Plyometric Training

How it can Improve a Triathletes Run Training

Plyometric training is a popular method in strength and conditioning to improve power output. 

While running is not typically seen as a power sport, running does rely on repeated, powerful contractions especially when running fast or running uphill. 

This article delves into the science behind plyometric training if runners benefit from plyometric training, and how to include plyometric exercises in your training. 

WHAT IS PLYOMETRIC TRAINING?

The goal of plyometric training is to increase a muscle’s ability to produce high amounts of power, a combination of high force and high speed. 

To achieve this goal, you perform quick, powerful exercises (plyometrics). 

Plyometric exercises aren’t just rapid, explosive exercises; they must involve the stretch-shortening cycle to be effective. 

The stretch-shortening cycle is a physiological description for when a muscle actively lengthens, followed by a quick active contraction. 

The elastic energy stored in the lengthening (eccentric) phase transfers into greater power output in the contraction. 

Plyometric training is NOT HIIT training. 

The goal is not to get a cardiovascular workout, so do not rush the reps or skip the rest period. Nor do you want to do high reps. 

Instead, plyometric exercises are focused on quick landings and powerful jumps, skips, or bounds. 

THE SCIENCE OF PLYOMETRIC TRAINING

The stretch-shortening cycle (SSC) is a neuromechanical phenomenon that can produce large amounts of power. 

It is the vital movement that makes plyometric exercises unique and effective. The stretch-shortening cycle has three phases: eccentric, amortization, and concentric.

In the first phase (eccentric) the working muscle rapidly stretches, which causes elastic energy to be stored in the series elastic component of the musculotendinous unit. 

The quick stretch also stimulates muscle spindles, which leads to a reflex that increases activity in the muscle. Increased activity leads to increased force. 

In the second phase (amortization), a very brief pause after the eccentric phase occurs before the final concentric phase begins. 

In this short amortization phase, the muscle spindle reflex sends a message via the afferent nerves to the alpha motor neurons in the spinal cord. 

The alpha motor neurons send a message back to the muscle, which triggers a reflex to release elastic energy. 

In the final phase (concentric), the stretch reflex contributes to the muscle action (such as a jump) and the elastic energy transfers into greater force in muscle as it moves. (If no movement occurs or the delay is too long, the elastic energy dissipates as heat.)

Plyometric training enhances all these mechanical and neuromuscular mechanisms so that you can generate more power in the stretch-shortening cycle over time. 

Put all those phases and you get plyometric. Think of the jump squat: you squat down quickly in the eccentric phase, then rapidly jump out of the squat with power. 

The amortization phase is a very brief transition; when performing the jump squat, you will not pause for that phase.  

WHY SHOULD RUNNERS DO PLYOMETRICS?

The running stride is essentially a series of horizontal and slightly vertical plyometrics of varying intensity. 

Theoretically then, plyometric training should improve running – but let’s see what the research says. 

Plyometric training does offer benefits for long-distance runners.

Plyometric training improves running economy via improved neuromuscular mechanisms. 

Small doses of plyometric training are typically used twice per week by world-class runners in the early and mid-preparation phases. These plyometric exercises include skips, bounds, hill sprints, and squat jumps. 

Once the athletes enter the competition phase, they reduce their sessions to once per week or eliminate them entirely. 

If you do plyometric training, it is not something you do every week – especially when a race is approaching. 

HOW MANY SETS AND REPS SHOULD I DO?

Since plyometrics lose their efficacy once you spend more time on the ground, high-rep schemes become ineffective due to fatigue. If you try to do 10-15 sets, you will at best waste your time – and at worse, increase your injury risk. 

It is recommended a rep scheme similar to power exercises, with 3-6 sets of 2-5 repetitions per exercise as a maximum if you do a plyometric-only workout. 

If you combine it with strength training, you should do 1-6 sets of 4-6 reps of 1-2 exercises. 

If you are new to plyometric training, begin with low sets and reps. Plyometric training volume is calculated by the number of foot contacts. 

