Pliometrics: What is it and what are the benefits

 Pliometrics: What is it and what are the benefits

Lena Fisher

Exercise is important for both mental and physical health. Pliometrics is composed of aerobic exercises used to increase speed, endurance, and strength. Thus, it requires you to exercise your muscles to their maximum potential in short periods of time.

Pliometric exercises are generally geared toward highly trained athletes or people in good physical condition. However, they can also be used by people who want to improve their fitness.

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With time, the ideal is that the individual will be able to jump higher, be firmer in his jumps, run faster, and improve his physical conditioning.

Therefore, if you want to add pliometric exercises to your workout, do it gradually. Increase the frequency, intensity and duration of the activities slowly.

Pliometrics: How Pliometric Exercises Work

Pliometric exercises can be divided into four categories:

Quick response

These are low-force, high-speed exercises designed to improve ground reaction and speed, such as moving the feet quickly forward and backward over the same distance for at least 6 seconds.

Short

Composed of movements of great force and low frequency. Sink dunks alternated with jumps, for example, improve elasticity while allowing you to touch the ground and jump again.

Long

Movements that have a long range of motion and moderate strength, focused on stability and strength. The squat followed by jumping is an example of a long response exercise.

Very long

This category has a large range of motion and strength, i.e., it is common to use weights for the exercises. Therefore, it is recommended only for healthy, uninjured athletes.

Benefits of Pliometrics

With pliometry, in a short time muscle strengthening, improved breathing, and performance appear. In addition, the exercises also work on balance, elasticity, mobility, and concentration. The burning of calories and improvement in vascular health is also a great benefit.

Therefore, it is important that you do the exercises correctly to get the benefits and avoid injury. Therefore, having the correct alignment can help avoid strain and injury.

Read also: 8 reasons to exercise first thing in the morning

Lena Fisher

Lena Fisher is a wellness enthusiast, certified nutritionist, and author of the popular health and well-being blog. With over a decade of experience in the field of nutrition and health coaching, Lena has dedicated her career to helping people achieve their optimal health and live their best life possible. Her passion for wellness has led her to explore various approaches to achieving overall health, including diet, exercise, and mindfulness practices. Lena's blog is a culmination of her years of research, experience, and personal journey towards finding balance and well-being. Her mission is to inspire and empower others to make positive changes in their lives and embrace a healthy lifestyle. When she's not writing or coaching clients, you can find Lena practicing yoga, hiking the trails, or experimenting with new healthy recipes in the kitchen.