What Are The Benefits of Plyometric Training?

It’s not just jumping jacks. Plyometric training uses explosive movements to help improve athletic performance. Plyometric is great for athletes of all levels. From Olympians and professional athletes to dancers, general fitness enthusiasts, and even military members and youth sports athletes, plyometric training can be a great way to enhance athletic skills. Plyometrics can be tailored to the specific needs of particular sports or individual athletic goals. From jump serves to jump shots, efficient fieldling to epic ball carrying, so many sports use the explosive movements that plyometrics help to develop. The benefits of plyometric training can extend beyond the realm of traditional sports; it is also used in the world of sports rehabilitation, injury prevention, and overall fitness. Read on to learn more about the benefits of plyometric training. 

More power. Plyometric training can help athletes to truly build their capacity for power and explosiveness. Jump higher. Run faster. Hit harder. This training can help athletes to condition their muscles to contract rapidly and powerfully. This newfound power can truly make you a force to be reckoned with in competition or during your workouts. 

Stronger than ever. While weights are great, plyometric training works so well for building muscle and strength, especially in the lower body and core. Stronger legs and a powerful core can really increase athleticism and performance. 

Quick and agile. What athlete doesn’t seek to improve agility and speed skills? If you need to change direction quickly, react fast, and move with agility, plyometrics can also help with these skills. This is accomplished in plyometric training through the training of your nervous system; this system can be conditioned to react quickly and efficiently. 

Fewer injuries. Although it’s not the first thing that comes to mind when considering plyometric training, having fewer injuries is certainly an invaluable benefit. Because it is a high-impact style of training, plyometrics can help to strengthen your bones, which in turn, can help increase bone density and make you less prone to injuries. Athletes put so much stress on their bodies; plyometric training prepares them to deal with this stress. Plyometrics can also help to improve balance and coordination, which can help to avoid falls or accidents on the field too. 

Feel the burn. The intensity of plyometric training has the great overall benefit of burning more calories. These exercises can help to get your metabolism fired up with efficient and intense workouts.

Heart healthy. The exercises for plyometric training can be beneficial for your heart and lungs as well. Plyometrics can improve blood circulation, oxygen levels, and overall cardiovascular health. 

Toughen up. Training in plyometrics can help athletes of all levels to build resilience and mental toughness. With these intense exercises, you can get the added benefits of overcoming challenges and pushing through discomfort. This kind of power and perseverance is so key to prominence in athletics and performance as well.

Be flexible. When an athlete lands a jump, it can help to stretch the muscles, giving the next jump even more power. This movement—contracting and stretching the muscles—can really increase an athlete’s flexibility.

Have a good time. Another great benefit of plyometric training is its dynamic nature. Plyometrics is a great challenge to any regular exercise routine, and it can make workouts interesting and fun.

All around workout. Plyometrics is not just jumping, though there are plenty of hops, skips, and squats.  This training encourages sharpened skills and explosiveness. In addition to different jump exercises, a training session could include running, sprinting, kicking, punching, and pushups. Plyo helps athletes to better propel their bodies off the ground. 

Work with the best. You could choose to do plyometric training on your own, but it would be best to work with a professional trainer to learn and experience the best benefits from this method. Working with an expert can help you to perform plyometric exercises safely and prevent injuries. ROI’s strength and conditioning coaches are experts in helping athletes to grow and adapt for their specific sport. Programs at ROI are centered on movement variability, power output, explosiveness, and injury prevention. 

Check out ROI: At ROI, we have a serious focus on strength and conditioning. We employ three different techniques in plyometric training. They include: exposing tendons to heavy load and increasing tendon stiffness, using cyclical movements to produce a spring-like ability in the tendon, and “shock method” training to increase neural efficiency to the working muscles. We use the best equipment too. ROI has athletes work with the Sports Science Lab Plio machine to help develop both strength and power. This helps trainers at ROI to tailor plyometric training programs to each athlete, focusing on sport-specific moves. 

Ready to get started? Sports and fitness can be so demanding, but you don’t have to do all the training on your own. Work with a team that is experienced and professional. Reach out to ROI for more information on specific training programs, or give us a call at 512.962.9141 to find out more.