PLYOMETRICS- Lower Body Emphasis
In my last installment I outlined upper body plyometrics and how to infuse the movements and training protocols in your own routine. The other half of plyometrics, the set of movements I’ll discuss today fall under the category of lower body ply
ometrics, or the plyometric exercises that are probably much more well known. I’m sure when you think about plyometrics, exercises like box jumps and squat jumps come to mind- all of which are high intensity forms of lower body plyometric training.
I personally utilize lower body plyometrics both in my own routine and in the routines I design for my clients. Nearly every client of mine has SOME FORM of plyometrics present, whether that be large or small scale. Regardless as to whether you add some lower body plyometrics to superset your weight training on leg days, or if you string together several lower body plyo exercises to form a crazy metabolic sequence, adding lower body plyometric exercises into your routine will help to sculpt, shape, AND build muscle while helping to shed body fat.
The biggest benefit of lower body plyometrics, is that, like any lower body exercise, the calorie burn is higher than with upper body training. I’m sure, even if you do standard bodybuilding style training you notice a huge difference between the way you feel after a heavy back workout, as opposed to a heavy leg workout. That’s because the caloric expenditure required to train legs is greater- even more so when you are discussing plyometrics. Lower body plyometric drills usually require no implements and can be done using only your bodyweight. They’re high impact exercises such as lunge jumps, squat jumps, and box jumps which ramp up you heart rate exponentially, thus increasing your calorie burn by leaps and bounds in only a short period of time.
As with any style of plyometric training, lower body plyos tax the aerobic and anaerobic system at the same time. It’s one thing to be able to pound out 3 sets of heavy leg press, but its another altogether to do 3 sets of squat jumps. You’ll be bent over breathing like you ran a mile, and THAT’S part of the reason to include plyometrics in your lower body training. They increase aerobic capacity, are a great way to train for power as well as athletic and functional strength, AND they ramp up the calorie burn of your workout- big time. The key to shaping the muscle and creating an athletic streamlined look is to get away from heavy, cumbersome compound strength movements and rely on reflexive, impact involved, bodyweight training which creates muscle tone and definition through explosive momentum and instant impact.
Performance in sports that involve sprint work or agility, such as football, soccer, and basketball can benef
it from lower body plyometric exercises, but the inclusion of lower body plyos shouldn’t just be for athletes. Studies have shown that simply including a few upper body plyometric exercies a week drastically increases explosive strength in more compound movements such as squats and leg presses. In fact, many strength athletes and competitive powerlifters have adapted specific lower body plyometric exercises into their programming for the mere purpose of bettering their explosive strength for the purpose of heavy weight bearing lifts.
Plyometrics increase lower body strength because they are drills that mimic natural movement and increase reflexive strength. Jump up and down. Now pay attention to what you naturally did without thinking about it. Did you pause and suspend yourself in mid-air when you jumped? I would think not- chances are you jumped up and landed with a natural quickness. The quick jump up and down was a very natural, fluid movement, much different from pushing a heavy weight on a leg press or shouldering heavy weight for a squat. In this manner, plyometrics are a NATURAL way to train and sculpt your muscles. Personally, I find them especially beneficial with regards to figure, bikini, and fitness athlete training. In fact, I’ve nearly re-structured my ENTIRE lower half as a direct results of relying heavily on plyometric exercises rather than compound weight bearing movements.
So what are some good lower body plyometric drills? There are numerous exericises, but it’s important to remember that not all plyometric exercises are equal in intensity. Skipping exercises for example, are relatively light while single leg bounds, lunge jumps, and depth jumps are more intense. A program should be designed PROGRESSIVELY, meaning you should work from lower intensity drills up to more advanced plyometric drills particularly if you’re an individual with less strength training experience- or you’re new to plyometrics as a training method. Some that come to mind for me are:
· Lunge Jumps (or Split Squat Jumps)
· Squat Jumps
· Tuck Jumps
· Box Jumps
· Lateral Box Jumps
· Line Jumps
· Bounding
· Depth Jumps
Lower body plyometrics don’t need to necessarily be incorporated during an entire workout of a split, however if you’re attempting to shed bodyfat, especially in your lower half (quads, glutes, hamstrings) I recommend relying heavily on them as opposed to weight bearing movement. In many of the training programs I use for figure, fitness, and bikini athletes, I have one entire training sessions devoted to HIIT and the incorporation of high impact lower body plyometric exercises to both sculpt and shape the muscles in the lower body while simultaneously pulling the athlete OFF of mass movements which tend to hinder “size” and bodyfat loss. Lower body plyos also work well when either combined with standard weight training exercises more typical of a bodybuilding protocol, OR as part of a high intensity cirtcuit or other form of CST training like Tabata.
Plyometric work should be done prior to any strength or hypertrophy training. An easy way to structure your training if you’re new to lower body plyometrics and not 100% sure you want to embark on an entire workout dev
oted to the method is to pick 2-3 lower body plyometric exercises and do those exercises prior to other lower body training. So for example on leg day maybe do some Lunge Jumps, line jumps, Squat Jumps, or Depth Jumps BEFORE you do your standard weight workout. Or combine 3-4 lower body plyo exercises with 3-4 lower body weight bearing exercises for a killer upper body circuit. If you have some experience with plyometric exercises and have a good healthy cardiovascular stamina, then aim high and do an entire workout devoted to lower body plyos. Pick several lower body plyometric movements, varying in intensity and string them together in a sequence. Do each exercise as a timed set (15 seconds, 20 seconds etc) back to back and rest ONLY at the end of the sequence. Go through the sequences as often as time and/or conditioning allow. If you’re stringing together a workout comprised ENTIRELY of lower body plyometrics just make sure that you still utilize the progressive principle to help warm up your muscles. Begin with some lower intensity plyometric movements and build up to high intensity, high impact movements.
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