Plyometrics are explosive powerful strength training activities that harness the quick response and elastic properties of the muscles. Initially made famous by Soviet Olympians in the 1970’s, since then plyometric exercises have been a core element in the strength programs of elite athletes worldwide. Sports using plyometrics include basketball, tennis and volleyball as well as the various codes of football.

For runners, the improvements to be gained by using plyometric exercises are enormous. Research in 1999 showed improvements of three to five per cent for elite 5000m race times, so the potential improvement for an amateur athlete and recreational runner are huge.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

The key to the eff ectiveness of plyometrics is in utilising the elastic properties of the muscle in the stretch-shortening cycle (SSC); upon landing and taking off with each stride.

Prior to contact with the ground, the muscles of the leg pre-activate to stiff en the muscles and other tissue in preparation for landing. Upon landing the muscle stretches (in an eccentric muscle contraction) and elastic energy is stored. It is then quickly released (in a concentric muscle contraction) as the muscle contracts and you push off the ground. This repeated stretching and shortening utilises the elastic energy stored in the muscles and other connective tissue of the lower leg.

For sprinters with contact times of as little as 0.1sec and endurance runners with typical contacts of 0.3-0.5sec these repeated reactions happen very quickly. As we fatigue contact time increases, more energy is lost and performance begins to decrease.

However even small improvements through plyometric training will increase the amount of energy stored and released during the SSC. This will lead to big improvements in running economy, speed and power.

PLYOMETRIC EXERCISES ARE EFFECTIVE FOR SEVERAL REASONS:

• Increased neuromuscular activation of muscles
• Improved running economy
• Reduced contact time with the ground
• Stronger muscles and connective tissue
• Increased power and strength

Through repeated training and use of the neural pathways that deliver messages to the active muscles, the patterns and speed of activation of the muscles involved in running will improve. Physical adaptations within the muscle and neural adaptations give increased power and strength. These improve running economy, thus leading to signifi cant improvements for the runner.

We’ve all seen the exhausted runner approaching the end of a race. They’re almost in slow motion, as they battle fatigue with every slow step, sinking further into poor running technique. With these slow strides most of the mechanical and elastic advantage of the SSC is lost, through slow muscle activation and extended ground contact times. Nowadays most runners are aware of the need for fast leg turnover throughout the race, but how do we achieve it?

GETTING STARTED

First a word of warning… Plyometric exercises are high impact and as with all high intensity training, must be gradually integrated into regular training. Some exercises, such as depth jumps or box drops, can increase loading forces on the lower leg by 7-10 times. Progressing too quickly could lead to injuries, so for this reason we have designed a Pre-Plyometrics program for new runners and those without strength training experience.

PRE-PLYOMETRIC TRAINING

I recommend all beginner runners complete our Pre Plyometric program before starting formal plyometric training. Complete sessions aft er your short-mid distance run or use the standard warm up from the Level 1 program below.

• Weeks 1 and 2: complete workout A + B once/week
• Weeks 3 and 4: complete A once/week + B twice/week
• Weeks 5 and 6: complete A + B twice/week

Workout A

• Strides (or ‘run throughs’) 3-5x 80m strides at the end of your run
• Bounds 2x 20-30m
• Skipping 3x 45-120sec intervals of jump rope skipping with a 400m jog between

Workout B

• Hopping 2x 6-10 hops with 30m jog and walk back rest
• Incline strides (or hill sprints) 4-8x 30sec sprints A-skips 2x 20m

THE EXERCISES

Strides / Run throughs

Fast controlled runs of between 30-100m. Focus on ‘running relaxed’ with a strong arm drive, fast leg turnover, head still and a strong core.

Bounds

Start with a jog and gradually push off the ground more explosively and drive your opposite knee up. Emphasize the high knee lift , strive for maximum height on each bound.

A-Skip (or sprinters skip)

The A-skip is similar to the bounds with a strong knee lift , but take off and land on the same leg before ‘skipping’ or switching legs and repeating. The focus is for quicker skips, striving for height rather than distance.

High Knees

Fast light strides lifting your knees to hip height.

Heel-Glute Run (H-G run or ‘bum kicks’)

Bring your heel to your glutes through the stride.

Soldiers

Straight leg warm up run, with the focus on using the hamstrings to quickly pull your legs back down beneath you before the next step.

“Plyometrics are explosive powerful strength training activities that harness the quick response and elastic properties of the muscles.”

