I talked to VanJames about it and he says it is working for him in ways, also googled a bunch of things on Plyometrics with interesting results. Runners world recommends strides, butt kicks etc. for improvements but I was wondering if anyone has seen results after using this method for over the 4-8 week period and what they have been? Any coaches wanna shed some light on the subject? Thoughts?

I'm doing them now, and really think its great. It helps in so many ways - the stabilization etc really works the muscles in new directions. I don't know about the moves here, but the ones I do are actually pretty low impact until I get sloppy. In fact, much of the strength I think comes from doing them so that they aren't high impact - controlling the landing is a LOT of the movement. A friend of mine, who was once a Cat1 racer started doing them about 5 months ago and swears they have made him a much faster rider. I admit I started them partially because of him...

I do various different plyo workouts as part of my regular strength training during and off season. These include tuck jumps, lateral bounds, box jumps, bounds, etc. What the idea of plyometrics does is increase the elasticity of the muscle and utilize the stretch shortening cycle in your muscles.

Plyos are often thought to only be part of power athlete regimens but we can all benefit from some utilization of certain exercises to help stave off injury, gain some extra power and stabilize joints.

A good example of a relevant plyo exercise is stepping off a box - no jump after (often referred to as a depth jump) - what does this mimic and prepare a triathlete for? - the effects of downhill running -- our quads become massive breaking systems when running downhill - most people will tend to lean back creating a tremendous load on the front of our knee joint as a result. Stepping off a box (landing on two feet at first) develops the quad strength and tendon strength around the knee joint to help us stay injury free when bombing downhill.

Oh yeah I also do HIIT. Various different work interval/rest interval combinations.

Plyos can work quite well but you need to progress into them. The plyos in this video are quite advanced.

Also the more specific to the sports you do the better. Therefore 1 legged plyos are the most applicable. Jump roping is a plyometric so start slow and then build up.

To do the jumps off the boxes (depth jumps) one should be able to back squat 1 1/2 times there weight as they are advanced plyometrics.

DO NOT DO WHAT IS IN THE VIDEO!

If you want patella-femoral pain, then do that workout. And especially if you are a triathlete, do not attempt that workout. It is not specific to the sport. A good plyometric session should have no more than 30 foot contacts on the ground. Who knows how many foot contacts they have in the video...way too many! This will cause your knees to hurt! Trust me.

A good plyometric program will start with basic jumping and practicing perfect landing mechanics. You will not get to a true "plyometric" (stretch/shortening cycle of the muscle) until about week 6 of a proper progression cycle. The first 6 weeks are used to master landing mechanics and technique. Most information you find online is way to advanced for most people. YOu must progress the proper way before moving on to a higher level.

A triathlete should do plyometrics in the off season. Usually the last 8-12 weeks leading up to the start of the season. During the season, lay off of jumping exercises. Save your body for your swim, bike and run workouts. Again, if you do an intense plyometric program during the season, it will just lead to knee pain.

An example of a proper 12-week plyometric program can look like this:

Weeks 1-3, Day 1:
Controlled Box Jump and stick: 3 sets of 8 reps (don't use too high of a box)
Weeks 1-3, Day 2:
Controlled 1-leg Box Hop and stick: 3 sets of 5/leg (a very small step or box)
*work on your balance and stabilization

Weeks 4-6, Day 1
Hurdle Jump and stick: 3 sets of 8 reps (don't use too high of a hurdle)
Weeks 4-6, Day 2
Hurdle 1-leg hop and stick: 3 sets of 5/leg (very small hurdle or cone)

Weeks 7-9, Day 1
3-Hurdle Jump with bounce in between: 3 sets of 3 times through (total 27 jumps)
Weeks 7-9, Day 2
3-Hurdle 1-leg hop with bounce: 3 sets of 3 times through/leg (total 27 hops/leg)

Weeks 10-12, Day 1
3-Hurdle Jump continuous: 3 sets of 3 time through (total 27 jumps)
Weeks 10-12, Day 2
3-Hurdle 1 leg hop continuous: 3 sets of 3 times through/leg (total 27 hops/leg)

**Remember do not move to next progression if you are not ready. Master each progression phase before moving on. It's ok to spend an extra week at the phase you are at before moving to the next phase.

Please ask questions if you have any. My email is justinlevine03@hotmail.com

Hopefully this helps some of you out.

http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=mike%20boyle%20plyometrics&rls=com...

There are two videos at this link to help you out. One video is a box jump where the box is too high. When sticking the landing, if your hips go below parallel then the box is too high. When in doubt, go to a smaller box. You can always progress your way to a higher box. Just keep working on landing mechanics when you are at the beginning phases.

The second video is the hurdle jump and stick. This athlete does a great job with this exercise. I will work on the hurdle jump/bounce, hurdle jump continuous and 1-leg hop videos.

THE VIDEO IS NOT FOR ADVANCED TRAINING.

The box jump and stick in a first progression I use for every client that I train. I start my pro athletes and I have my 50 year old "weekend warrior" start with the first progression. When they master the box jump/stick, they can move to the next level. The hurdle jump and stick is the second progression I use for clients and athletes. If you teach yourself and are disciplined to learn the correct landing mechanics, you can do these movements. What is "advanced" are the hurdle jump and bounce and hurdle jump continuous progressions. DO NOT TRY these movements first!

True "plyometrics" (stretch/shortening cycle or continuous jumping) are advanced levels. Those are very difficult to do correct and you need to start at level 1.

If anyone needs more information, please email me anytime. I can assist you through the program.