One more big benefit of plyos? They are a good bang-for-your-exercise-buck, says Hodges. With proper plyometric training, you can boost your ability to effectively and safely absorb shock and thus reduce the risk of injury in sports and workout settings.

For example, if you jump up to block the ball in a game of beach volleyball and don’t land back on the ground with good mechanics, you could tear a muscle, tendon, or ligament. “Most injuries occur when the body goes beyond its range of motion with control,” explains Hodges. Plyometric training can also help reduce your risk of injury both in sports and at the gym, since they improve your body’s ability to quickly absorb shock. This can come in handy for athletes whose sports require them to perform quick, powerful movements-like track athletes, for instance, or volleyball players. Plyos can also boost tendon strength and increase your rate of force development-essentially, your body’s ability to generate a lot of power really fast, says Hodges. They can help increase speed, strength, endurance, agility, and coordination, says Hodges. There are many benefits of plyometric exercises that might just convince you to add them to your workout routine. What are the benefits of plyometric exercises? But there are some upper-body-focused plyo moves, too, says Hodges-for instance, plyo push-ups and explosive medicine ball throws. That said, many plyometric moves-like jumping lunges, pop squats, and tuck jumps-place an extra emphasis on your core and lower half. In terms of which muscle groups plyos work, for the most part they are actually full-body movements, says Hodges. A plank, for example, is an isometric exercise. An isometric exercise, by contrast, involves muscles staying super still while they work. That’s because plyometrics involve quick movements and concentric (shortening) and eccentric (lengthening) muscle contractions.

Build up slowly as a little of this work goes a very long way.Now, people may wonder if plyometrics are an isometric exercise technique. You can also keep a three bounce rhythm for the whole thirty seconds. You may want to limit the number of repetitions you start with as even 20 seconds is a good start. Once you are sure you can do this and recovery quickly you can progress to higher jumps. To build up to the tuck jump series, start with pogo stick on the ground, essentially bouncing with very short hops on the ankles. At least a ten or fifteen minute jog and some dynamic stretches is a good place to start.

Make sure you have warmed up well before you start any plyometrics as it is easy to injure yourself if your body is not ready for explosive movements. You will want to use a soft surface to do these drills – avoid pavement and concrete at all times. Vertical jumps are also stressful on your lower back and legs, so make sure you are healthy before you incorporate this kind of training. Keep in mind that plyometrics are very stressful on the knees and ankles. After a few weeks of doing this exercise you will likely feel more “springy” on the ground when running as you improve your lower leg elastic strength. Incorporating tuck jumps into your routine will improve the power of your running and cycling, and will help to minimize your ground contact when running. Essentially, they are plyometric squats, thus incorporate all of the benefits of a squat (using most of the large muscles of your body and your core) but also adding explosive power to it to get your body off the ground. Tuck jumps are one of the best ways to develop explosive power using only your body weight.

20 tuck jumps