7 Best Plyometric Exercises for Explosiveness, Speed, and Power
Plyometrics are fantastic for developing speed and power due to their focus on explosive movements. However, you need to be explosive to train it.
Many times, people train plyometrics, and their movements are slow. That’s not plyometric. To open the door to speed and explosiveness, you need to develop a good level of strength and train it to move fast.
Develop your strength and force eccentrically so you can be faster concentrically and then successfully do plyometrics.
With that being said, here are 7 of the best plyometric exercises you can incorporate into your training:
Box Jumps
Box jumps are a great plyometric exercise with a range of benefits for your fitness
Benefits of Box Jumps
- Builds Explosive Power: Box jumps primarily target your fast-twitch muscle fibers responsible for explosive movements. This improves jumping ability, sprint speed, and overall athletic performance.
- Strengthens Lower Body Muscles: Your quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves work together to propel you onto the box, increasing strength and muscle growth in these areas.
- Improves Coordination and Balance: Landing accurately on the box requires precise timing and control, honing your coordination and balance skills. Balance is essential for coordination, and coordination is mandatory for explosiveness.
How to Do a Box Jump
- Choose a Box: Start with a box height that is challenging but allows for proper form. As you progress, you can increase the height.
- Starting Position: Stand facing the box with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Load and Explode: Bend your knees and hips into a quarter-squat position, swing your arms back, and then explosively jump onto the box.
- Landing: Land softly on the box with both feet to absorb the impact by bending your knees slightly.
- Step Down: Carefully step down from the box, one foot at a time.
- Repeat: Perform 3-5 sets of 5-8 repetitions.
Broad Jumps
Broad jumps are another great plyometric exercise focusing on horizontal power and explosion. They are similar to box jumps in their explosive nature but emphasize forward distance rather than vertical height.
Benefits of Broad Jumps:
- Increased Horizontal Power: Broad jumps primarily target your hip extensors, glutes, and hamstrings, enhancing your ability to generate force and power in a forward direction.
- Improved Acceleration and Speed: The explosive hip extension in broad jumps translates to enhanced acceleration and sprint speed, making them valuable for athletes.
- Enhanced Lower Body Strength: Your quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves all contribute to the powerful push-off, increasing strength in these muscle groups.
- Improved Coordination and Balance: Landing accurately requires coordination and control, benefiting overall athleticism.
How to Do a Broad Jump:
- Starting Position: Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, with your toes slightly turned out.
- Load and Explode: Bend your knees and hips into a quarter-squat position, swing your arms back, and then explosively jump forward.
- Flight: Extend your hips and swing your arms forward to maximize distance.
- Landing: Land softly on both feet with your knees slightly bent, absorbing the impact.
- Repeat: Return to the starting position and repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Squat Jumps
Benefits of Squat Jumps:
- Increased Vertical Power: Squat jumps primarily target your quads, glutes, and hamstrings, enhancing your ability to generate force and power in a vertical direction.
- Improved Lower Body Strength: Like squats, squat jumps strengthen your quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves, contributing to overall leg strength.
- Improved Coordination and Balance: Landing softly and maintaining control requires coordination and balance.
How to Do a Squat Jump:
- Start Position: Create a stance with your feet about shoulder-width apart. Keep your toes slightly turned out.
- Squat Down: Lower yourself by bending your knees and pushing your hips back into a squat position. Keep your back straight and chest up.
- Explode Upward: Jump explosively upward, extending your hips and swinging your arms for momentum.
- Landing: Land softly on both feet with your knees slightly bent, absorbing the impact.
- Repeat: Immediately lower back into a squat position and repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Single-Leg Hops
Single-leg hops are another excellent plyometric exercise focusing on unilateral (single-leg) power, stability, and balance. They are a progression from double-leg plyometric exercises and require more control and coordination.
Benefits of Single Leg Hops:
- Increased Single-Leg Power: Single-leg hops primarily target the quads, glutes, and hamstrings of the working leg, improving power and force production on that side.
- Enhanced Stability and Balance: Maintaining balance on one leg challenges stabilizing muscles improving overall stability and proprioception (awareness of your body’s position).
- Injury Prevention: Strengthening, stabilizing muscles, and improving balance reduces the chance of injuries, especially those related to ankle and knee instability.
- Improved Athletic Performance: Single-leg hops can enhance athletic performance in sports that require single-leg jumping or landing, such as basketball, volleyball, and soccer.
- Reduced Muscle Imbalances: Single-leg hops can help identify and correct muscle imbalances between your legs by working each leg independently.
