A Comprehensive Review of Plyometric Training

It's not just for sport!

Jan 17, 2025

Preface

As the fitness industry evolves and recycles old training methods into new ones, we are experiencing another rise of athletic development in the general fitness domain. This is great from my perspective. But everything is a trade-off.

Plyometrics are becoming a popular way for fitness influencers to capture your attention and create “novelty.” This is where the importance of the trade-off comes in.

Plyometric training can come at a higher risk. As an analogy, it would be similar to promoting maximal (1RM) weight training such as powerlifting or strongman as a general fitness program to a bunch of people who aren’t ready for it.

So this is why I decided to write a comprehensive review of what plyometrics are, their benefits, why they should be involved in a general fitness program, and considerations to implement them.

However, the era of aerobics classes, specifically step-aerobics in the ’80s, sparked worldwide popularity into what was deemed “plyometrics.” Although the implementation of jumping and bouncing activities misrepresented what plyometrics technically are, it stuck as a more inclusive term meaning anything that involves ordinary jumping or bouncing exercises.

This article falls under this umbrella term. I do understand that true plyometric training involves extremely fast action movements such as sprinting, bounding, and pogo hops.

Plyometrics

Plyometric training, characterized by rapid muscle stretching and contraction to produce explosive movements, has been widely studied for its benefits across various physiological and performance domains. This article delves into its impact on muscle hypertrophy, tendon properties, bone health, and athletic performance and discusses optimization strategies for effective implementation.

Muscle Hypertrophy

Research indicates that plyometric training is comparable to traditional resistance training in enhancing muscle hypertrophy, especially in untrained or recreationally trained individuals over short-term periods (up to 12 weeks) (e.g., Markovic & Mikulic, 2010; Ramírez-Campillo et al., 2018). Plyometric exercises, such as jump squats and box jumps, involve high-intensity, explosive movements. These recruit many motor units and activate fast-twitch muscle fibers which are key to muscle growth.

This also suggests that muscle hypertrophy can be affected by low time under tension and high mechanical force demands that stimulate a high level of protein synthesis comparable to resistance training, which demands a low force, high time under tension metabolic response.

Range of motion is also a consideration. Most intensive plyometrics involve a very short range of motion. However, the length-tension relationship of the muscle can be much higher than in heavy resistance training through a full range of motion.

Studies at the muscle fiber level are limited, and the mechanisms driving hypertrophy from plyometric training remain less understood than those for resistance training. While combining plyometric and resistance training does not consistently yield additional benefits in anabolic signaling pathways, the synergistic effects on neuromuscular adaptation warrant further exploration. A neuromuscular stimulus may activate different hypertrophic responses.

My best suggestion is to combine plyometric training with resistance training to broaden hypertrophic results and higher functioning capabilities. Muscle growth plus improved coordination equals athleticism.

Tendon Properties and Muscle Architecture

Plyometric training enhances tendon properties, including stiffness and structural integrity. Tendon stiffness is crucial for efficient force transmission from muscles to bones, enabling improved performance in activities requiring rapid force production, such as sprinting and jumping. But also beneficial to daily functions, such as tasks during a manual labor job or running around the yard with your kids.

A systematic review and meta-analysis highlighted significant improvements in lower limb muscle architecture, including increased fascicle length and pennation angle (Stasinaki et al., 2019). These adaptations contribute to greater force production and efficiency during dynamic movements. Furthermore, the repeated eccentric loading involved in plyometric exercises stimulates collagen synthesis, strengthening tendons and reducing injury risk.

These changes underline the importance of plyometric training for both performance enhancement and musculoskeletal health. Injury risk reduction in and of itself should be the prime reason why the general population must consider implementing plyometrics as a weekly training tool. Weak tendons create weak force transmission. This compromises our ability to function efficiently but also increases our chances of injuring soft tissue and even bone during unassuming tasks, such as daily chores.

Bone Health

Plyometric exercises are highly effective in improving bone mineral density (BMD), making them a valuable intervention for populations at risk of osteoporosis. The high-impact nature of movements such as hopping, bounding, and jumping creates mechanical loading that stimulates osteoblast activity, promoting bone formation.

Studies have shown that plyometric training can increase BMD in weight-bearing areas like the hips and spine, which are particularly vulnerable to fractures in older adults (e.g., Vainionpää et al., 2006). For adolescents and young adults, incorporating plyometric exercises into regular training can enhance peak bone mass, providing long-term skeletal benefits. This makes plyometric training a practical tool for improving bone health across all age groups.

Understanding the mechanical nature of the musculoskeletal system can create buy-in to these findings. When two bones move around a joint, the muscles attached to those tendons stretch and pull on the bones. Therefore, your skeleton transmits a lot of force during general movement, resistance training, and athletic tasks. However, the fast action and high force of plyometrics can apply much higher forces to our skeleton.

Life demands tasks that inevitably exceed specific force applications that you may experience during typical resistance training. Therefore, it’s all the more important to incorporate plyometric training for the general population.

