With both the Wimbledon and the FIFA World Cup closing out this past month, we’ve all been bombarded with celebrity athlete content recently. In between reels ranking World Cup ‘hotties’ (Jude Bellingham was the unanimous winner), to Naomi Osaka turning the court into her runway, you’ve likely realised that it takes a lot to be an athlete. Well-timed headers and nail-biting rallies can only be prepared for within the confines of the gym, but there’s no way that all athletes do is toss heavy weights around…right? Enter plyometrics, a form of movement imperative in improving physical performance overall. Ranging from highly sport-specific movement to behind-the-scenes support in more versatile workout programmes, there’s something for everybody’s fitness goals when it comes to this exercise type.
How it works
To explain it simply, plyometrics are a type of movement category that falls under functional training, with the aim of maximising muscle power. According to Dr Eileen Tay of HMI Medical Centre and The Orthopaedic Practice and Surgery, functional training is training for movement that our bodies use in daily life—squatting, carrying loads, pushing, pulling, rotating and balancing. She explains that standard strength training targets single muscle groups, such as the biceps, while functional training involves multiple muscle groups across multiple joints working in tandem, ultimately assisting in building balance, coordination and stability for the body.
“Plyometrics are rapid, explosive movements such as jump squats, box jumps, broad jumps or hopping. These moves help to train explosiveness, power, speed, coordination and landing control,” says Dr Tay. Naturally, they come in handy for athletes involved in ball games such as football and volleyball, and racquet games such as tennis and pickleball. If you’ve been looking to get ahead of your Sunday pickleball mates—besides dinking harder—plyometrics could potentially be your answer.
The biomechanics of these accessory exercises are simple—the muscle stretches rapidly, before being shortened explosively. Dr Tay takes the box squat as an example: the muscle stretches as you bend into the half squat, and shortens as you jump vertically or horizontally quickly. To see this take effect in your daily life, she cites moments like running for the bus, or catching yourself from a stumble.
The personal trainers over at Team MVRCK use moving load overhead as an example, such as storing luggage in an airplane compartment. While a strength training movement would be a seated shoulder press, the functional movement would be a dumbbell clean and jerk: bringing a dumbbell to the shoulder and using the legs to assist in pushing the dumbbell overhead.
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Knowing your why
With a myriad of movement involved in our daily lives, it can be a bit confusing to know what to prioritise. Having a certain workout goal can help in knowing which moves is best suited for you, be it jumping higher or merely wanting diversity in your regime.
Team MVRCK emphasises, “Plyometrics should be there for a specific reason. If the individual would like to have a higher vertical leap; the plyometric move would be specific for that purpose and individual. While not necessary to incorporate into workouts for general health, they do add variety in training.” The team recommends a standard fitness programme to include jumps, at the very least, to help improve shock absorption and joint impact.
In it for the long-term
It is a universally understood truth that the long-term benefits of working out regularly, go on for miles. The benefits of more popular forms of exercise, such as strength training, HIIT and yoga are more ubiquitously known. From preventing osteoporosis to improved mental health, the benefits of moving your body are a dime a dozen. But what about plyometrics?
Dr Tay clarifies, “Function training allows you to be strong enough to perform daily tasks independently, whilst also reducing the risk of injuries in everyday life. Working on balance, coordination and flexibility will reduce the risk of falls, for example, especially in the elderly.”
How to get started (and stay safe doing it)
As with any type of exercise, improper form and execution could potentially lead to an injury—for plyometrics, it may not be immediately clear. “Plyometrics results in high impact stress on the joints, especially the knees. There is a higher risk of injury if not done with proper technique or without a proper strength base,” says Dr Tay. She explains further, stating that the exercise could also aggravate existing joint issues.
Of course, the intensity of movement should align with your general fitness levels. While beginner movements could be attempted by the more casual gym-goer, more advanced moves require greater experience in the gym. “Negative impacts can be mitigated by building a base strength and mobility level with basic squats, lunges, and landing drills before starting plyometrics,” says Dr Tay. She recommends starting with low impact variations, such as skipping or small hops, and gradually progressing.
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“Most injuries occur during the landing part of a jump. Focus on technique; soft landing and controlled deceleration. Using a mat can help to absorb some of the impact and stress of landing,” she further advises.
Gym anxiety is real, and starting out any new exercise can be a daunting experience, especially one that you may never have even thought to attempt before. Luckily for us, Team MVRCK breaks it down, from how you can start at home, to upping the ante at the gym.
“We will always recommend starting off with bodyweight exercises; slow and controlled tempo work. As a newbie, it’s more important to have control in the movement, so always prioritise tempo work before hitting the plyos,” says the team. Building the foundation for more advanced plyometric moves, they recommend movements such as lying glute bridges and burpees, before eventually heading to a training studio or gym for progressions.
If you’re trying to challenge your body in a new way, improve athletic performance, or merely trying to move more efficiently through life, plyometrics may just be what you’re looking for.