How to Do a Single Leg Hop:
- Starting Position: Stand on one leg and bend your knee slightly.
- Load and Explode: Bend your knee slightly and then jump vertically upwards, swinging your arms for momentum.
- Landing: Land softly on the same leg with your knee slightly bent, absorbing the impact.
- Repeat: Immediately hop again without putting your other foot down.
- Switch Legs: Perform the desired repetitions on one leg, then switch to the other.
Important Considerations:
- Focus on Form: Maintain proper knee and ankle alignment throughout the movement. Avoid collapsing your knee inward or letting it twist.
- Land Softly: Land with control, absorbing the impact to protect your joints.
- Progression: Start with fewer repetitions and gradually increase as you build strength and confidence.
- Safety: Ensure you have ample space to land safely.
Variations:
- Lateral Hops: Hop sideways from one leg to the other.
- Forward/Backward Hops: Hop forward or backward on one leg.
- Single Leg Box Hops: Hop onto a low box with one leg.
Lateral Bounds
Lateral bounders, or lateral jumps, are a dynamic plyometric exercise that focuses on lateral (side-to-side) power, agility, and coordination. They are a great way to train your body to move explosively in a lateral plane, which is crucial for many sports and activities.
Benefits of Lateral Bounders:
- Increased Lateral Power: Lateral bounders primarily target your hip abductors and adductors (outer and inner thigh muscles), along with your glutes and quads, improving your ability to generate force and power in a lateral direction.
- Enhanced Agility and Coordination: The explosive nature and quick changes in direction involved in lateral boundaries require coordination and agility, making them a valuable drill for athletes.
- Improved Stability and Balance: Maintaining balance during the landing phase challenges your stabilizing muscles, leading to improved overall stability and proprioception (awareness of your body’s position).
How to Do a Lateral Bounder:
- Start: Stand with your feet about shoulder length apart and your knees slightly bent.
- Load and Explode: Push off with one leg, jumping laterally to the other side. Swing your arms for momentum and lift your opposite knee to help propel you.
- Landing: Land softly on the opposite leg with your knee slightly bent, absorbing the impact.
- Repeat: Immediately push off with the landing leg and return to the starting side.
- Continue: Perform the desired repetitions, alternating sides with each jump.
Variations:
- Single-Leg Lateral Bounds: Instead of pushing off with both legs, jump laterally using only one leg.
- Lateral Bounds with Hurdles: Set up low hurdles or cones and jump over them laterally.
- Med Ball Lateral Bounds: Hold a medicine ball in front of you and jump laterally while holding the ball.
Clap Push-Ups
The clap push-up is an advanced plyometric variation of the standard push-up that requires explosive power and coordination. It involves pushing yourself up from the ground with enough force to clap your hands together before returning to the starting position.
Benefits of Clap Push-Ups:
- Explosive Power: Clap push-ups primarily target your fast-twitch muscle fibers, enhancing explosive power in your chest, shoulders, and triceps.
- Upper Body Strength: Like regular push-ups, clap push-ups build chest, shoulders, triceps, and core strength.
- Coordination and Timing: The explosive movement and the need to clap your hands together before landing require precise coordination and timing.
- Increased Muscle Activation: The explosive nature of clap push-ups activates more muscle fibers than standard push-ups, potentially leading to more significant muscle growth.
How to Do a Clap Push-Up:
- Starting Position: Get into a push-up position. Keep your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width. Form a straight line from head to heels.
- Lower Down: Lower your chest towards the ground by bending your elbows, keeping your core engaged.
- Explode Upward: Push up explosively, extending your arms completely and propelling your body off the ground.
- Clap: As your body leaves the ground, quickly clap your hands together in front of your chest.
- Land: Re-position your hands and catch yourself in the starting push-up position.
- Repeat: Immediately lower yourself into another push-up and repeat the process for the desired number of repetitions.
Important Considerations:
- Prerequisites: Before attempting clap push-ups, it’s crucial to master regular push-ups with excellent form and be able to perform multiple repetitions.
- Safety: Clap push-ups require a high level of strength and coordination. Start gradually and focus on proper technique to avoid injury.
- Warm-Up: Always warm up thoroughly before performing clap push-ups, especially your wrists and shoulders.
- Modifications: If clap push-ups are too challenging, you can modify the exercise by performing elevated push-ups or practicing explosive push-ups without the clap.
Bounders
These involve taking long, exaggerated strides while running, focusing on height and distance. It’s like an exaggerated running motion where each step is a mighty leap.
