Plyometrics!

This post will be about Plyometrics! I have a love-hate relationship with Plyometrics. They are a great workout for me (being a sprinter), but they make me extremely sore until I'm used to doing them!

The reason I procrastinated doing this post is because it'll take awhile to write about... and I haven't done a Plyometric workout in months. I did one Thursday and my legs hated me until Saturday afternoon!

To start it off I'll tell you what Plyometric workouts do. They strength your legs, increase your speed, and increase your explosiveness! Explosiveness helps you start your sprints faster, and increases your jump! This is great for track and field, because a lot of races are won in the first 10-30 meters when you start. Also because there are a lot of jumping events in track. An even more important thing that Plyometrics do are help you in Ultimate Frisbee! Good jumping and running are very important things to have when playing the worlds best sport! Plyometrics pretty much help with any sport (besides golf and other not-so-active sports like that). That's a good enough reason for me to do them!

Alrighty, so because I don't know which workouts are the best, I'll just give you the workout my coach gave me!

To start this one off, you must warm up before hand. You should with all workouts, but this one really needs it! Good warm ups are high knees, rope skippers (pretend you're rope skipping), jumping jacks, torso twists, hug yourself (swing your arms back and forth so you're hugging yourself and swinging your arms out. This stretches your chest, arms and shoulders), and lunges with a hamstring stretch. Don't hold positions for long on the lunges, this is a warm up.

Now for the workout stuff! Try not to take breaks unless otherwise stated! If you have sharp pains or other bars things like that then stop. It's not worth injuries!

PART ONE

Jump Squats. With your feet shoulder width apart, touch the ground with your fingers (bending at the knees, quads parallel to the floor!) and then explode up and jump into the air as high as you can! If you have the celling room, throw your arms up to get a little higher! When you land, try to land softly (by bending at the knees) and touch the floor again. Do 10 jumps!

The next one the Four Count Rhythm Jumps. This time your feet should be slightly less then shoulder width apart. Your legs should be pretty straight, but always bend your knees some when you land so your won't injure your legs or back. Now that you're ready, jump a few inches off the ground three times and then on your forth time bend a little more at the leg and jump as high as you can. Then go back to the small jumps. You should keep a rhythm like: one-two-three-FOUR! One-two-three-FOUR!... Etc. Do this one 10 times. Each 'big' jump is one rep.

The Run-Stance Squat. I really like this one, it burns so much! To do this one, get ready to do a lunge (one foot in front, so that when you go down your legs bend at 90 degrees with your back leg's shin parallel to the floor and your front leg's quad parallel to the floor). Straighten your legs, but keep your feet in the same sport. Now squat down four times to the 90 degree position, then on your forth one jump into the air and switch your legs and do four more, and jump on the last one. Four squats and a jump are one. Do 10 (so 5 on each leg).

Airborne Heisman. This one works your hips and stabilizer muscles more than anything, not a lot of power, so this one will kinda rest your quads a little. To start off put your feet about shoulder width apart and jump to your left, and bring your right foot up so you can grab it with your right hand, and your knee with with your left hand. Hold for a couple of seconds, and jump to the other side. Jumping once to each side is one, do 10.

The next is Step Ups. This one could be hard to do if you can jump high, are tall, and/or have a lowish celling. To do these you also need a sturdy bench that you don't mind getting a little dirty. Now, stand facing the bench and step up on it with one leg and jump off off it, about 6-12 inches in the air. Drive your other leg up. On your way down, land on the same foot you jumped off of, and let your other foot hit the floor. Repeat 10 times, then switch legs and do that 10 times.

Now! The hardest one of all!!! Your water break. Should be less than 3 minutes. You may want to savor these minutes, because you just began!

Now, repeat part one. If you already repeated part one, then go on to part two.

PART TWO

Single Switching Runner Stance Squat. This one is just like the first runners stance squat, but instead of going down four time you switch every single squat. Doing each side once is one. Do 10.

Pogo! Start off with your feet a few inches apart. Then start bouncing your heels an inch off the ground (keeping the weight on the balls of your feet), do this 10 times, then add another inch, so that your feet are barely staying on the floor, do that 10 times, and then add a few inches so you're barely getting off the floor. Do that 10 times. Now add a few more inches and do that 10 times. Next do Four Count Rhythm jumps 10 times and you're done with Pogo!

This next one will make you look dumb. It's called the Circle Run! Yeah. So all you really do is run in a small circle (as small as you can while running) clockwise for 30seconds. Then go counter-clockwise for 30seconds. To run fast in a small circle you have to lean into it. This works your ankles a lot, so this is more of an ankle workout. Not really a speed workout.

Jump Knee Tucks. Very challenging if you don't have much hip or quad strength. To start do a Jump Squat (going low, bending at the knees and then jump as high as you can), but while you're in the air bring your knees to your chest. Make sure you can put them down fast enough so that you can land pretty softly, and not fall backward or land on your tail bone. That would hurt. If you can't bring your knees to your chest and land safely, then just don't bring your knees as high. Repeat 10 times.

Single Leg Jump Knee Tuck. Yeah. This one is probably the toughest workout on here. Do the Jump Knee Tuck but with only one leg. Your other leg should just stay in the up position, or maybe a little lower if that's easier to balance. Do 10 times on each leg. If it's too hard then switch legs every jump.

Now your favorite part! Water break. Once you finish your water break do part 1, water break, and finish with part 2 again.

Make sure you stretch your calves, hamstrings, your quads, and anything else that might be sore, tired or tight! Also don't forget to eat and/or drink some protein!