Georgia Personal Training

Plyometrics

Plyometric Training has been shown to be one of the most effective training modalities for athletes to develop both speed and explosive power. Plyometrics refers to exercises that require a muscle to exert maximum force in the shortest possible time. In plyometric movements the muscle is loaded with an eccentric (lengthening) action, followed immediately by a very short transition phase (amortization), and then a rapid concentric (shortening) contraction. This process is called the stretch shortening cycle or SSC.

A muscle has much of the same properties as a rubber band. When muscle is stretched prior to contraction, it creates stored elastic energy and will then contract more forcefully and rapidly than it would from a static state. There is also a process that occurs when a sudden rapid stretch is detected in the muscles in which an involuntary protective response will initiate to prevent injury. This involuntary response is referred to as the “stretch reflex”. Both the elastic component of muscle and the stretch reflex are believed to be the driving forces behind the increased rate of force production during plyometric exercises.

So how do plyometrics build power and speed for athletes?

Plyometrics help increase the bodies ability to rapidly contract the muscles and create maximum power output in the shortest possible time. Simply put, they are the key to increasing ones ability to generate force very fast. Creating maximum force is what we as athletes are striving for. Whether it’s exit velocity off the bat, the force of a punch or tackle, the velocity of a pitch or tennis serve, etc. Maximum force is the objective of any athlete.
Force = Mass x Acceleration. Most trainers focus primarily on the mass part of that equation. In doing so they are not achieving optimal results for their athletes and could in fact be harming them. If strength training is done in a manner that reduces speed, causes imbalances, breaks down technique, or causes limited range of motion it is actually reducing an athlete’s ability to generate force. Simply put, they may be squatting heavy, but their velocity is dropping and their 60 times are increasing rather than decreasing.

This is why plyometrics are so beneficial. They address both strength and speed simultaneously while also improving balance, range of motion, agility, and neurological response. Examples of plyometric movements would be squat jumps, box jumps, depth jumps, ski jumps, medicine ball slams, rotational throws, etc. There is a plethora of dynamic plyometric movements that can be utilized for both the lower and upper body to create the most explosive, powerful athlete possible. At GPT, we try to incorporate plyometric movements into every single training session. Our objective is to create home runs, velocity, and stolen bases, not deadlift and squat PRs.