From athletes to people who just workout to stay fit, plyometrics adds variety and a challenge to your workouts. Adding plyometrics will allow you to challenge your body, reach a higher level of fitness and get continued results. In the past few years I have become quite a fan of plyometric training and it's a part of my workout regimen. It provides a good challenging workout and it kicks your butt in a short amount of time, resulting in an optimal calorie burn. Plyometrics date back to the 60’s and has strong roots in European countries where it was know as “jump training.” Plyometrics uses a stretch-shortening cycle that allows the muscles to use stored energy during the negative loading (eccentric) of a particular movement. In addition, it allows for quick utilization of energy during the positive (concentric) phase of an exercise. For example, when the muscles are under load such as squatting down and jumping up, it’s during this amortization phase when the main muscles are absorbing energy. In fact, 32% of the energy is used during the positive part of the movement. However, if the amortization phase last for an extended amount of time, the energy that’s being absorbed can be lost. What research does show is when the negative loading is done at a rapid speed(shorter amortization phase) the results are stronger positive muscle contractions.
If your wanting to try plyometrics I recommend working with a personal trainer to insure the movements are done correctly. And like any exercise program, the proper precautions should be taken such as wearing shoes that offer good support, warm up 10-15 minutes prior to workout and don't perform exercises when you start to feel fatigue and good form is compromised. Plyometric drills combined with weight training is a great way to increase explosive power.
