Plyometrics and Their Importance in Training
If you’re looking for new and exciting ways to get in shape, it might be worth considering switching your training up and trying something new.
Plyometric training was invented back in the 1920s, across much of the East, though the exercises performed didn’t really catch on until the 1960s. Initially, what we know today as Plyometrics was known as ‘jump training’.
Shortly afterwards, many countries from the East started to enjoy great success in the Olympic Games and other parts of the world began to take notice and started to emulate this form of training in a bid to make their athletes more successful.
By the 1970s, other sports began implementing plyometrics into their routines as it promoted speed, agility, and explosive speed and power.
So, why exactly are plyometrics so important in training and are the benefits really as awesome as they’re made out to be? Here’s a look at the benefits of plyometrics and their importance in training.
Work your fast-twitch muscle fibres
One of the main benefits of plyometric training is the fact that it builds your fast-twitch muscle fibres.
The goal of plyometric training is to maximize muscle fibre contractions rapidly, which results in your fast-twitch muscle fibres being utilized as you perform each exercise.
Fast-twitch muscle fibres when training are hugely beneficial, as they are responsible for generating explosive speed and explosive power. Working these fibres will therefore allow you to run faster for short durations of time I.E when sprinting, and to jump higher.
Burns calories
As well as being hugely beneficial when it comes to athletic performance, another fantastic benefit of plyometrics is the fact that they are so effective at burning calories.
Plyometric exercises are generally fast paced and performed at a high intensity, which results in a greater level of calories being burnt off than it would with conventional steady state exercise.
Not only do plyometric exercises burn calories, they also help to ramp up your metabolism, which ultimately means that you not only burn more calories, but you will also generate more energy as well.
Reduced risk of injury
Another reason why so many athletes and physically active individuals perform plyometrics is due to the fact that it reduces your risk of injury.
Plyometric exercises, due to the nature of how they’re performed, help to strengthen your joints and tendons which means that you are less susceptible to injury while working out.
Plyometrics help to increase tendon elasticity which means that you’ll be less at risk of injury, plus your mobility and your flexibility will also improve as a result.
Improved levels of endurance
It isn’t just your muscles that will benefit during plyometrics. It turns out, that so too will your overall levels of endurance.
Plyometrics work on power endurance, particularly during high intensity periods of exercise, plus they can also allow the body to generate more force and preserve more energy while doing so. The energy you save can then be utilized more efficiently towards the end of the workout when energy levels would normally be plummeting.