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Plyometrics

Beast

Beast

Turbo Monkey
May 23, 2002
1,579
0
Where the riding is good
I'm curious to see if anyone has incorporated plyometrics into their workout routines.

This appears to be a great method for training and I'd like to hear some opinions about it.
 
-dustin

-dustin

boring
Jun 10, 2002
7,155
1
austin
i tried it out about 4yrs ago. saw results, but quit because i wasn't competitive, and was scared i was going to mess myself up.
 
MikeD

MikeD

Leader and Demogogue of the Ridemonkey Satinists
Oct 26, 2001
11,735
1,819
chez moi
I like them. They build useful power/speed and endurance. We spend more time, realistically, moving ourselves then moving big weights around. And moving faster, with better balance, is usually useful for mountain bikers.

I do find them harder to keep up with, in one sense, because they require a lot of energy...if I'm feeling the least bit lazy, it's no good. (and I am LAZY.)

On the plus side, you can ususally do them anytime, anyplace, so they're great if you're traveling a lot or don't have/want/like a gym.
 
Transcend

Transcend

My Nuts Are Flat
Apr 18, 2002
18,040
3
Towing the party line.
I used plyometrics extensively when i was running track. When i stopped actually caring about sports (after i graduated college) I stopped.

Doesn't take much in the way of mobility or athletic ability to drive a keyboard all day.
 
JohnE

JohnE

filthy rascist
May 13, 2005
13,547
2,170
Front Range, dude...
Plyos are great, but not super applicable to cycling. They are based on the idae that the athlete who spends the least amount of time on ground (i.e feet on the ground) is the fastest athlete. Pedal speed is pedal speed, and is based on specificity of training (ride the bike to become proficient at it...) and spinning cranks is not quite the same as pounding feet on the court, field or ice. Another great benefit of plyos is training the ability to change direction quickly and to start and stop with power. None of these really translate directly to cycling.
And yeah, they will smoke you if you are not trained for them.
 
chicodude

chicodude

The Spooninator
Mar 28, 2004
1,054
2
Paradise
Plyometrics rule. I did them alot when I played basketball. It did help alot. It sucked if I missed one of the realllly tall boxes though.
 
Transcend

Transcend

My Nuts Are Flat
Apr 18, 2002
18,040
3
Towing the party line.
Basically Plyos are excercises that pre stress the muscles.

A good example is jumping back and forth over a rope on one foot. As soon as you land one way, you come back the other.

Another is using just your calves to jump as high as you can
as soon as you land you explode back up. Continue ad nauseum.

Technically sprinting is a plyo in itself as the hamstrings and quads are continuously under strain.
 
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