Posts Tagged ‘plyometric workouts’

Safety Precautions for Plyometric Training

January 18th, 2010

Plyometrics might be something you have never heard of before but actually, this is a type of workout that most athletes undergo to increase vertical jump. It has been a staple in most jumping workouts that a lot of professional trainers research more and more about it.

However, just like any other workout techniques you would undergo in any kind of skill improvement, plyometrics have safety considerations that you need to know by heart before actually commencing. Here are the basic safety tips for plyometric exercises that every athlete should understand before undergoing training.

- Any person who would undergo plyometric training should have strong muscle strength and flexibility. Plyometric exercises focus a lot on fast and intense movements so your muscles should be able to adapt to it.

- Proper warm up should be observed to lessen the risk of injuries. Warm up wakes up your muscles, sending a signal that it will be working double time in a couple of minutes so it could be ready for it. Without proper warm up, the risk for muscles strain becomes relatively higher.

- Plyometric training should be performed in a padded or soft ground. Gym mats should be used if you are performing it indoors. If you do not have a gym mat, doing your workout on the grass is acceptable, too. As much as you can, try to avoid hard surfaces such as concrete because you will be doing various intense movements.

- Low intensity exercises should be performed by athletes younger than 13 years of age. Older athletes could have higher intensity and higher volume exercises as long as they are able to squat for at least 1.5 times their body weight.

- Bigger athletes such as those over 200 pounds should work with a trained professional since low-intensity exercises will be give until they reach a more acceptable weight level.

These are just some examples of safety precautions when undergoing plyometric training. For more information, consult a professional because plyometrics should be performed under a professional eye.