What are some good sources for plyometrics training?
Squat jumpsPlyo-push (pushing up so hard you leave the ground)8 count body buildersjumping lunges (alternating)box jumpskipsmuscle upsburpies Keep in mind: "There are some downsides to this type of training. It's easy to injure yourself with all that jumping, especially when you're jumping down from a high platform or step. Each time you land, your joints sustain about seven times more force than your body weight, so it's important to carefully consider the types of exercises you're doing and to ease into this type of training." Paige Waehner 2014 Plyometrics - Exercise Glossary DefinitionN.E.S.T.A. speed agility and quickness certified personal trainer since 2004~
Should plyometrics be done on the same day that you weight train with legs?
This is a very good question, but it is a bit loaded. Sure plyometrics can be done on the same day as legs.However, like anything else plyometrics need to be progressed intelligently and safely. Plyometrics place a high level of stress on the muscle and soft tissue due to what is known as the Stretch Shortening Cycle (SSC).This essentially means the muscles’ contractile force and force production is faster when performing a plyometric exercise which is the point.If performed there are varying degrees of plyometrics from low grade, mid grade, and intense variations of plyometrics. As an example skipping rope would be a lower grade plyometric whereas a depth jump would be very intense high grade plyometric.When performing lower body plyometrics on the same day as training lower body strength there are variables you want to consider such as your age, fitness level, strength, athleticism, and experience with training plyometrics.If you’re a novice I wouldn’t recommend doing intense lower body plyometrics on the same day as lower body strength. In fact, I wouldn’t recommend doing intense lower body plyometrics at all until your foundational strength is rock solid.Strength should be your primary focus for building a foundation so that you can earn the right to incorporate more intense plyometric training into your workouts period…let alone on the same day.Assuming you’re an advanced athlete you can absolutely include lower body plyometrics on the same day as lower body strength. In fact, with my pro athletes and fighters I incorporate a training tactic known as Post Activation Potentiation (PAP).PAP is a phenomenon by which the contractile history of muscles directly affects their subsequent rate of force development (RFD). To put this simply if you perform a heavy squat exercise and then superset a box jump with just your bodyweight the load of the squat exercise will enhance the RFD of the box jump developing more explosive power.Once again this should ONLY be done by advanced athletes as this places a high stress demand on the muscular system.The bottom line is to take your time and get really good at low grade plyometrics such as skip rope, bounds, and sprints. Practice your strength and make sure your technique is spot on.I hope this was helpful. Please keep me posted on your progress. Best of luck my friend.
Does plyometric training build mass?
To an extent…but not really…I wouldn’t say it’s the best way to build mass, far from it, but it can be a decent way to maintain strength and some muscle if you have little to no access to other equipment.i.e. You’ve built a bunch of muscle via weightlifting and are setting out to travel the world for 6 months and probably won’t have access to barbells/dumbbells in your travels. Plyometrics would be a good way to preserve your gains…When I say ‘to an extent’ I really mean to the same extent that cycling, sprinting or speed skating can develop the quads/thighs. Probably worse overall. If tissue has enough of a new stimulus (especially in a beginner) then sure, you’ll build some muscle. It happens, but it’s not overly significant for the most part. Enough maybe to notice that your jeans fit a little tighter but nobody is calling you Quadzilla anytime soon. It will most likely stop within the first few months of your new routine, depending on what else you’re doing. The same way that if you started riding a bike hard or rowing hard, you’d gain some thigh girth. The weightlifting resistance training component of something like rowing or cycling is what makes it more likely actually to build muscle than plyometrics. Which is why short distance endurance cyclists, rowers and many speed skaters have giant thighs — though the resistance training often done in those sports is also certainly part of it.Plyometrics train the nervous system more than anything else, not muscle directly and yes your body will lay down some new muscle and tendon tissue based on it’s training as an adaptation to prevent injury but it doesn’t stimulate muscle purely enough the way resistance training does to elicit a significant improvement in muscle mass. You need time under tension, volume and some metabolic fatigue to really build muscle and plyometrics just aren’t really a great option for this.You won’t build much muscle using plyometrics as your sole training mechanism.
To increase sprinting speed, weight training, plyometrics, or resistance training?
Although you can benefit from all types of training, plyometrics would be the best choice for speed. It's been used with track and field athletes in Europe as far back as 1920. Plyometric exercises can consist of skipping, hopping, and jumping in order to assist in developing lower-body strength, power, and speed. These exercises also aid in improving neural response, a very important component for quickness. Plyometrics help you maximize force and minimize the time it takes to achieve that force. In other words, it builds explosiveness. Weight training on the other hand, focuses on the magnitude of the force whereas plyometrics is primarily a focus on the speed of muscle contraction. There's more to it than that and you can get more info at http://www.joggingspot.com but I hope that helps a bit.
Which is better: Jumpsoles training shoes or Strength-Shoes?
I've never tried Strength Shoes, but I have tried Jumpsoles. They do work, but you won't see results instantly. After about 2 weeks or so, thats about when you'll finally see some improvement in your vertical. The exercise plan is pretty tough, and it leaves your legs tired and sore for a few days. The exercises range from squats to different sorts of plyometric jumps to optional weight training. The exercises aren't that hard really, but it's the number of them that you have to do that makes it sort of hard. You have to do about 20-25 reps of each exercise, and trust me, when you get to about the 18th rep, you start feeling the burn. But it's worth every second of it. I used them for about a month and a half and gained 10 inches on my vertical. Hope this helps. :]
Plyometrics - More for Cardio or Strength?
If done correctly, plyometric excersises are both strong cardio workouts and strength training workouts as well as great at building bone density. Now if you view strength training as building as much muscle as quick as possible, you want to pair plyometrics with weights, but if your wanting to tone and build lean muscle, plyometrics are the way to go.
Benefits of PLYOMETRICS?
Losing weight will help, but plyo will give you the explosiveness you need for blocking and hitting and should be done even if you are not going to lose weight. There's plenty of videos on YouTube and lots of websites to research. Put in some time on the search engines to learn more about plyometric training and give it a try. Olympic Beach VB champs Kerri Walsh and Misty-May Treanor use plyo to improve their game, and plyo was a big part of why Karch Kiraly was able to play competitively into his mid-40's. Good luck!
P90X: Should I take a Whey Protein shake after Plyometrics?
I take a whey protien shake after every P90X workout. Beachbody recommends their results and recovery drink but I have been using the whey protien drink. One of the best times to fuel your body is right after a workout. Using the beachbody products or a whey protien drink post workout will help muscle recovery and development I also take a preworkout drink. I have had good results with both. Beachbody has a new energy and endurance prework out drink that I have heard good things about. I have ordered it but have not received it yet. I am currently using a preworkout drink i picked up at a health food store. It also is working well for me.