The second benefit of plyometrics exercise is that it is an effective way of training eccentric muscular contraction.
Eccentric muscular contraction is when a muscle is tensed while it is being stretched or elongated. The easiest way to understand this is to look at the eccentric contraction phase of the biceps curl, the weight lifting exercise used to build the front of the upper arms. When the barbell is lifted from the waist to the chin, the biceps are shortening while being tensed. This is called concentric contraction. When the weight is lowered from the chin towards the waist the biceps are tensed while elongating. This is the eccentric contracion.
In bodybuilding it is referred to as a 'negative' phase of the lifting movement. It is by far the srongest phase of any lifting movement. The eccentric phase of muscular contraction can sustain 60% more weight than the concentric phase. This is why it is difficult and impractical to train it with weights, as you can only lower (eccentric phase) as much weight as you can lift up (concentric phase).
With plyometrics exercises the eccentric phase of muscular contraction can be effectively trained without someone helping you lift a weight through the concentric phase, and without the need for special weight stands. The eccentric phase is effectively overloaded by the force generated from landing, after stepping or jumping off of a platform higher than your measured vertical jump.
Plyometrics Intro
In his own experience, weight training and skill refinement are the ways to see fast imrovements in your vertical jump. After that, plyometrics comes into the equation.
Plyometrics came about in the 70's after Russian high jump coaches started experimenting with different training techniques to get an edge.
The goal of plyometric training is to increase the amount of explosive power a muscle can exert by fooling its fibres to react to a higher reflex potential than what they would without training.To put it a bit more simply, think of a ruber band being stretched and released. Now imagine the band is your quadricep (the muscles above your knee and below your waist). Plyometric training increases the force which the band can be stretched by, (crouching down for a jump stretches the quadricep) and therefore contracted by too (jumping contracts the quadricep).
So how we do it? The most effective way to train this stretch reflex is by jumping. How convenient and fun! Plyometrics is really any activity that involves jumping, because it stretches the muscles a bit. But All the Real effective overload plyometrics involve jumping off somewhere higher than your measured vertical jump, landing, and then jumping up again.
Plyometrics came about in the 70's after Russian high jump coaches started experimenting with different training techniques to get an edge.
The goal of plyometric training is to increase the amount of explosive power a muscle can exert by fooling its fibres to react to a higher reflex potential than what they would without training.To put it a bit more simply, think of a ruber band being stretched and released. Now imagine the band is your quadricep (the muscles above your knee and below your waist). Plyometric training increases the force which the band can be stretched by, (crouching down for a jump stretches the quadricep) and therefore contracted by too (jumping contracts the quadricep).
So how we do it? The most effective way to train this stretch reflex is by jumping. How convenient and fun! Plyometrics is really any activity that involves jumping, because it stretches the muscles a bit. But All the Real effective overload plyometrics involve jumping off somewhere higher than your measured vertical jump, landing, and then jumping up again.