Bounders, or bounding drills, are plyometric exercises that exaggerate the running stride to develop explosive power, speed, and coordination. Athletic training commonly uses them to improve running mechanics and maximize stride length.
There are two main types of bounders:
- Alternating Leg Bounds:
- Focus: Emphasizes horizontal power and speed.
- Movement: Involves an exaggerated running stride focusing on driving the knee high and forward while maximizing hang time.
- Benefits: Improves stride length, running economy, and overall speed.
- Single Leg Bounds:
- Focus: Emphasizes single-leg power, stability, and coordination.
- Movement: Similar to alternating leg bounds, but performed on one leg at a time.
- Benefits: Improves single-leg strength, balance, and coordination and helps address muscle imbalances.
Benefits of Bounders:
- Increased Power Output: Bounders train your muscles to generate more force and power with each stride, increasing explosiveness and speed.
- Improved Running Mechanics: By exaggerating the running stride, bounders help you develop better running form and efficiency.
- Enhanced Agility and Coordination: The coordination required to perform bounders translates to improved agility and overall athleticism.
- Increased Stride Length: Bounders train your body to take longer, more powerful strides, which can directly translate to faster running times.
- Improved Jumping Ability: The explosive hip extension involved in bounders translates to improved jumping power and distance.
How to Do Bounders:
- Alternating Leg Bounds:
- Start by jogging slowly.
- Gradually increase your stride length, pulling your knee forward with each step.
- Focus on maximizing airtime and landing softly.
- Alternate legs with each bound.
- Single Leg Bounds:
- Start by hopping on one leg.
- Gradually increase your stride length, driving your knee high and forward.
- Focus on maintaining balance and landing softly on the same leg.
- Alternate legs after a set number of repetitions.
Additional Tips:
- Swing your arms forcefully to generate momentum.
- Focus on a quick ground contact time to maximize rebound and power.
- Use a slight incline to increase the challenge and build strength.
Check out my INSTANT STRENGTH book for total strength, speed, and power programs.
To maximize stability, mobility, and flexibility, check out my book, THE BALANCED BODY.
To see great exercises, methods, and techniques videos, subscribe to my YouTube channel, BALANCED BODY.
RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
7 Best Plyometric Exercises for Explosiveness, Speed, and Power
Plyometrics are fantastic for developing speed and power due to their focus on explosive movements. However, you need to be explosive to train it.
Many times, people train plyometrics, and their movements are slow. That’s not plyometric. To open the door to speed and explosiveness, you need to develop a good level of strength and train it to move fast.
Develop your strength and force eccentrically so you can be faster concentrically and then successfully do plyometrics.
With that being said, here are 7 of the best plyometric exercises you can incorporate into your training:
Box Jumps
Box jumps are a great plyometric exercise with a range of benefits for your fitness
Benefits of Box Jumps
- Builds Explosive Power: Box jumps primarily target your fast-twitch muscle fibers responsible for explosive movements. This improves jumping ability, sprint speed, and overall athletic performance.
- Strengthens Lower Body Muscles: Your quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves work together to propel you onto the box, increasing strength and muscle growth in these areas.
- Improves Coordination and Balance: Landing accurately on the box requires precise timing and control, honing your coordination and balance skills. Balance is essential for coordination, and coordination is mandatory for explosiveness.
How to Do a Box Jump
- Choose a Box: Start with a box height that is challenging but allows for proper form. As you progress, you can increase the height.
- Starting Position: Stand facing the box with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Load and Explode: Bend your knees and hips into a quarter-squat position, swing your arms back, and then explosively jump onto the box.
- Landing: Land softly on the box with both feet to absorb the impact by bending your knees slightly.
- Step Down: Carefully step down from the box, one foot at a time.
- Repeat: Perform 3-5 sets of 5-8 repetitions.
Broad Jumps
Broad jumps are another great plyometric exercise focusing on horizontal power and explosion. They are similar to box jumps in their explosive nature but emphasize forward distance rather than vertical height.
Benefits of Broad Jumps:
- Increased Horizontal Power: Broad jumps primarily target your hip extensors, glutes, and hamstrings, enhancing your ability to generate force and power in a forward direction.
- Improved Acceleration and Speed: The explosive hip extension in broad jumps translates to enhanced acceleration and sprint speed, making them valuable for athletes.
- Enhanced Lower Body Strength: Your quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves all contribute to the powerful push-off, increasing strength in these muscle groups.
