The Power of Plyometrics

American Fitness, Sept, 2000 by Tom Seabourne

Do you want to energize your workouts? If power is paramount for your sport, then plyometrics can help. Whether you're throwing, kicking or hitting, the objective is to generate the greatest amount of force in the shortest period of time. Plyometrics can add distance to your throw and power to your punch. It trains your nervous system and metabolic pathways to increase your explosiveness on the court or field, giving you the extra push you need to go higher and faster.

If you use plyometrics to gain arm power, you can increase your upper body strength and speed. Athletes tend to neglect their upper body power, so this is an easy way to remedy that. You will gain strength in your shoulders, triceps, chest and back, which eventually translates into increased power. The more power you have, the faster and more forceful you will be in your sport.

Plyometrics requires you to accelerate through a complete range of motion and then relax into a full stretch. The quick stretch applied to the muscle during push-off is thought to increase your muscle contraction, thereby enhancing your power, says Donald Chu, Ph.D., Director of the Physical Therapist Assistant Program at Ohlone College in Newark, California.

Before you begin plyometrics, warm up for 5 minutes and then stretch. Begin with five repetitions. Add one repetition each week until you can perform 20 repetitions consecutively. Spend a couple of seconds resting between repetitions and at least 30 seconds resting between sets, but perform your repetitions consecutively. After a month of plyometrics, spend less time resting between sets and increase to two sets of each exercise.

Plyometrics Exercises

1. Use a medicine ball to practice chest passing with your partner. Keep your knees bent, elbows soft and the ball moving without rest in between.

2. Clap push-ups: Press up into a push-up position and clap your hands before they return to the floor.

3. Double-cap push-up: Press up into a push-up position and clap your hands twice before they return to the floor.

4. Lateral push-ups: Press up into a push-up and slide both hands 6 inches to your left before returning your hands to the floor. On your next push-up, slide your hands back to the right.

5. Wall-ups: Perform a handstand using a wall for balance. Place your hands a little less than shoulder-width apart. Bend your elbows slightly and explode back up into a handstand.

After you are finished with your upper body plyometric program, cool down and stretch. Be prepared for some muscular soreness for the next couple of days. Do not practice plyometrics more than twice a week. If you are sore from a previous workout, wait an extra day before your next set of plyometrics.

Tom Seabourne, Ph.D., is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and is certified through the American Council on Exercise (ACE), the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and is a Master Trainer for Keiser Corporations Power Pacing program. Dr. Seabourne traveled to 40 major cities in 1999, presenting fitness conferences, cardiokickboxing programs and expos for Sara's City Workout, FACT and IDEA WORLD.