Plyometrics, The Explosive Exercise That Stretch And Strengthen Your Muscles

I remember there was a time in my school boy days that I skip rope to school. On the way, I met some school mates or rather my class mates skip roping likewise. It soon became a competitive issue as to who reach school first.

At school, during break time we skip rope as individuals and as a group just for the fun of it! We hop with one leg, and while hoping, jump over a target. 

But we hardly ever realize that we boys and girls were mimicking basic plyometric exercises.

When you hope on one leg or skip rope, what do you do in effect? You jump over a target. You jump over a box or a cone, or a bench. It can even be a line. In skipping rope, the rope is your target.

Doing The Jumping Jack Plank In My Living Room

Now, these jumps have an effect on your foot. It strethttp://greens4food.blogspot.comch and strengthened the muscles of the foot and prepares same for a higher execution of the similar issue at the next level or applying it to a related challenge.

When you land on your foot or feet on the grass or a soft pad, your muscles get stretched and contract. The stretching and contracting work the muscle into a better sharp for a high explosive moves. 

Nowadays, sport scientist or rather sports medicine is applying plyometrics or jump training as it is usually known in the area of running, or any aspects of games that required quick movements like tennis, basket ball, volley ball or sports like sprint and high jumps.

Plyometrics is also being integrated with the most related aerobic exercises for greater health benefits. I think you can learn a thing or two here for your good health here.

If you can do the jumping jack, you can do a related plyometrics exercise called jumping jack push touch with a hard ball. The plank in aerobic exercise has a linked set called jumping jack plank and the mountain climbing.

So if you are conditioned at home with most of the basic aerobic exercises, your physical fitness will not stop you in having fun, doing the most basic plyometrics or jump training anytime, anywhere except in moving objects like cars, trains and aeroplane. 

You can do isometrics in a car or train while you sit and the car is moving.

Plyometrics is greater in intensity than both isometrics and aerobic exercises, though these exercises train the muscles of the body.

 Isometrics has an edge in training your core over both aerobics and plyometrics. In isometrics, your muscles do not move, but here in plyometrics, they move explosively stretching and contracting powerfully more than in both aerobic and isometrics. Therefore, a greater fitness is required of any person that wants to have fun with plyometrics!

Equipment

As in isometrics, it will cost you very little or none to do plyometrics. But you still need a box, a bench or a hard ball to execute one or two of the plyo or plyos, as plyometrics is sometimes called.

To do the jumping jack push touch, you need to key in with the hard ball and enjoy the fun.

To do the atomic press up, box jump and toe tap, you need a box 18” or lower (for beginners) for the fun.

These exercises will reduce your body mass index or bring down your weight period.

Precautions

A strong conditioned physical fitness is the only check or consideration for any person to do plyo.

If you are good at aerobics, anaerobic and isometrics, you can be qualified for doing plyo. You will also notice that unless one is physically strong without any of the heart related diseases like high blood pressure, doing aerobics or anaerobic will cause more issues than can be handle except with the advice of a doctor or health worker.

Even the most basic of all these exercises become very hard to execute and will result into bodily injury. You have to talk to your doctor first. You have to go to rehabilitation to treat the ailing aspect of your body. Some need stretching ever before their attempt any aspects of aerobic training. Some basic plyos exercises can even be use to rehabilitate any muscle or joint injury.

The same rule of fitness applies even to any isometrics exercises. In one of my many stories on physical fitness, “Isometrics Exercising For Connecting Your Core” sI wrote that I would not be surprised (and this would be superb indeed) if someone will do isometrics press up holding a single set for 10 minutes. It required a higher degree of fitness and strength.

At the time I wrote that statement, I do not know that plyometrics will require you to do 50 repetitions of an isometrics work out as a bench mark to begin basic plyos training!