- Improved Coordination and Balance: Landing accurately requires coordination and control, benefiting overall athleticism.
How to Do a Broad Jump:
- Starting Position: Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, with your toes slightly turned out.
- Load and Explode: Bend your knees and hips into a quarter-squat position, swing your arms back, and then explosively jump forward.
- Flight: Extend your hips and swing your arms forward to maximize distance.
- Landing: Land softly on both feet with your knees slightly bent, absorbing the impact.
- Repeat: Return to the starting position and repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Squat Jumps
Benefits of Squat Jumps:
- Increased Vertical Power: Squat jumps primarily target your quads, glutes, and hamstrings, enhancing your ability to generate force and power in a vertical direction.
- Improved Lower Body Strength: Like squats, squat jumps strengthen your quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves, contributing to overall leg strength.
- Improved Coordination and Balance: Landing softly and maintaining control requires coordination and balance.
How to Do a Squat Jump:
- Start Position: Create a stance with your feet about shoulder-width apart. Keep your toes slightly turned out.
- Squat Down: Lower yourself by bending your knees and pushing your hips back into a squat position. Keep your back straight and chest up.
- Explode Upward: Jump explosively upward, extending your hips and swinging your arms for momentum.
- Landing: Land softly on both feet with your knees slightly bent, absorbing the impact.
- Repeat: Immediately lower back into a squat position and repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Single-Leg Hops
Single-leg hops are another excellent plyometric exercise focusing on unilateral (single-leg) power, stability, and balance. They are a progression from double-leg plyometric exercises and require more control and coordination.
Benefits of Single Leg Hops:
- Increased Single-Leg Power: Single-leg hops primarily target the quads, glutes, and hamstrings of the working leg, improving power and force production on that side.
- Enhanced Stability and Balance: Maintaining balance on one leg challenges stabilizing muscles improving overall stability and proprioception (awareness of your body’s position).
- Injury Prevention: Strengthening, stabilizing muscles, and improving balance reduces the chance of injuries, especially those related to ankle and knee instability.
- Improved Athletic Performance: Single-leg hops can enhance athletic performance in sports that require single-leg jumping or landing, such as basketball, volleyball, and soccer.
- Reduced Muscle Imbalances: Single-leg hops can help identify and correct muscle imbalances between your legs by working each leg independently.
How to Do a Single Leg Hop:
- Starting Position: Stand on one leg and bend your knee slightly.
- Load and Explode: Bend your knee slightly and then jump vertically upwards, swinging your arms for momentum.
- Landing: Land softly on the same leg with your knee slightly bent, absorbing the impact.
- Repeat: Immediately hop again without putting your other foot down.
- Switch Legs: Perform the desired repetitions on one leg, then switch to the other.
Important Considerations:
- Focus on Form: Maintain proper knee and ankle alignment throughout the movement. Avoid collapsing your knee inward or letting it twist.
- Land Softly: Land with control, absorbing the impact to protect your joints.
- Progression: Start with fewer repetitions and gradually increase as you build strength and confidence.
- Safety: Ensure you have ample space to land safely.
Variations:
- Lateral Hops: Hop sideways from one leg to the other.
- Forward/Backward Hops: Hop forward or backward on one leg.
- Single Leg Box Hops: Hop onto a low box with one leg.
Lateral Bounds
Lateral bounders, or lateral jumps, are a dynamic plyometric exercise that focuses on lateral (side-to-side) power, agility, and coordination. They are a great way to train your body to move explosively in a lateral plane, which is crucial for many sports and activities.
Benefits of Lateral Bounders:
- Increased Lateral Power: Lateral bounders primarily target your hip abductors and adductors (outer and inner thigh muscles), along with your glutes and quads, improving your ability to generate force and power in a lateral direction.
- Enhanced Agility and Coordination: The explosive nature and quick changes in direction involved in lateral boundaries require coordination and agility, making them a valuable drill for athletes.
- Improved Stability and Balance: Maintaining balance during the landing phase challenges your stabilizing muscles, leading to improved overall stability and proprioception (awareness of your body’s position).
How to Do a Lateral Bounder:
- Start: Stand with your feet about shoulder length apart and your knees slightly bent.
- Load and Explode: Push off with one leg, jumping laterally to the other side. Swing your arms for momentum and lift your opposite knee to help propel you.
- Landing: Land softly on the opposite leg with your knee slightly bent, absorbing the impact.
- Repeat: Immediately push off with the landing leg and return to the starting side.
