Using Plyometrics to Improve Track and Field Performance

Why Plyometrics?

Plyometrics are usually associated with horizontal and vertical jumpers, where one of the goals is to achieve ‘lift off’ from the ground.

By doing plyometric training, athletes develop, among other things, their capacities to:

• minimise the bending of the joints at impact (beyond the angle already present at the moment of ground contact);

• convert the forces of impact at ground contact into stored elastic potential energy within the muscles, which is then used to produce a quicker ground response.
  (i.e., improve the Stretch-Shortening Cycle).

These capacities are not just useful for jumpers but also for sprinters and hurdlers.

If sprinters and hurdlers could reduce their ground contact times by 0.005s per foot-fall in a race where they may have 40 – 48 ground contacts, the athlete’s total time for the race could be reduced by between 0.2s and 0.24s!

Other factors come in to play as well, e.g.

• When a hurdler lands following a hurdle clearance, the better the hurdler’s ability to resist even minimal ‘collapsing’ through the hip, knee or ankle joint, the better the ability of the hurdler to maintain both speed and technical form.

Greater forces can be generated by using the stored elastic potential energy in a muscle that by concentric contraction of the muscle alone (compare the height achieved in a counter-movement vertical jump with that achieved from a stationary starting position).

Some Factors to Consider First

• As with any strength training, athletes should begin with lighter loads, and develop gradually.

• By its nature, plyometrics involves work on the muscles which has a high eccentric component. This can, and often does, result in muscle soreness in novice athletes, or athletes new to plyometrics.

• The athlete should have some basic physical capacities before embarking on a rigorous plyometric program.

• Plyometric training programs should be progressive in nature.

• Double leg jumps are kinder on the body than single leg jumps.

• When considering the progression for repetitive jumps over time, uphill jumps should precede jumps on the flat, which should precede any downhill jumps.

• Side to side movements can be very valuable to developing the ‘joint stiffness’ of hip, knee and ankle

How Many Ground Contacts per Session?

This will depend on a number of factors. Such as:

• The athlete’s current ability - both technically and strength-wise.

• The phase of the trainging year.

• Fatigue levels.

• What sessions are planned for the subsequent days.

• How the athlete ‘appears’ during the session - slow, sluggish, tired etc.

• Athlete reporting - e.g. ‘my shins are getting sore’

• Coaching observation - e.g. noticing a reduction in the athlete’s explosiveness during activities or a deterioration in form.

The number of repetitions should never exceed what an athlete can perform with high levels of explosiveness and correct form. As soon as an athlete begins to decline in either of those two qualities or reports any soreness the activity should cease.

The activities below have a general recommendation of the number reps/ground contacts, but it is up to you as the coach to consider the factors above and adjust to best meet the needs of your athletes.

Plyometric Exercises for Sprinters and Jumpers

Pogos

The athlete attempts to ‘bounce’ as high as they can off the ground with slightly flexed, but with ‘stiff’, ankles, knees and hips. How the athlete performs this warm up activity will usually give a good indication of what sort of shape they are in for that particular day.

Athletes are encouraged to coordinate a double arm action with the pogo action. This helps the athlete to develop the coordination required later for more complex plyometric activities.

Suggested Load: 1-2 x 6 x BW.

Standing Long Jumps

This is more of a warm-up exercise than a strictly plyometric exercise.

Protocol: athletes are allowed to put their toes over the edge of the LJ pit, to minimise the risk of slipping (the exercise is done in flats). The athlete can use a counter-movement activity to effect the jump. Athletes should aim for maximum distance. It is useful to compare each jump with the preceding one.

Suggested Load: 1-3 x 3 x BW.

Double-Leg ‘Drop Downs’

[N.B. Check first with the Management of your local stadium as to whether they will permit the use of their steps for this exercise. If not, bounding boxes could be used].

This is a ‘pre-cursor’ or ‘introduction’ into the notion of getting the muscles to absorb the impact of landings with minimal flexion of the joints.

