With plyometric workouts, however, you'll find that your workout is nothing more than pure fun. Many of the exercises performed here mirror the best-loved childhood moves, making these workouts feel a lot less like work, and lot more like play.
What are Plyometrics?
Plyometrics, usually referred to as "plyo" for short used to be known as "jump training." Plyometrics are power-building exercises that help to build strength, speed, and stamina gradually.
As you can infer from the name, these workouts require you to jump, hop, and skip your way to fitness.
Plyo can be used in a number of ways and is often utilized by athletes to help them train for other sports such as tennis, volleyball, football, basketball, track, and other exercises that incorporate powerful movements.
How To Do Plyometric Exercises
Plyometric exercises exist for both the upper and lower body. To perform plyometric exercises, you'll typically do a series of hops, jumps, skips, jump squats, or one-leg hops. Sometimes plyo boxes, benches, and medicine balls will be incorporated to make them more powerful, though many are based on bodyweight for resistance.
Imaging jumping onto a box or bench and off again, jumping over cones, and changing the stride or length of your jumps to change the effectiveness. Some moves will be performed faster than others, while some may be done at a slower pace in order to get the form down.
Plyo exercises should not be performed every day because your muscles will need to rest. As this is a high impact workout routine, your muscles will be worked harder than they normally would while doing other exercises.
Each time you jump, hop, or skip, your muscles undergo a deep stretch that prepares the next jump to be better and more powerful. As you stretch and contract your muscles, you're getting them into serious shape. Due to this, you can build up your leg strength quickly.
To keep your energy up, make sure to rest for at least 1 to 3 minutes between sets and 3 to 5 minutes between different exercises in a single workout session. This rest and recovery is of utmost importance and should never be neglected.
Burning Fat
Because this is a high intensity workout, you can expect to burn fat as you move through your routine. Plyometrics requires you to use maximum power, which means you're going to expel much more energy than you would in your run of the mill strength-training session.
When using plyometric moves, such as mountain climbers, burpees, and froggers in a HIIT fashion you can burn the highest amount of fat in the shortest amount of time while also toning the muscles in your legs, glutes, back, arms, and more!
Plyometrics are also a great money saving workout because they don't require any equipment. All you need is your body and something you can jump on such as a bench, step, or other low, sturdy surface.
One of the biggest rewards of plyometrics is how quickly it helps you lose weight. For example, engaging in a workout 4 times a week can result in a loss of 2 inches off your stomach and up to 3 inches off your hips in a month or less.
Moves To Try
Plyometrics are fun but demanding, so don't expect to be an expert after your first session. In fact, starting slow is the safest and healthiest thing you can do for yourself due to the intense and challenging nature of these routines.
For those just getting started, try the following moves:
Squat Jumps: With feet a hip-width apart, bend your knees, and move your hips back until you are in a squatting position. Apply pressure to the balls of your feet and then jump up, land back into a squat position. Step down and repeat.
Straddle Jumps: Stand with your feet on either side of a low step or bench. Move your hips back and bend your knees until you're in a squat position. Then, explode from the ground and land on the step or bench with both feet firmly planted and knees slightly bent.
Hopscotch: An old favorite! Get into a squat position, place your feet on either side of a low bench or step with your knees behind your toes. Apply pressure to the balls of your feet and jump onto the step-then move back and forth, alternating legs as you go.
Russell (Rusty) Hart is the founder of the Health, Fitness & Sport Club, a website devoted to the promotion of health, fitness and wellness. The site encompasses a wide variety of health and fitness activities including general health matters, pilates, yoga, CrossFit, treadmill training, running, kettlebell, swimming, baseball, camping, hunting, HIIT, triathlons, extreme sports, equestrian and more. Should this subject matter be of interest you can visit the HF & S Club home site where you'll find over 1,300 quality posts with new posts being published daily. To quickly access those that are of interest you can select any of 20 Categories broken down by over 260 Sub-Categories for easy access. You can also visit visit any of the HF & S Club's four Stores all of which feature 1,000s of sports and health products at the very best prices.