Beginners should aim for 80-100 contacts per session. As you gain experience, you can increase up to 120 contacts per session. 

The number of sets, reps, and exercises you do is determined by that volume. 

You should have generous rest in between sets, with 1:5-1:10 work: rest ratios. This means if you spend 10 seconds performing a plyometric exercise, you should rest for 50-100 seconds. 

If you are doing high-intensity exercises such as depth jumps or exercises with step-down recovery like box jumps, you should rest for 5-10 seconds in between sets. 

HOW OFTEN SHOULD I DO PLYOMETRICS?

Plyometrics require a minimum of 48 hours of recovery in between each session. 

The recovery will also be impacted by workouts you do in addition to plyometrics, such as interval workouts. 

During an off-season or base phase, you can do more frequent plyometric sessions such as three times per week. 

During race-specific training, you may only do one to two sessions per week. 

HOW SHOULD YOU INCORPORATE PLYOMETRICS INTO RUN TRAINING?

For most runners, plyometrics are best used as a means of strength training during specific phases of training. 

Typically, you’ll want to place your plyometric workout in the phase of training where you are focusing on power and speed. 

For a short-distance runner, this may be closer to your goal race. For a long-distance runner, power and speed are typically addressed earlier in the season. 

PLYOMETRICS BEFORE OR AFTER RUNNING: WHAT’S BEST?

Because aerobic exercise, such as running, may hurt power production, it is recommended that runners perform plyometric exercises before a running workout. 

IS PLYOMETRICS THE SAME AS SPEED & AGILITY DRILLS?

While plyometrics exercises can absolutely help with aspects of speed and agility, they are not necessarily the same thing. 

Speed drills are exercises that help increase your ability to achieve high movement velocities. (In other words: they help increase your ability to run faster.)

Agility drills help increase your change direction, velocity, or mode in response to an unknown stimulus. 

For example, the person on the trail right in front of you trips and falls, and you need to quickly jump laterally while avoiding some rocks to not fall on top of that runner. That’s an example of agility.

DO SPRINTS COUNT AS PLYOMETRICS?

Sprinting is not a form of plyometric exercise, but rather, is a form of speed training. 

However, sprinting speed (velocity) has been shown to improve by incorporating plyometric exercises into training.

COMMON PLYOMETRIC TRAINING MISTAKES

  • You spend too long in the amortization phase. Too long between the eccentric and concentric phases, and the elastic energy is lost. This error is common for slow-twitch dominant runners, so begin with low reps and focus closely on technique. 
  • You do high reps with little rest. Plyometric training is not HIIT training! The goal is not to get your heart rate up high. You want to improve power, not cardiovascular fitness. 
  • Doing plyometrics with weights. Unless you are very advanced and working with a strength and conditioning coach, stick to body weight. Technique and rapid movement matter more than load. 
  • You start with too much, too soon. As with running, that’s a quick recipe for injury. Begin with low-intensity plyometrics such as skips and bounds. 
  • You perform plyometrics in highly cushioned running shoes or barefoot. Firm lifting shoes are the best choice. (If between the two, choose the running shoes – barefoot plyometrics will quickly get you injured.) 
  • You use a hard surface. Plyometrics should be performed on grass, a rubber gym mat, or a track.

BENEFITS OF PLYOMETRICS FOR RUNNERS

Plyometric training helps improve running performance for endurance athletes by allowing muscles to produce more force with less energy, which in turn results in improved running economy.

Research into the benefits of plyometrics for runners has shown that incorporating plyo workouts has resulted in:

  • Improved tendon stiffness. While this may sound like a bad thing, increased tendon stiffness, especially in the lower legs (such as the Achilles) results in faster recoil speeds, greater power production, and greater efficiency while running. 
  • Improvements in running time-trial performances from sprinting to 10K.
  • Improvements in VO2 max (the amount of oxygen your body can actually use with each breath you take).
  • Improvements in bone density. 
  • Decreased respiratory exchange ratio (the ratio between the volume of CO2 being produced by the body and the amount of O2 being consumed.) 
  • Increased flight times and reduced step rate at the same running speed
  • Improved running economy

DO PLYOMETRICS HELP LONG-DISTANCE RUNNERS?

