Top 5 Plyometric Exercises For Athletes

My Top 5 Plyometric Exercises will improve your athleticism, speed and power.

Plyometrics are important exercises for athletes. If your body has the needed strength and stability, plyometrics will improve your sports power by leaps and bounds.

It doesn't help you to continually get stronger if power development is not there also.Power, or speed strength (how fast your muscles can produce force) is one of the best physical predictors of success in sports. Plyometric exercises help you to increase power.

Here are my Top 5 Plyometric Exercises for your lower body. 

1. In-Place Squat Jumps - The squat jump will improve your speed acceleration and power. Bodyweight squat jumps should be mastered first. The fastest runners usually have the highest vertical jump heights.

2. Depth Jumps - The depth jump is an exercise that will improve your speed, power and athleticism because it works the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes and calf muscles. You will improve your athleticism and speed in any sport that involves running or jumping by using the depth jump.

3. Bounding and Lateral Bounding - Lateral bounding is a progression from lateral lunges that requires you to practice lateral movement at game-time speed. 

Do not progress to full-speed lateral bounding until the proper mechanics are achieved with lateral lunges. One common mechanical breakdown is when the knees protrude far in front of the feet when decelerating, landing or squatting. This puts undue stress on the knees and often causes knee injuries.

4. Lateral and Transverse Cone Jumps - Lateral cone jumps improve your side-to-side power and explosion. Transverse cone jumps improve your rotational power. The frontal (lateral) and transverse (rotational) planes of motion are often under-trained by athletes. This is a mistake because many of your athletic movements are side-to-side and rotational.

5. Standing Long Jumps - Improving your standing long jump will also improve your speed and power. A more explosive, powerful athlete will be a faster athlete. Improve both your standing vertical jump and standing long jump and you will be faster and more explosive. 

Avoid knee injuries by perfecting jumping and landing techniques before progressing to full speed plyometric workouts.