Brian's Workout of the Week - March 29, 2012

Plyometrics are an extremely important part of any training regimen.  Not only do they place emphasis on eccentric contractions, but they also help to improve Bone Mineral Density (BMD) due to their impact-heavy nature.  Using Plyometric boxes gives athletes in jumping sports (i.e., volleyball, basketball) a "leg-up" on the competition, as it helps to improve their vertical leap!  If you're looking to build both strength and power, our new plyo boxes are definitely for you!

This is how they should always look when put away! (hint, hint)

Brian was too impatient to wait for me to get them out!

Here is a video not only telling you to work out with Brian (he's awesome), but also showing you some uses for the plyometric platforms at the beginning of the video!!

And here's a little taste of what Brian can do on our club's biggest 30" plyometric platform (he's a little gun shy at the beginning, but he totally gets over it and kills the jump!):

(Sorry, I got a little excited about this movie making program and went sort of overboard with the title and credits... but the meat in the middle is great!) 


I really want to test Brian's vertical jump sometime... that ish is ridiculous!!  If you've heard of the stretch-shortening cycle, you know that preparing the muscles for the exercise by "triggering" before you jump helps improve your vertical leap and the force production on the jump.  This means that a stationary jump is not as effective as one in which you drop down (trigger) before you leap up.  Check out Brian's body movements in this video. 

Does he start stationary?  Or does he "trigger" first by rocking back (or in this case, downwards) before exploding up and over the platform?  Notice also that he doesn't stay in that "triggered" position for more than a few seconds.  Staying in that position for an extended period of time limits your body's ability to generate all of that much-needed power (there are a couple of different theories as to why this is), and makes your jump essentially crappy. 

The next time you are watching, say, the NCAA Basketball tournament (your choice, women's or men's), check to see how often the athletes "trigger" on a lay-up or the other shots they take on the court.  I think you'll notice the athletes who "trigger" get more "air" than those who don't!

SO, whether you are looking to improve your jump for a sport, or just looking to mix-up your routine with something new and challenging, please feel free to use our new plyometric platforms!!! :)