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Plyometrics Training!
Welcome to the Plyometrics Training Homepage! Here is where you'll find everything you need to know about plyometric and explosive training.
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Should Sprinting and Jumping Athletes Do Plyometrics?
Keats Snideman
Probably one of the most commonly used (and abused) methods of performance-enhancement for sprinters and indeed all running and jumping athletes is "plyometrics." Plyometrics can be defined as movements that involve fast eccentric muscle actions followed by dynamic and explosive concentric actions (aka, the stretch-shortening cycle). The best example of a plyometric drill that comes to mind is the classic "depth jump" exercise where an athlete drops off a box or step of some pre-determined height. Upon hitting the floor the athlete concentrates on explosively jumping into the air as high as possible. The purpose of this method is to "shock" the body and nervous system to produce higher levels of muscle tension and force than would normally be possible without the preceding drop. In fact, the "father" and creator of modern day plyometrics, Yuri Verkoshansky of Russia, originally named the plyometric method the "shock" method. To understand how such a system of exercises could be beneficial or detrimental to sprinting, jumping, and indeed all athletes, let's take a closer look at basic muscle function during movement. . . .
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