While the explosive movements of plyometrics certainly carry over better to sprinting than they do long-distance running, plyometrics can still benefit longer-distance runners, especially if it involves a potential sprint towards the finish line.

The research concluded that properly programmed concurrent plyometric and endurance training could be beneficial for middle and long-distance runners in their competitive performance, especially in events characterized by sprinting actions with small time differences at the end of the race.

TYPES & MODES OF PLYOMETRICS:

Not all plyometric exercises are the same, in the same way, that a 100-meter sprint and a 100-mile ultramarathon are both running, but are hardly the “same thing”. 

LOWER BODY PLYOMETRICS

Lower body plyometrics are useful for pretty much all athletes across all sports, and are the main type of plyometrics runners will want to focus on.  

Lower body plyometrics utilize – you guessed it – the muscles of the lower body, and can be done at a variety of intensities, and in various planes of direction. 

UPPER BODY PLYOMETRICS

Upper body plyometrics help develop rapid, powerful upper body movements. 

These are less essential for runners and improvements in running performance than they would be for an athlete such as a baseball player or shot put thrower. 

Regardless, incorporating some upper body plyometrics can help runners maintain a strong, powerful upper body for overall health and fitness purposes.

TRUNK PLYOMETRICS

The existence of trunk (often referred to as the “core”) plyometrics is up for debate in the exercise science world. 

It is difficult to perform true plyometrics that directly targets the musculature of the trunk because the “stretch reflex” is not sufficiently involved during many trunk exercises to potentiate muscle activity. “

Nevertheless, many sources do include various plyometric movements designed to target the trunk or core.

REPEATED VS. SINGLE-CONTACT PLYOMETRICS

In plyometrics, contacts refer to the number of times your foot (or hands, if it’s an upper-body plyometric move) hits the ground in a single workout. 

For simplicity, you can think of “contact” as a “repetition”, or rep. 

For example, 4 sets of 5 repetitions of squat jumps would be the equivalent of 20-foot contacts. 

Plyometrics exercises can be repeated one contact/rep immediately followed by another for multiple reps or can be performed one at a time, with a rest period in between. 

Rapid, repeated plyometrics are going to help develop power endurance, whereas single repetitions will allow an athlete to use a much higher intensity (for example: attempting to hit a maximum vertical jump).

LOW-INTENSITY VS. HIGH-INTENSITY PLYOMETRICS

When speaking of plyometrics, the intensity does not refer to “how difficult” an exercise feels, but rather, the amount of stress placed on involved muscles, connective tissues, and joints.  

THE INTENSITY OF PLYOMETRICS EXERCISES CAN BE AFFECTED BY:

  • Points of contact – a single limb plyometric exercise (such as single leg bounds) is going to place more stress on the body than a double-limb exercise.
  • Speed – greater speed increases the intensity
  • Height of Drill  – the higher the body’s centre of gravity, the greater the force on landing
  • Body Weight – the greater the runner’s body weight, the more stress will be placed on muscles, connective tissues, and joints. 

COMPLEX TRAINING VS. FOCUSED PLYOMETRICS WORKOUT

Complex training refers to a training method where traditional high-intensity resistance training is followed by plyometrics. 

This approach helps further enhance gains in muscular power.

An example of a complex set would be a heavy back squat (85-90% of 1RM) followed by box jumps. 

Complex training is an advanced approach, and should only be performed by runners with adequate strength and plyometrics experience.

PLYOMETRICS FOR RUNNERS: FINAL THOUGHTS

Plyometrics is an awesome tool for runners to incorporate into their training for performance benefits. 

But to truly reap those benefits, it’s important to remember the proper structure behind a plyometrics workout. 

If you take nothing else from this post, remember this: plyometrics are short, powerful, explosive movements repeated in just a handful of repetitions. 

Plyometrics is not a cardiovascular exercise meant to leave you in an exhausted, anaerobic puddle on the gym floor.

 

 

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