The Truth about "Plyos"

I’m willing to bet that if you are reading this article you fall into one of two camps. You are someone who is doing plyometric training correctly under the supervision of a strength coach, or as part of a well-formulated strength and conditioning program, in which case you can stop reading now. Or, you are someone who is doing them completely wrong, sadly in the many years I have been in the industry, most those I have seen doing plyometric training, or at least what they believe to be plyometric training, are doing it wrong.

The textbook definition of plyometrics is as follows: A type of training that uses jumping exercises to involve the neuromuscular system in rapid force development and improved use of tissue elasticity to improve power, the rate of force development, and the ability to absorb force. A simple jumping exercise can be classified as a plyometric exercise if it involves an eccentric muscle action (lengthening of the muscle tissue), amortization phase (phase between eccentric and concentric muscle actions), and a concentric muscle action (shortening of the muscle tissue). These three components allow athletes to utilize the musculoskeletal system to produce greater force following the eccentric muscle action (1). For most experienced strength coaches and trainers, the term “plyometric” is a very defined, and concrete one. Plyometric exercises leverage an incredible mechanism within the body known as the stretch-shortening cycle, to create long term increased explosive power and speed outputs.That being said, plyometric training is WORK.

Simply put, it is not something to be taken lightly or tossed in at the end of training, it is demanding, fatiguing, work. And that is where the confusion between the strength and conditioning world and the general fitness world arises.

The whole point of plyometric training was lost in translation when the fitness space made an attempt to adopt one of the strength and conditioning worlds most effective training techniques. You see, as is the case with any type of training designed to potentiate a maximal level of force output, be it strength-speed or speed-strength, this type of training must be done with adequate rest, extreme attention to technique, mechanics, and intent, and designated recovery time. The plyometric training, or “plyos” , as they are often referred to by the lulu lemon clad uninformed, I have seen in the gym over the last decade has largely been comprised of frontal/sagittal plane jumps and hops for time with very submaximal effort. Hell, half the time they are used as the back half of a super-set to further fatigue a muscle with the absence of weight, a mechanical drop set if you will. While these jumps are great and serve a purpose it is important we don't call them something they are not. Plyometrics are not a cardio tool, they are not supposed to help you break a sweat, they are best used as a standalone workout or part of a workout designed to potentiate speed, power, and explosiveness.

Here are some basic guidelines for plyometric training from the NSCA, the gold standard resource for strength and conditioning/performance enhancement.

Athletes looking to incorporate lower body and upper body plyometric work should pair the two with there opposite resistance training counterpart. Meaning, If you do a lower body weight training session, pairing that with upper body plyometric work is safest and most effective – vice versa.

Athletes should also be aware of ground contacts, meaning the number of times the body creates a landing impact. A great rule of thumb for a novice is around 80 ground contacts per plyometric session. Those who are overweight should take additional caution when performing these drills as the impact on soft tissues will obviously be greater.

The problem with the general reception of plyometric training is and has always been, both a language misinterpretation, but also a training/recovery misinterpretation. Hopefully, it is clear to you now that plyometric training is not something to be taken lightly. It should be viewed similarly to maximal resistance training in the sense it places heavy demands on the body – and because of this, it is an extremely effective performance enhancement tool, not a burnout gimmick. For additional resources and guidelines for plyometric training stay tuned to my various platforms and feel free to consult the NSCA's essentials of strength and conditioning textbook.

Sources: 1. The National Strength and Conditioning Association’s (NSCA) BASICS OF STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING MANUAL, Sands, Wurth, and Hewit.