The athlete should stand on one of the upper steps facing outwards (in the direction of the bottom of the stairs). The athlete should step forwards, rather than downwards, then drop to land on both feet on the next step below. Both knees should be just slightly flexed, and the athlete aims to have minimal increase in flexion on landing. Landings should be flat-footed.

Initially the athlete should do repetitions of just one step at a time. Later the athlete may progress to dropping down two steps at a time.

Suggested Load: 1-2 x 5 x BW

Double-leg Jumps Uphill (or steps)

Double leg jumps uphill are a good introduction to plyometric activities, while initially reducing the impact of landings. Because the athlete lands higher up the hill, the distance they fall to the ground is less than if they were doing the activity on a flat surface. Landings will tend to be on the balls of the feet, due to the uphill slope.

Suggested Load: 3 x 10 x BW.

Single-leg Jumps (Uphill Or Steps)

A far more intense exercise than DL jumps, as the body weight is now supported by only a single leg at each landing/take-off. However, the impact is less than if the hops were performed on the flat, as the heights from which the body is ‘falling’ is reduced. The most things for the coach to look for are ‘stiffness’ in the ankle joint, and maintenance of a strong pelvic position – aim for very limited to negligible dropping of the hip of the unsupported leg at each landing/take-off.

Suggested Load: 2 x 10 x BW

Double-leg Jumps over Mini-Hurdles

A line of 5-6 mini-hurdles should be placed about 80cm apart. The athlete aims to bounce’ over the mini hurdles using the stored elastic energy in the muscles. This activity is similar to ‘pogos’ but the athlete is moving forwards, and clearing obstacles.

Again, athletes are encouraged to coordinate a double arm action with the ‘bouncing’ action. The two sets of six are completed with a walk back recovery.

Suggested Load: 3 x (2 x 5-6) x BW

Standing Triple Jumps

Standing triple jumps are a great coordination activity, and a relatively simple progression from double leg activities to single leg activity. Protocol: The athlete starts with the toes of both feet on the start mark.

The athlete leaves the ground with both feet, but lands on one foot. If the athlete lands on the left foot for the first landing, the second landing will be on the right foot and the final landing will be in the sand pit. For the second repetition, the athlete should change the feet, i.e. land right foot, then left foot, then sand pit landing. Landings on the runway should be flat-footed and active.

Suggested Load: 1 x 2 each leg x BW

Forward Bounds

Protocol: The athlete starts with one foot forward on the starting mark. The athlete is allowed to rock back, and the toe of the foot may leave the ground, but the heel must remain in contact with the ground.

The athlete aims to cover as much distance as possible in the 10 forward bound (alternating left foot, right foot landings).

Key points are as for triple jumpers – torso upright, flat-footed active landings, try to get the leading thigh at least parallel to the ground, full extension of drive leg, ‘reach and pull’ using the glutes.

I prefer to have the sprinters and hurdlers use a double arm action as it helps to ‘keep the hips square’, which is very relevant to technique for sprinters & hurdlers.

Suggested Load: 1 x 3 each leg x BW.

Timed Hops over 20m

Protocol: The athlete starts with one foot forward on the starting mark. The athlete is allowed to rock back, and the toe of the foot may leave the ground, but the heel must remain in contact with the ground. The timing starts from the moment the athlete’s front foot is flat on the ground, and finished when the athlete’s torso reaches the 20m mark.

The athlete aims to cover the distance as quickly as possible. Most athletes have one leg stronger than the other – their ‘dominant’ leg. This activity should be performed for each leg, and the relative times compared. The long-term aim is to develop the ‘non-dominant’ leg to be as close in strength as possible to the dominant leg. This should be seen in the times for each leg getting closer to each other.

Having said that, there is a large skill component in this particular activity, and athletes will have to experiment to see whether shorter, faster hopping gets them to the finish more quickly than an action which uses longer stride lengths, but slower cadence.

Landings should be flat-footed and active (but initially athletes may tend to be more on the ball of the foot. With improved strength the distance may be extended to 30m.

Suggested Load: 2 x 1 each leg x BW.