Workout of the Week: Plyometrics
I love the days when the temperature is just right and the sun is bright in the sky. Those are usually the days when I elevate my fitness routine to a really high level, by going up to my roof. The “sweet spot” for rooftop workouts is approximately April through June. What makes it even sweeter, is that sometimes I’m able to hear soundchecks for whatever concert is going on later at the iconic Forest Hills Stadium, which is three-quarters of a mile away and essentially situated parallel to our house. This advantageous positioning ensures that the sounds are quite loud and clear.
The theme of this “Workout of the Week” plays on the word spring, by referencing a few of its definitions. We’re going to celebrate the coming of spring by embodying the physics of springs (the device) and springing into action with several sets of plyometric exercises.
Plyometrics are dynamic movements that consist of short, but powerful bursts of activity, which target our fast-twitch muscle fibers. Our bodies are essentially acting like springs, as we go through three phases: eccentric pre-stretch (i.e. the point where we prepare our muscles and tendons for the dynamic finale by storing energy as we lower ourselves down), amortization (i.e. stabilizing ourselves into a launch position) and concentric shortening (i.e. the powerful launch). Plyometrics are a significant part of anaerobic training, with hypertrophy (i.e. muscle building) occurring by bringing the muscles to fatigue.
What are some benefits of plyometric exercises?
First and foremost, they are a time-efficient way to effectively tone and strengthen your entire body. Plyometrics burn a lot of calories, while simultaneously building stamina and stretching out your muscles in order to help you become stronger, more flexible and mobile. All this can be done in a reasonable span of ten to fifteen minutes, and you don’t need a lot of space or equipment to do them.
I consider plyometric sets to be a very good warmup before a lengthy cardio workout like a run, or as a finisher after a strength training routine. That’s not to say that plyometrics alone are not an adequate workout. In fact, this “Workout of the Week” will definitely fulfill your strength, cardio, core and endurance training requirements.
Set one:
Incline burpee variations
Burpees are excellent examples of plyometric exercises. The jumping and squatting aspects work the fast-twitch muscle fibers in the lower body, while adding in a push up works the upper body muscles (mainly the triceps, chest and shoulders).
Doing a set of burpees combines the benefits of anaerobic and aerobic training. In theory, a burpee is an anaerobic movement because performing one rep releases energy within a small period of time. But burpees are often performed for a specific volume of reps, which takes them into the aerobic domain due to the sustained and rhythmic pace you’ll need to perform it for a longer duration.
Below are three types of incline burpees. Incline simply means using a surface to elevate your body when doing a push up. Whereas traditional push ups are performed closer to the floor, the elevation takes a bit of the pressure off of your arms, so that you’re getting a significant chest workout without reaching failure in the arms as quickly. Therefore, you should aim to bang out a few more reps than if you were doing the traditional form of push ups.
Ten incline hop up burpees
Ten incline burpees to tuck jump
Ten incline burpees to squat jump
Repeat these three movements twice more, for a total of three sets. Rest as much as needed.
Set two:
Ten reverse lunge jumps (two jumps) to Navy Seal burpees + plank jack
Here we have an epic plyometric combination movement, which is why it is the only exercise in this set.
Start out with a pair of alternating leg lunge jumps. Then you’ll get down into a plank position and perform the Navy Seal burpee, which is a progression of one pump (i.e. push up), one mountain climber (i.e. knee to chest drive), one more pump, another mountain climber and finally one last pump.
But wait, there’s more!
Remaining in the plank position, you’ll do one plank jack and yet another push up, before finally finishing the sequence by springing up into a squat.
This is a really good combo for building muscles in the legs and upper body, because after three sets, you will have completed sixty lunge jumps (lower body), sixty knee to chest mountain climbers (core), thirty plank jacks (lower body and core) and a whopping one hundred and twenty push ups (upper body)!
Repeat twice more, for a total of three sets. Rest as much as needed.
Set three:
We’re rounding things out with one of my favorite plyometric exercises: plyometric push up jacks. It is a really effective move for activating fast-twitch muscle fibers in your chest, shoulders and triceps. You will build muscle in the aforementioned areas if you do enough of them per session. The added jack element is also a great core and abs exercise. But most of all, I find it to be a really fun movement, albeit incredibly taxing on the entire body.
Ten plyometric push up jacks
Ten three pump plyometric push up jack burpees + three drop squats
Repeat twice more, for a total of three sets. Rest as much as needed.
Bonus finisher:
This round is optional, but if you’ve got fuel in the tank after doing all three of the prior rounds, I encourage you to give it a try. We’re only performing one set of a single exercise, and doing it for twelve reps.
The movement starts with a lateral burpee over a dumbbell, literally known as a burpee over the dumbbell. After jumping over the dumbbell, you do a plyometric push up jack, which will set you up in a nice and stable plank position for performing the renegade row.
As a modification, you can do a one pump burpee over the dumbbell without the plyometric push up jack and renegade row. You can also simplify it further by cutting out the burpee and just doing a lateral jump over the dumbbell.
Twelve burpees over the dumbbell + renegade row
This concludes another “Workout of the Week” for your exercise enjoyment. The only rule, aside from maintaining good form, is to always work hard and have fun!
If you choose to do this routine, please let me know about your experience. And if you have any specific questions about this workout or general fitness inquiries, please reach out to me. I am always eager to hear from you!
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