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Plyometric Training

Plyometric Exercises Muscle Building

When you train with plyometrics you are putting the two most powerful forces of the human being needed for survival together and they are power and speed. The objective with plyometric training is to make a difference to the rate of force which is designed to improve the rate at which neural recruitment happens.

This means that from training with plyometrics you will be able to activate more muscle fibers when you train with normal weights in the usual way. Plyometric training has been used by countless bodybuilders to help them break through a training plateau that they are dealing with.

Sport science has proven that when Plyometric activity is performed a very specific physiological response that excites the neurological system directly effecting the elastic capability of a muscle. Therefore increasing the ability of the muscle to rapidly contract or stretch.

For example when doing a jump squat or a burpee the pre-stretch needs to be done as you drop down before you jump up quickly. This pre-stretch is an eccentric movement followed by the concentric contraction which is the built up energy achieved from the pre-stretch.

Many different studies that have been done over the years show that plyometric training can make a marked difference to the strength and power generally of any person who trains plyometrically using the correct progression. There are very specific plyometric training schedules to improve any sport from soccer to martial arts.

Plyometric training does not require weights and is best done using bodyweight, medicine balls or kettlebells and doing 5 or 6 sets of 5 to 8 reps each. For example doing box jumps or squat jumps or as mentioned above the burpee or plyometric push-ups which are done by pushing off the ground with your hands.

Many of the experts in bodybuilding will recommend to stop training altogether when dealing with a training plateau or dealing with overtraining or both. A simple strong push doing plyometrcis for a few days or a week will increase your overall strength and the rate of force that you can generate will increase the weights that you use when training normally.