Skipping (with rope)

Small fast jumps/skips. Vary two foot skipping with single leg hops on each leg and running.

Single Leg Hop

Fast controlled hops through the cones, focusing on quick contact with the ground.

High Hops

Higher hops over bigger cones, to increase the intensity and loading of the active muscles. Focus on quick contact and correct height to clear the cones.

3:1 High Hops

3 fast hops over smaller cones and then 1 explosive hop over higher cones. Complete the 3:1 ratio in sets of 8-12 hops depending on the skill of the athlete.

H-G Hops (Heel to glute kick)

Explosive hops that provide enough time and height to bring the heel to your glutes before landing again and repeating on the same leg.

Hop, Hop, Sprint

Fast hops of between 6-12 reps and then accelerate into a fast sprint 20-60m.

Jumps

Powerful double leg jumps with specific landing segments between cones (not maximal distance jumps). Repeat 6-12 jumps focusing on short ground contact time and quick muscle activation between landing and take off . Use upward/forward arm drive to help with repeated jumps.

PLYOMETRIC PROGRAMS

As noted above, plyometric exercises are explosive, intense activities that increase neuromuscular activation of the muscle, so therefore it is important to allow adequate recovery time, progress gradually and not overload the body.

1. For those new to Plyometric training, initially begin with 50- 60 contacts/session in the plyometric program (Level 1).
2. After 3-6 weeks (or once you are comfortable with the previous levels) progress to 80-100 contacts (Level 2).
3. Then eventually progress to 120 contacts and more advanced exercises (Level 3).

The contacts are calculated per leg so ‘2x 10 Hops’ in the Level 1 is for two sets of 10 hops on the left leg and two sets of 10 hops on the right leg. Other program considerations include the surface you are completing the plyometric training on and the intensity of the exercises. Obviously the H-G hops and jumps are more demanding than the bounds, skips or simple hops. Take this into consideration with program progressions and allow the body time to adapt to increased training stimulus.

The three levels of plyometric programs below are designed for endurance runners and sprinters.

Warm-up:

The standard minimum warm up for all 3 levels is:

• 3-5min light jog
• 4x 40m run throughs with increasing pace
• 2x (20m High Knees, Bum Kicks, Soldiers, A-skips) walk back recovery
• 2x 40m run throughs with increased speed

LEVEL 1

Hops (2x 10) 20
H-G Hops (2x 6) 12
Jumps (2x 6) 12
Bounds (1x 10) 10

TOTAL CONTACTS (54)

LEVEL 2

Hops (2×10) 20
H-G Hops (3x 6) 18
High Hops (1x 10) 10
Jumps (3x 6) 18
1:3 hops (1×9) 9
Bounds (1x 10) 10

TOTAL CONTACTS (85)

LEVEL 3

Hops (2x 10) 20
H-G Hops (4x 6) 24
High Hops (2x 10) 20
Jumps (2×10) 20
1:3 hops (2x 9) 18
Hop, hop, sprint (2x 5 +30m) 10
Bounds (1x 10) 10

TOTAL CONTACTS (122)

Measuring performance and progress can be done in several ways to track the eff ectiveness of your training.

• Time trials (eg. 5km)
• Speed time trials (30m, 60m and 100m)
• Vertical jump or countermovement jump (CMJ)

“Research in 1999 showed improvements of three to five per cent for elite 5000m race times, so the potential improvement for an amateur athlete and recreational runner are huge.”

References:

1. Allerheiligen, W.B. Speed development and plyometric training, In Essentials of Strength Conditioning. T.R Beachle. Human Kinetics 1994
2. McArdle W.D, Catch F.I & Catch V.L, Exercise Physiology; Energy Nutrition & human Performance, Williams & Williams, 1996
3. Paavolainen, L., Häkkinen, K., Hämäläinen I., Nummela, A. & Rusko, H. (1999) Explosive-strength training improves 5-km running time by improving running economy and muscle power. J. Appl. Physiol. 86(5): 1527- 1533.
4. Spurrs, R.W., Murphy, A.J. & Watsford, M.L. (2003) Th e eff ect of plyometric training on distance running performance. Eur J Appl Physiol 2003 Mar;89(1):1-7.
5. Turner, A.M., Owings, M. & Schwane, J.A. (2003) Improvement in running economy aft er 6 weeks of plyometric training. J. Strength Cond. Res. 17(1): 60-67.