Plyometric Drills Are Dangerous If Your Joints & Muscles Are Not Warm!
Plyometric drills are not recommended unless a proper warm up routine is complete.
Before starting any plyometric drills for a plyometric training program you need to ensure proper warm up procedures. On this page you'll learn about some very good plyometic warm up routines that are used daily by athletes in all types of sports.
Despite the fact that everyone involved in all types of fitness training programs know that they need to warm-up before their training session starts, very few do it.
Warming up your muscles before starting any
plyometric drills
will not only help to "wake-up" your muscle fibers for better results, but will also help to prevent injuries to your joints and muscles.
Unlike athletes, most recreational fitness trainers hardly ever warm up ahead of starting their fitness training program. Almost any warm-up drill will raise your body temperature, which will reduce the for muscle and connective tissue damage.
Warming up the muscles you're going to be using in your plyometric training program before starting even the first of your plyometric drills will improve the blood flow to your muscles improving performance.
Research has also shown that specific warm up drills done prior to your plyometrics program will increase the speed of nerve impulses to your muscle cells thereby improving the reaction time in your muscles. This is a very important area of athletic performance.
It's this reason why all pro sports athletes warm up much longer than others before their fitness training starts. Athletes are well aware of the many benefits of warming up before starting their plyometric drills.
"Plyometrics Program Warm-ups"
Warm ups don't have to be difficult, in fact pre fitness training warm-ups are very simple and quick to do. There isn't much of a different between regular fitness training warm-ups and warm-ups for plyometic drills.
Start by exercising slow and at a low intensity for about 5 minutes or so. You don't have to be sweating during this time. After the first 5 minutes you can start stretching your muscles (the ones that you will be using – don’t waste time stretching muscles that you won't be working).
Stretches at the beginning of your
plyometrics program
should only last 15-30 seconds per stretch with no bouncing.
Doing any type of light calisthenics or aerobic activity are good ways to warm up your muscles before staring your plyometrics program. Easy warm up exercises like this will help your reduce the tightness in your muscle fibers which can prevent your body from producing the power it needs for strenuous activity and the efficiency of your mechanical ability.
Warming up ahead of your plyometrics training program will help you to sweat once your main plyometic drills start. Sweating of course helps evaporation resulting in the amount of heat stored by your body to decrease. This prevents your body temperature from reaching dangerous high levels.
Warm ups will get both your muscular and cardiovascular systems prepared for the very strenuous activities that you are about to do.
"Basic Warm-up Drills For Plyometric Training"
As with any fitness training programs you need to warm up properly before starting any plyometrics program. This is what we will discuss here.
Since all forms of plyometric training use explosive motion a proper warm up and a proper cool down are crucial to your success and how effective your plyometric drills will be. Without proper warm up routines before starting your plyometric exercises, the possibility of muscle or joint problems exist. With any fitness training injury your physical and athletic performance will suffer.
Plyometric training warm up drills need to focus on your balance, posture, stability, and flexibility of your body. Warm ups need to include general activities, dynamic flexibility exercises and a slightly more intense drill that will mimic your sports specific movements.
Your goal during the warm up routine is to ensure your core muscles are ready for the stress that’s about to happen to them.
Warm up drills won't increase your body’s core temperature but it will help "wake up" your nerves, improve joint range of motion, properly prepare your muscle fibers and muscle groups elasticity and improve reaction time
Once you do light warm ups you can do some light stretching exercises.
Some of the plyometric drills used for warming up your joints and muscles will indeed copy your sport specific movements they aren't classified as plyometric drills or plyometric exercises themselves.
Warm up plyometric drills can also be viewed as a way to improve your athletic skills. These plyometric drills use specific motor patterns that are performed over a distance of anywhere from ten to twenty meters with adequate recovery times.
The following plyometric drills for warming up your muscles are the same ones used by athletes in most sports.
Jogging Plyometric Exercises For Warm-ups:
You can use this type of warm up exercise in a number of different ways if it's speed you are looking to improve on. This would include jogging on your toes and not letting your heals touch the ground.
Also, jogging with reduced flexing at the knees will prepare your muscles and joints for intense plyometric drills that put maximal force and effort on them.
Marching Plyometric Exercises For Warm-ups:
Marching plyometric drills help to replicate running movements. These plyometric exercises divide your running action into specific areas. It allows your personal trainer or coach to correct any problems in your range of motion, posture, foot placement, joint angles, and other areas.
Most athletes tend to neglect this part of their training or simply don't know about it, so it's a good idea to incorporate this type of exercise into your fitness training.
Skipping Plyometric Exercises For Warm-ups:
Skipping exercises help to include stricter types of what are known as reciprocal motions. Since you have to concentrate on the jumping, landing and arm movements it makes this type of exercise a very good option for warming up your joints and muscles for the more stressful plyometric exercises.
Lunge Plyometric Exercises For Warm-ups:
Like regular fitness training lunges, using lunges for plyometric warm-ups give you a number of different options. You can do them as follows:
Walking;
Front lunges;
Reverse lunges;
Side lunges;
Crossover lunges;
Directional lunges.
Lunge plyometric exercises are extremely good in improving strength in your quads, glutes, hip flexors, etc.
Footwork Plyometric Exercises For Warm-ups:
This type of warm up drills or exercise will involve directional changes and hip movements. Some of the more commonly used exercises with this method include: multi-directional side shuffles, drop steps, shuttle drills, etc.
"Other Common Plyometric Drills"
The above mentioned plyometric exercises are used by most athletes but there are others you can try as well that can be more sport specific.
3-Point Stance Drills: These can be used for proper foot placement and hip rotation. You keep your upper body in a stationary position as you move sideways down a line. Your feet will rapidly change from a crossover stance to a reversed one.
Backwards Running Drills:
Performing this type of exercise will help in hamstring and hip development and performance. Backwards running drills give you the opportunity to develop the strength needed for the force of running forwards.
There are other warm ups you can use before starting your plyometric drills, the ones we've just reviewed are the more effective and common ones used for
plyometric training programs.
If you avoid warming up your muscles and your joints before starting your plyometrics program you can seriously hurt yourself. So use the drills here to help you get a jump on improved performance.
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Do you use unique and effective plyometrics training programs or vertical jump training programs? What has been your experience with this type of training? Or do you have some good information that I may have missed? Share it!