- Continue: Perform the desired repetitions, alternating sides with each jump.
Variations:
- Single-Leg Lateral Bounds: Instead of pushing off with both legs, jump laterally using only one leg.
- Lateral Bounds with Hurdles: Set up low hurdles or cones and jump over them laterally.
- Med Ball Lateral Bounds: Hold a medicine ball in front of you and jump laterally while holding the ball.
Clap Push-Ups
The clap push-up is an advanced plyometric variation of the standard push-up that requires explosive power and coordination. It involves pushing yourself up from the ground with enough force to clap your hands together before returning to the starting position.
Benefits of Clap Push-Ups:
- Explosive Power: Clap push-ups primarily target your fast-twitch muscle fibers, enhancing explosive power in your chest, shoulders, and triceps.
- Upper Body Strength: Like regular push-ups, clap push-ups build chest, shoulders, triceps, and core strength.
- Coordination and Timing: The explosive movement and the need to clap your hands together before landing require precise coordination and timing.
- Increased Muscle Activation: The explosive nature of clap push-ups activates more muscle fibers than standard push-ups, potentially leading to more significant muscle growth.
How to Do a Clap Push-Up:
- Starting Position: Get into a push-up position. Keep your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width. Form a straight line from head to heels.
- Lower Down: Lower your chest towards the ground by bending your elbows, keeping your core engaged.
- Explode Upward: Push up explosively, extending your arms completely and propelling your body off the ground.
- Clap: As your body leaves the ground, quickly clap your hands together in front of your chest.
- Land: Re-position your hands and catch yourself in the starting push-up position.
- Repeat: Immediately lower yourself into another push-up and repeat the process for the desired number of repetitions.
Important Considerations:
- Prerequisites: Before attempting clap push-ups, it’s crucial to master regular push-ups with excellent form and be able to perform multiple repetitions.
- Safety: Clap push-ups require a high level of strength and coordination. Start gradually and focus on proper technique to avoid injury.
- Warm-Up: Always warm up thoroughly before performing clap push-ups, especially your wrists and shoulders.
- Modifications: If clap push-ups are too challenging, you can modify the exercise by performing elevated push-ups or practicing explosive push-ups without the clap.
Bounders
These involve taking long, exaggerated strides while running, focusing on height and distance. It’s like an exaggerated running motion where each step is a mighty leap.
Bounders, or bounding drills, are plyometric exercises that exaggerate the running stride to develop explosive power, speed, and coordination. Athletic training commonly uses them to improve running mechanics and maximize stride length.
There are two main types of bounders:
- Alternating Leg Bounds:
- Focus: Emphasizes horizontal power and speed.
- Movement: Involves an exaggerated running stride focusing on driving the knee high and forward while maximizing hang time.
- Benefits: Improves stride length, running economy, and overall speed.
- Single Leg Bounds:
- Focus: Emphasizes single-leg power, stability, and coordination.
- Movement: Similar to alternating leg bounds, but performed on one leg at a time.
- Benefits: Improves single-leg strength, balance, and coordination and helps address muscle imbalances.
Benefits of Bounders:
- Increased Power Output: Bounders train your muscles to generate more force and power with each stride, increasing explosiveness and speed.
- Improved Running Mechanics: By exaggerating the running stride, bounders help you develop better running form and efficiency.
- Enhanced Agility and Coordination: The coordination required to perform bounders translates to improved agility and overall athleticism.
- Increased Stride Length: Bounders train your body to take longer, more powerful strides, which can directly translate to faster running times.
- Improved Jumping Ability: The explosive hip extension involved in bounders translates to improved jumping power and distance.
How to Do Bounders:
- Alternating Leg Bounds:
- Start by jogging slowly.
- Gradually increase your stride length, pulling your knee forward with each step.
- Focus on maximizing airtime and landing softly.
- Alternate legs with each bound.
- Single Leg Bounds:
- Start by hopping on one leg.
- Gradually increase your stride length, driving your knee high and forward.
- Focus on maintaining balance and landing softly on the same leg.
- Alternate legs after a set number of repetitions.
Additional Tips:
- Swing your arms forcefully to generate momentum.
- Focus on a quick ground contact time to maximize rebound and power.
- Use a slight incline to increase the challenge and build strength.
Check out my INSTANT STRENGTH book for total strength, speed, and power programs.
To maximize stability, mobility, and flexibility, check out my book, THE BALANCED BODY.
To see great exercises, methods, and techniques videos, subscribe to my YouTube channel, BALANCED BODY.