Access this website by going to http://www.healthfitnessandsport.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=J_Russell_Hart
What are Plyometrics?
Plyometrics, usually referred to as "plyo" for short used to be known as "jump training." Plyometrics are power-building exercises that help to build strength, speed, and stamina gradually.
As you can infer from the name, these workouts require you to jump, hop, and skip your way to fitness.
Plyo can be used in a number of ways and is often utilized by athletes to help them train for other sports such as tennis, volleyball, football, basketball, track, and other exercises that incorporate powerful movements.
How To Do Plyometric Exercises
Plyometric exercises exist for both the upper and lower body. To perform plyometric exercises, you'll typically do a series of hops, jumps, skips, jump squats, or one-leg hops. Sometimes plyo boxes, benches, and medicine balls will be incorporated to make them more powerful, though many are based on bodyweight for resistance.
Imaging jumping onto a box or bench and off again, jumping over cones, and changing the stride or length of your jumps to change the effectiveness. Some moves will be performed faster than others, while some may be done at a slower pace in order to get the form down.
Plyo exercises should not be performed every day because your muscles will need to rest. As this is a high impact workout routine, your muscles will be worked harder than they normally would while doing other exercises.
Each time you jump, hop, or skip, your muscles undergo a deep stretch that prepares the next jump to be better and more powerful. As you stretch and contract your muscles, you're getting them into serious shape. Due to this, you can build up your leg strength quickly.
To keep your energy up, make sure to rest for at least 1 to 3 minutes between sets and 3 to 5 minutes between different exercises in a single workout session. This rest and recovery is of utmost importance and should never be neglected.
Burning Fat
Because this is a high intensity workout, you can expect to burn fat as you move through your routine. Plyometrics requires you to use maximum power, which means you're going to expel much more energy than you would in your run of the mill strength-training session.
When using plyometric moves, such as mountain climbers, burpees, and froggers in a HIIT fashion you can burn the highest amount of fat in the shortest amount of time while also toning the muscles in your legs, glutes, back, arms, and more!
Plyometrics are also a great money saving workout because they don't require any equipment. All you need is your body and something you can jump on such as a bench, step, or other low, sturdy surface.
One of the biggest rewards of plyometrics is how quickly it helps you lose weight. For example, engaging in a workout 4 times a week can result in a loss of 2 inches off your stomach and up to 3 inches off your hips in a month or less.
Moves To Try
Plyometrics are fun but demanding, so don't expect to be an expert after your first session. In fact, starting slow is the safest and healthiest thing you can do for yourself due to the intense and challenging nature of these routines.
For those just getting started, try the following moves:
Squat Jumps: With feet a hip-width apart, bend your knees, and move your hips back until you are in a squatting position. Apply pressure to the balls of your feet and then jump up, land back into a squat position. Step down and repeat.
Straddle Jumps: Stand with your feet on either side of a low step or bench. Move your hips back and bend your knees until you're in a squat position. Then, explode from the ground and land on the step or bench with both feet firmly planted and knees slightly bent.
Hopscotch: An old favorite! Get into a squat position, place your feet on either side of a low bench or step with your knees behind your toes. Apply pressure to the balls of your feet and jump onto the step-then move back and forth, alternating legs as you go.
Russell (Rusty) Hart is the founder of the Health, Fitness & Sport Club, a website devoted to the promotion of health, fitness and wellness. The site encompasses a wide variety of health and fitness activities including general health matters, pilates, yoga, CrossFit, treadmill training, running, kettlebell, swimming, baseball, camping, hunting, HIIT, triathlons, extreme sports, equestrian and more. Should this subject matter be of interest you can visit the HF & S Club home site where you'll find over 1,300 quality posts with new posts being published daily. To quickly access those that are of interest you can select any of 20 Categories broken down by over 260 Sub-Categories for easy access. You can also visit visit any of the HF & S Club's four Stores all of which feature 1,000s of sports and health products at the very best prices.
Access this website by going to http://www.healthfitnessandsport.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=J_Russell_Hart
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