Look Before You Leap! By Missy Hawthorne, RN, CSCS

Have you ever watched kids jump rope or play hopscotch? Watch as they approach a set of bleachers. I have yet to see a child slowly take the bleachers one step at a time! Kids love to jump and leap! They jump down from couches and jump on beds! Yes, early in our development, we humans innately know we must develop the ability to absorb force before we get to the point of producing force.1

Movements like jumping, bounding and hopping using the lower body, and swinging, catching and throwing using the upper body are known as plyometric exercise. And whether you are sports-minded or not, plyometric training is one of the best activities you can do to increase your strength and prevent injury in everyday living.

What is Plyometric Exercise?

Plyometrics is defined as “exercises that enable the muscle to reach maximum strength in as short a time as possible.”2 Plyometric exercise is rapid, powerful, explosive movement like jumping, rebounding, or hopping that is repeated again and again. The goal of plyometric training is to raise explosive power.

It does this by training the muscles and tendons of the lower body in movements like hopping and bounding, and the upper body in movements like swinging or throwing. This trains the muscles and tendons to shorten and lengthen as quickly as possible and enables the body to shorten the length of time between each bound or throw.
While at first glance you might think plyometrics would be most useful for an athlete, it is actually great training to prevent everyday injuries that can occur — for example, when moving furniture in your home. Even pushing a chair to vacuum under it could cause a muscle pull unless you’ve been training.

Plyometric exercise is a great way to train, but several considerations need to be made. So here are a few important questions to consider before you take the leap into plyometrics.

Is Plyometrics Appropriate for Me?

If you have remained active throughout most of your adult years, chances are you have been doing activity or exercise that is plyometric in nature. However, a trainer can help you examine if you have the necessary prerequisites to start plyometric training.

The biggest concern with plyometrics is whether the individual can absorb force in a healthy manner? Is there proper stability in the hip, knee ankle complex? Is there proper core mechanics? Age is not a big concern as long as the above parameters of mechanics, absorption capability, core strength and strong posture are evident.
Body type, however is critical. Overweight individuals, whether from muscle or fat, will absorb heavier loads when landing and therefore need to limit the number of jumps and landings in order to prevent injury. Your health status and any past injuries will also affect these considerations.

How Do I Get Started and is Plyometrics Really Safe?

Progression, progression, progression is the key to safe plyometric exercise. Use the K.I.S.S. principle; keep it simple stupid! Begin with simple basic movements like marching or skipping and progress to lunging and then on to jumps.

Here’s an example of a progressive jumping drill: start with stand-in-place jumps, then move on to standing jumps, multiple jumps, bounding/cone drills and box jumps.
If you would like to add plyometric training to your fitness program, enlist the help of a trainer to assess whether you would be prone to injury and to help you build a base level of fitness.

This fun, strength-building exercise activity can play a major role in enhancing your performance, whether it improves your fastball or enables you to jump out of the way of traffic!

References
1. Rogers, R. 2009. Look Before You Jump. IDEA Fitness Journal. 53-58.
2. Chu, D.1996. Explosive & Power. Champaign, IL. Human Kinetics.
[Ed. Note: Melissa Hawthorne, RN, BSN, CSCS is the owner of Priority Fitness Personal Training and Wellness. She is a Master Trainer for the Resist-a-ball Company, ISCA Personal Training, Kick-boxing, and Beamfit. Melissa serves as a fitness consultant for the LaValle Metabolic Institute. To learn more, click here.]

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