endured, but to increase the intensity one legged bounding, or hopping, can be used. Bounding upstairs is a useful way to work on both the vertical and horizontal aspects of the running action. Multiple jumps over a series of obstacles like hurdles are valuable drills for athletes training for sprinting or jumping events.<br>
Examples of lower body plyometric exercises with intensity level:
<ul><li>Standing based jumps performed on the spot (low intensity) - Tuck Jumps, Split Jumps</li>
<li>Jumps from standing (low-medium intensity) - Standing long jump, Standing hop, Standing jump for height</li>
<li>Multiple jumps from standing (medium intensity) - bounds, bunny hops, double footed jumps over low hurdle, double footed jumps up steps</li>
<li>Multiple jumps with run in (High intensity) - 11 stride run + 2 hops and a jump into sandpit, 2 stride run in + bounds</li>
<li>Depth jumping (high-very high intensity) - jumps down and up off box (40 to 100cm), bounding up hill</li>
<li>Eccentric drop and hold drills (high-very high intensity) - hop and hold, bound/hop/bound/hop over 30 metres (athletes stop and hold on each landing before springing into the next move), drop and hold from a height greater than one metre</li>
</ul>
leg page= good explanations<br><a href="http://www.brianmac.co.uk/legplymo.htm" target="_blank">http://www.brianmac.co.uk/legplymo.htm</a><br><br>
tri link for beginner program<br><a href="http://www.trainingsmartonline.com/images/Free_Triathlon_Articles/Triathlon_Plyometrics.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.trainingsmartonline.com/i...lyometrics.pdf</a>
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also, ther is benefit in downhill sprints or stride outs! I love these. It forces you to spread your stride and have a qyuick turnover with your footses!
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Do you have kids? Play leapfrog with them, or do bunny hops. Race them by bounding across the yard. Skip, trying to get your knees as high as possible.<br><br>
Try progressive jumps -- try to jump either higher or farther each time. As Melistic quoted above, progress from two-footed jumps to one leg at a time.<br><br>
Do you have steps leading to your backyard from your house? Do quick heels on the bottom step. Lunge forward onto the second or third step (depending on your height and leg length).<br><br>
Stairs in your house? Run up them two or three at a time, then walk down slowly. Repeat repeat repeat.<br><br>
Do the jump lunges I listed in my first post. Add weights if they're not hard enough. <img alt="wink.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/wink.gif">
Try progressive jumps -- try to jump either higher or farther each time. As Melistic quoted above, progress from two-footed jumps to one leg at a time.<br><br>
Do you have steps leading to your backyard from your house? Do quick heels on the bottom step. Lunge forward onto the second or third step (depending on your height and leg length).<br><br>
Stairs in your house? Run up them two or three at a time, then walk down slowly. Repeat repeat repeat.<br><br>
Do the jump lunges I listed in my first post. Add weights if they're not hard enough. <img alt="wink.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/wink.gif">
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