Plyometrics Part 2: Beginning to Take Flight

In my last blog (CLICK HERE!) we discussed the first step to implementing plyometrics into your workout routine. In the blog we covered the most important part of any plyometric progression: the landing. Since then I hope you all have implemented this variation into your fitness routine and have begun to get comfortable with this movement and exercise. Unless you have mastered the landing, you’re not ready to move on quite yet. Why, you may ask? Unless you can control your body properly in space, and teach your body to absorb and redirect force, how can I trust your body to understand to generate force, absorb and redirect? Hopefully you understand the chain of movement that we are aiming to create by these blog series. If you have mastered the landing, you’re ready to take flight, literally!

From Landings to Take Off: Plyometric Jumps

Why this progression? Why this learning process? It is the SAME process I utilize with elite college level athletes in the off-season: if it’s good enough for an all-American, it’s good enough for you. As mentioned, once you are comfortable with landing safely, you are now ready to jump. Now is the easy part, well sort of. You are going to practice jumping AS HIGH AS YOU CAN! Crazy? Simple? Or both? Both! Practice jumping as high as you can WHILE coming down under control and landing perfectly like you just practiced for the past few weeks. Here are some coaching cues I use and that would be helpful to remember when performing a standing vertical jump:

·    Push your hips back and load them like a spring.

·    Push the ground through your heels.

·    Load your hands in your holsters; throw them to the ceiling.

·    Reach up with your hands and put your head through the ceiling.

·    Absorb the ground and land like a feather, landing from heel to toe.

Now obviously this will not come natural to remember all of these verbal or internal coaching cues, that’s what makes plyometrics an advanced form of training! Continue to work on these in your workout routine, I would suggest adding 3-5 sets of 3-5 reps of standing vertical jumps, with a minute or two rest in between sets. Also, perform these after your warm-up, and before your workout when your body is at its most primed and ready state.

The Next Progression: Single Leg Landings

Okay so now you have mastered the plyometric landing, you’ve begun to add in the standing vertical jump, what’s next? Simple, we will take one leg away and repeat the whole process! Not all in one workout, but gradually as with all of our other exercise implementations. Single leg plyometric can be very beneficial to any athlete. Why? Think of most sports, and rarely are athletes are on two feet. Generally, yes there ARE exceptions, but running, cutting, spinning, all done on one leg; so it makes to train that way right? Exactly! Begin adding in single leg landings to your workout routine. Since we are using one leg instead of two, cut down the distance you are stepping off of. With two legs it may have been anywhere from 12-24”, with a single leg let’s cut it to 6-12”.

Wrap-Up

Let us now look back at what a plyometric routine would look like for us after the recent blogs:

·    Day 1

o   Plyometric Landings: 2-3 Sets x 3-5 Reps (from various heights 12-24”)

o   Standing Vertical Jumps: 3-5 sets x 3 Reps                                       

·    Day 2

o   Single Leg Landings: 2-3 Sets x 3-5 Reps (from various heights 6-12”)

o   Standing Vertical Jumps: 3-5 sets x 3 Reps

Implement these two plyometric training sessions on a weekly basis and you will be laying the foundation for more plyometric work to come. Understand it’s a process; I won’t ask you to jump if you can land, I won’t ask you to do single leg, till I know you can control the body using two feet. There is always a method to the madness! Keep focusing on the little movements and then the big ones will eventually take care of themselves. Be sure to check out the blog next week, where I will show you how to take your vertical jump and plyometrics to new heights, LITERALLY. Once again until then, safe landings and happy lifting.

References

1Baechle, T.R. & Earle, R.W. (2008). Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning (3rd ed.). Champaign: Human Kinetics.

2Clark, Z. (2010, November 10). How to Improve Your Vertical Jump. Retrieved February 28, 2016, from www.stack.com website: http://www.stack.com/a/how-to-improve-your-vertical-jump

3Kish, R. (n.d.). Proper Plyometrics: How to Box Jump, Vertical Jump, and Broad Jump Correctly. Retrieved February 21, 2016, from www.breakingmuscle.com website: http://breakingmuscle.com/strength-conditioning/proper-plyometrics-how-to-box-jump-vertical-jump-and-broad-jump-correctly

4Siniscalchi, M. (2012, June 18). Addressing Groin Issues with Soccer Players (Continued): The Whole Approach. Retrieved February 28, 2016, from http://mattsiniscalchi.com/ website: http://mattsiniscalchi.com/2012/06/18/

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