Loaded Plyometrics
Plyometrics (plyos) are a great way to build athletic performance, and power. Sometimes you can see people doing plyos with weight, which also has benefits for select groups. One thing to note, not all ways of loading plyometrics are good ways. Doing box jumps with a barbell on your back is a one way ticket to HSS. Hopefully this article can shed some light on the benefits of implementing loaded plyos into a routine, and how to do it safely.
For those who are wondering what a plyometric exercise is, “exercise involving repeated rapid stretching and contracting of muscles (as by jumping and rebounding) to increase muscular power”. {https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plyometrics} Examples of it would be jumping in the air, or hopping. These types of exercises are beneficial for a few reasons, it can help facilitate the development of muscular power {8}, increase muscle mass {9}, and maintain or increase bone mass {10}. This is because it utilizes the stretch shortening cycle; it’s when a muscle is stretched, shortened, and stretched again quickly or in rapid succession. This is different than if you do the same process slowly because your body uses its muscles’ stored elastic energy to produce force, which can sometimes be enough to lift more, jump higher or leap further than if we weren’t using that stored energy.
When looking at adding resistance to plyometrics there are a few things to consider. First, particular focus should be placed on where the resistance is being applied. Loading up a jump squat for example, may be better if the weight wasn’t stacked on top of the body. Placing the weight at the sides of the body, or having something attached at the lower body (hips, ankles, lower legs) seems to be good placement for a lot of plyometric activities. However, weighted vests have also been used to load up plyometrics with success, which implies that the key is to distribute the weight around the body. Resistance bands, ankle weights, dumbbells, trap bars and as previously mentioned weighted vests are all tools that would be great options for loading up plyos.
A practical way to implement loaded plyos would be to use those tools listed above and incorporate them into your existing plyos through proper progression. For example, the ankle weights, or weighted vests can easily be added to jump squats or single leg hops. Or using a pair of dumbbells in a suitcase carry pattern, but be cautious of how close those dumbbells are to the body, because no one really likes to get hit with a pair of dumbbells. The other thing to bear in mind is that it doesn’t seem like a large amount of weight needs to be added for benefits to apply, so just like with traditional resistance training, a focus should be placed on starting with lighter loads, then moving up incrementally. Keep in mind that in most cases, the heavier the resistance is, the less likely the subject will be able to move that resistance quickly, thus losing the benefits of utilizing that stretch-shortening cycle.
Some performance benchmarks that are looked at for unloaded plyos may improve further when adding resistance. In one study, introducing loaded/resisted plyometrics have had an impact on performance in elite junior male soccer players {5}. Enhanced balance, jump height, change of direction times, and sprinting performance were all impacted by the introduction of the 10 week intervention of loaded and unloaded plyos compared to the control group, with the most significant difference coming from the loaded group. Another study found results favoring loaded plyos when comparing loaded to unloaded plyometrics {6}. Increased values for 10m sprint time, 20m sprint time, and long jump to name a few. So not only were plyometrics beneficial for those factors, but loaded plyos seemed to have translated to the athletes in greater performance outcomes than it’s unloaded counterpart.
However, this isn’t to say that it’s the cure all for performance. Some studies have looked at whether or not loaded plyometrics would benefit sprinters when incorporated into their warm up routine {7} and noticed that there wasn’t a significant enough difference to say the implementation was worth the work. I’ve noticed that trying the progression yourself, and taking notes on what changes/adaptations occur, helps a ton with training others on how to do the same thing. Taking the time to understand when to place loaded plyos into a program can help save time, energy, and prevent the risk of injury during implementation.
Plyometric exercises have benefits when done in a safe way, with guidance from a coach or fitness/health professional for feedback and assistance on progressions and regressions. Adding load to them requires more thoughtful consideration to the individual, and where they are in their program. Not every athlete/client needs to start jumping with weighted vests. And if they insist because they saw people online doing it, ensure that they do the proper preparation and clearances needed before making it happen. Having people “earn the progression” is a great way to set new benchmarks in a program. With all that said, plyos add a lot of fun/variety into a program that keeps clients, athletes, and coaches/trainers engaged, so give it a shot and let’s see what variations you can come up with.
CITATIONS
Makaruk, Hubert et al. “The Effects of Assisted and Resisted Plyometric Training Programs on Vertical Jump Performance in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” Journal of sports science & medicine vol. 19,2 347-357. 1 May. 2020
Sammoud, Senda et al. “The Effects of Plyometric Jump Training on Jumping and Swimming Performances in Prepubertal Male Swimmers.” Journal of sports science & medicine vol. 18,4 805-811. 19 Nov. 2019
Zghal, Firas et al. “Combined Resistance and Plyometric Training Is More Effective Than Plyometric Training Alone for Improving Physical Fitness of Pubertal Soccer Players.” Frontiers in physiology vol. 10 1026. 7 Aug. 2019, doi:10.3389/fphys.2019.01026
Vlachopoulos, Dimitris et al. “The effect of a high-impact jumping intervention on bone mass, bone stiffness and fitness parameters in adolescent athletes.” Archives of osteoporosis vol. 13,1 128. 17 Nov. 2018, doi:10.1007/s11657-018-0543-4
Hammami, Mehrez et al. “Effects of Unloaded vs. Ankle-Loaded Plyometric Training on the Physical Fitness of U-17 Male Soccer Players.” International journal of environmental research and public health vol. 17,21 7877. 27 Oct. 2020, doi:10.3390/ijerph17217877
Negra Y, Chaabene H, Sammoud S, Prieske O, Moran J, Ramirez-Campillo R, Nejmaoui A, Granacher U. The Increased Effectiveness of Loaded Versus Unloaded Plyometric Jump Training in Improving Muscle Power, Speed, Change of Direction, and Kicking-Distance Performance in Prepubertal Male Soccer Players. Int J Sports Physiol Perform. 2020 Feb 1;15(2):189–195. doi: 10.1123/ijspp.2018-0866. Epub 2019 Oct 15. PMID: 31094246.
Tomlinson KA, Hansen K, Helzer D, Lewis ZH, Leyva WD, McCauley M, Pritchard W, Silvestri E, Quila M, Yi M, Jo E. The Effects of Loaded Plyometric Exercise during Warm-Up on Subsequent Sprint Performance in Collegiate Track Athletes: A Randomized Trial. Sports (Basel). 2020 Jul 17;8(7):101. doi: 10.3390/sports8070101. PMID: 32708930; PMCID: PMC7404639.
Park, Gi Duck et al. “The effect of low extremity plyometric training on back muscle power of high school throwing event athletes.” Journal of physical therapy science vol. 26,1 (2014): 161-4. doi:10.1589/jpts.26.161
Franchi, Martino V et al. “Bouncing Back! Counteracting Muscle Aging With Plyometric Muscle Loading.” Frontiers in physiology vol. 10 178. 5 Mar. 2019, doi:10.3389/fphys.2019.00178
Trabelsi H, Elloumi M, Mrad M, Aouichaoui C, Chortane SG, Cheour I, Tabka Z. Jumping improves lower limbs bone mass and lean mass in elite jumpers. J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2016 Dec;56(12):1494-1502. Epub 2016 Jan 14. PMID: 26765496.