Athletic Performance

Plyometric training is renowned for its ability to enhance athletic performance. It significantly improves power, speed, agility, and explosive strength through adaptations in the stretch-shortening cycle (SSC). The SSC allows muscles and tendons to store elastic energy during the eccentric phase of a movement and release it during the concentric phase, maximizing force output and ultimately the speeds at which sport requires.

Numerous studies have demonstrated that plyometric exercises, such as depth jumps, bounding drills, and pogo hops, improve sprint acceleration, vertical jump height, and change-of-direction speed (e.g., McBride et al., 2008; Sáez de Villarreal et al., 2012). These gains are particularly beneficial for athletes in sports like basketball, soccer, and track and field, where explosive movements are critical.

Additionally, plyometric training enhances neuromuscular coordination, reducing ground contact time during sprints and jumps. This efficiency translates into better performance and reduced energy expenditure, which is crucial for endurance athletes and team sports players.

This last point is important. If you are an endurance athlete, particularly a distance runner, then plyometrics should be a part of your training. Running is a plyometric activity. Therefore, you are experiencing the specific demands of plyometrics, constantly. Incorporating a plyometric protocol into your routine can vastly enhance your performance as well as reduce injury risk.

I will note though, that due to endurance athletes’ exposure to plyometric demands from the sport itself, the implementation of plyometric training needs to be carefully considered.

Training Optimization

Careful planning and monitoring are essential to maximizing the benefits of plyometric training. Metrics such as ground contact time and the Reactive Strength Index (RSI) are invaluable for tailoring programs to individual needs. The RSI, calculated as jump height divided by ground contact time, provides insights into an athlete’s ability to utilize the SSC effectively.

A progressive four-step model has been proposed for implementing plyometric training (Chu & Myer, 2013):

Preparation Phase: Focus on foundational strength and technique to ensure the safe execution of exercises.
Low-Intensity Plyometrics: Introduce exercises with minimal impact, such as line hops and ankle bounces, to build neuromuscular control.
Moderate-Intensity Plyometrics: Progress to activities like box jumps and hurdle hops, emphasizing controlled landings.
High-Intensity Plyometrics: Incorporate advanced drills like depth jumps and bounding, ensuring athletes have developed sufficient strength and stability.

Proper progression minimizes the risk of injury while maximizing performance gains. Furthermore, plyometric training should be integrated into a comprehensive training program, complementing strength, endurance, and mobility exercises.

In today’s world of social media influencers, we are seeing a shift in the fitness industry to implement athletic performance for the general population. Although I fully support this direction (for obvious reasons), I also notice that most of these accounts marketing these concepts don’t fully understand the nuances of training plyometrics (and other athletic attributes).

As mentioned before, plyometric training needs to be carefully considered in its implementation. This requires a full understanding of the physiological mechanisms of plyometrics.

Practical Applications

Plyometric training is versatile and can be adapted to various fitness levels and goals. Exercises like squat jumps and skipping are effective entry points for beginners. Advanced athletes can benefit from high-intensity drills tailored to their sport-specific demands.

Incorporating plyometrics into warm-up routines has also been shown to enhance acute performance by activating the SSC and increasing muscle temperature. This primes the neuromuscular system for high-intensity activities, reducing the risk of injury.

Most of my athletic development programs follow the general protocol written above as well as these practical applications and exercises. However, each individual will have a unique physical activity background composed of many different physical capabilities as well as a unique injury history.

These must be considered in the program design from an individual perspective. From a general perspective, great attention to detail is required in the planning of plyometric progressions to accommodate these varying competencies or lack thereof.

Conclusion

Plyometric training is a powerful tool for improving musculoskeletal health and athletic performance. Its benefits extend beyond sports performance to include muscle hypertrophy, enhanced tendon stiffness, improved bone density, and superior neuromuscular coordination. When implemented with proper progression and monitoring, plyometric exercises can significantly elevate both general fitness and sport-specific capabilities. As research continues to uncover the nuances of plyometric training, its role in optimizing human performance will undoubtedly expand.

If you are looking for an individual approach to training, contact me for coaching under my services tab.

References

Chu, D. A., & Myer, G. D. (2013). Plyometrics. Human Kinetics.
Markovic, G., & Mikulic, P. (2010). Neuro-musculoskeletal and performance adaptations to lower-extremity plyometric training. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 20(6), 100-111.
McBride, J. M., Triplett-McBride, T., Davie, A., & Newton, R. U. (2008). The effect of heavy- vs. light-load jump squats on the development of strength, power, and speed. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 16(1), 75-82.
Ramírez-Campillo, R., et al. (2018). Effects of plyometric training on physical fitness in amateur soccer players: A systematic review. Journal of Sports Sciences, 36(9), 960-973.
Sáez de Villarreal, E., et al. (2012). Enhancing sprint and strength performance: Combined versus maximal power, traditional heavy-resistance, and plyometric training. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 26(5), 1209-1218.
Stasinaki, A. N., et al. (2019). Plyometric training increases muscle fascicle length and pennation angle in adolescents. Sports Biomechanics, 18(5), 503-514.
Vainionpää, A., et al. (2006). Effects of high-impact exercise on bone mineral density: A randomized controlled trial in premenopausal women. Osteoporosis International, 17(3), 409-415.