Let’s say 1 repetition of jumping jack in aerobic training is 60 seconds at the moderate or vigorous level. Plyos training is explosive. The math for 50 repetitions would be 50 x 60 or 3000 seconds! This is highly explosive indeed for just only one plyo!

But you do not have to do 50 sets to begin learning plyo. You only need to be physical fit at least to execute any aerobic workout. Now, if you can execute the normal plank or press up in aerobic training, there is nothing to stop you to do jumping jack plank and mountain climbing workouts in plyos.

So now you will think plyos’ very simple? That is hardly the case. Plyos is hard as it require correct timing and movement of the arms and limbs. But you can be used to it as you begin the practice.

Do you have a history of high blood pressure? Talk with your doctor.

Do you have injury in the knee, legs and joints of the body? Prepare to go for rehabilitation.

Are you very nervous and restless? You need to be well relaxed and well rested. Apart from my normal daily siestas and relaxation periods, I spent an average of 8 hours in bed in the night time. This ensures I am free of exercise stress in particular. Exercise like isometrics and aerobics can stress your joints. Expect more of this stress from doing plyos.

Plyos is very explosive indeed for you to do while in those negative state of health; and the result will be greater injury to an already injury state of ill-health.

Your level of physical strength, flexibility and proprioception is what counts most.

·        Strength: you most have a strong core or how can you do 50 repetitions of the squat exercises? You have to be very good in isometrics to develop and strengthen all the core of your body, from the head down to the lower abdominal core.

·        Flexibility: this will help prevent injury and protect the joints to benefit from the exercise because it is based on the context and strength of muscles.

·        Proprioception: balance, coordination and agility. You have to sense the position, location, orientation and movement of your limbs and arms well. Without this you fail. Hence, it is much better you start training from an experience person in plyos.

What Is The Area Plyometrics Have As A Target?

·        Legs: jumping and hoping will sharp your legs. Their muscles stretches and contracts for the next higher experience.

·        Glute (the lower back): the jump squat (frog jump?) will strengthen your buttocks and thighs. 

Getting Started

For new comers to plyos, begin with basic fitness first as a start up. You must be already good at stretching exercise and aerobics. 

These you can do with confidence that sharps and fits you into pylos.

The plank, press up or push up, the jumping jack will conditioned you in doing plyo. Hoping and skipping are basics as we have seen. All these stretch your body muscles so that you do not get a hurt during the test.

Although it is funny thing to do, plyometrics will boost your muscle power, strength, balance and agility more than isometrics and aerobics.

At the same time it can hurt you if you are not careful or you are not doing it under supervision of an experience trainer or practicing persons. 

But you have to be content for a while for results to manifest. It will take you up to a month at least for this challenge. 

You also have to do plyo regularly at least twice in the week for this to take place.

Intensity

A set or repetition should be 20 to 30. You will be having some fun here. You already know in aerobics or isometrics that a repetition of a set is 3 to 5 times for 10 to 60 seconds. The required intensity for plyo is higher. And since, it is a funny way of enjoying the exercises, as in the jumping jack push touch, a specific set can be up to 30 repetitions.

As a boy when skip roping with some of my friends, any disturbance of the rope ends the session. The next person carries on the exercise or fun even if the count gets over 60 repetitions. This is how highly intense plyo is but it is fun to enjoy. Plyo will greatly boost your muscle power and stress your joints.

The Jumping Jack Plank

·        Do your normal stretching exercise

·        Do the normal jumping jack aerobic for 30 seconds and rest for 20 seconds

·        Do the high plank for 20 seconds and rest for 30 seconds

·        These 3 exercises stretches your body muscles

·        Take position in high plank

·        Keep your body straight head to toe

·        Jump your feet wide open and back repeatedly for 50 seconds and rest 20 seconds.

    Please feel free to visit the below link for more pictoral (video play) information on executing some plyometric exercises mentioned in the story.

    www.huffingtonpost.com/.../jump-around-with-these-exercise-gifs_n_7174860.html 

To your good health!

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