Zap Extra Calories With Plyometrics

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Adding plyometrics to your usual strength training and toning routine allows one to burn hundreds of extra calories without doubling the workout time. Plyometrics are exercises composed of fast, explosive movements to help improve coordination, agility, and power. Athletes often use this type of training to improve their performance via increasing the speed and force of their muscle contractions.

Whether or not you are training for a specific sport, the addition of plyometrics to your workout routine will provide you the benefit of burning tons of extra calories within a short period of time.

Plyometric exercises can be described as extreme cardio and include mainly bounding, jumping, and hopping movements. Since these are high-impact and high-intensity movements, it is important to sprinkle them in toward the middle or end of your workout, when your muscles are sufficiently warmed up.

When engaging in plyometric training, the emphasis should be on quality not quantity. This means practicing good techniques such as landing on bent knees to lessen the impact on your joints. When starting this type of training, each exercise set should consist of only a few repetitions and last for no more than one minute. Recovery in between sets is key. Any light cardio activity, such as stepping in place for a few minutes, is a good strategy for recovery.

It’s important to perform these exercises with caution. Do not attempt to do them if you are new to exercise or have certain health conditions that make exercising contraindicated. A sports medicine physician or therapist may help you get started and work with you to assess whether the potential risks associated with these activities are worth the benefits to you.

Try the plyometric exercises below to add variety into your current routine. As you are learning, begin slowly. Once you have mastered the basic movements, you may go faster, jump higher, or move with a wide range of motions.

Lower Body: Plyo Lunges

1.    Begin in a split stance, with the left leg in front, right leg in back, and feet shoulders apart.
2.    Bend both knees into a standard lunge.
3.    Jump up with power and speed, switch legs in the air and land with bent knees into a lunge with the right leg in front. Repeat the above steps with the left leg in front, switching legs each time.

Upper Body: Plyo Push-ups

1.    Begin with the standard or modified push-up position, with arms fully extended.
2.    Slowly lower yourself toward the floor, and then explosively push up so your hands lift off the floor.
3.    Land with your hands in push-up position, and elbows slightly bent. Lower yourself toward the floor again for another repetition.