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Dr Yuri Verkhoshansky (L), the "Father of plyometrics" |
Usually, training techniques in distance running
are ahead of the science. A lot of
things most runners and coaches would consider core elements of a training
program, like high mileage, short repeats for speed, or long runs aren't
supported by a solid body of science.
And that's okay! Some things, like proper long-term development, just
aren't well-suited for a laboratory study.
What's really perplexing, though, is when training lags behind the science. One area where this is true is explosive
strength training, and plyometrics exercises in particular.
Background
"Plyometrics" is a term that was applied
to explosive jumping exercises developed originally by the Soviets. The actual root of the word means, in Greek (plio / plythein + metric), "to increase the measurement." Today, "plyometrics," or
"plyos" for short, is often taken to refer to pretty much any body
weight jumping exercise, but historically it referred to a very specific kind of jump training.
True plyometric training takes advantage of a
muscle process called the stretch-shortening cycle, which (without getting too
bogged down in details) allows your muscles and tendons to temporarily store
energy from impact for a fraction of a second, then release it to help rebound
off the ground. This is what allows you
to jump higher after doing a "windup" instead of jumping from a dead
stop. The stretch-shortening cycle plays
a major role in running economy in distance runners, as the greater the
percentage of impact energy you can return, the less "new" energy you
need to expend each step. The critical
thing to remember about the stretch-shortening cycle is that it is
time-dependent: unlike a spring, it can't store energy indefinitely. The stretch-shortening cycle works best when
your contact time with the ground is limited to a few tenths of a second, so
slow or medium-speed jumps (or jumps which don't involve an impact immediately
prior to takeoff) aren't truly
plyometric.
Additionally, plyometric training is designed to
get maximum force and energy return
out of your muscles. As such, each
plyometric exercises in a plyo training regimen needs to be done fresh. This means plyometrics are not a conditioning tool; doing many
plyometric jumps in succession without taking adequate rest undermines your
ability to return the maximal amount of energy possible, and thus hampers the
training effect. There is no such thing
as "plyometric circuit training" (though certainly similar exercises can be used in circuit training).
The lack of plyometrics programs for distance
runners
Getting back to our initial point, plyometric
training is a well-documented way to improve running economy and performance in
distance runners. This has been
documented in recreational runners (~10 miles per week, no performance data)1, moderately
trained competitive runners (35-50 miles per week, 3km PRs of 9:22-10:17)2 and highly trained
elite runners (60-90 miles per week, 3km PRs near 8:30).3 The fact that plyometric training has been
demonstrated as an effective training method even in high level runners would
make you think that it'd be quite popular.
Unfortunately, that's not the case.
I don't doubt that many top runners and coaches employ plyometric training, but this practice hasn't percolated down to the distance running rank-and-file. This might be intentional, or it might just be that high level coaches are too busy to bother with publishing their entire strength and conditioning programs. There's certainly no shortage of brief articles or
blog posts extolling the virtues of plyometrics, but these conclude
with bland recommendations like adding a few squat jumps to your weekly
routine. Full plyometrics
training programs designed for distance runners are sorely lacking. After having researched plyometrics in-depth and not
finding anything in the way of quality plyometrics programs for distance runners, I decided to
construct my own.
Resources for plyometrics programming
Fortunately, there is a wealth of information on guidelines for constructing a
plyometrics program. I found High Powered Plyometrics by James
Radcliffe and Robert Farentinos and Plyometrics
by Donald Chu and Gregory Myer to be quite useful at describing various
exercises and discussing overall principles like specificity and progression in
volume and intensity. These both provide
examples of full plyometrics programs, but are designed for jumpers, hurdlers,
or basketball players. The scientific
research also provided some good examples of proven exercises, and Steve
Magness' The Science of Running also
provided some key insights on "specifying" plyometrics for distance
runners. But it took coming across
storied track trainer Dan Pfaff's article Guidelines
for the Implementation of Plyometric Training for me to be able to fully
flesh out a program.
Programming considerations
A well-thought-out plyometrics program needs to
take several factors into consideration.
First, it needs to be progressive, both in terms of overall volume and
in terms of exercise intensity. Tracking
volume can be accomplished by counting contacts
per daily routine, which just means the number of times your feet hit the
ground. Doing 2x10 rocket jumps, for
example is 20 contacts. Don't forget
that a single-leg exercise, like single-leg hops, should be counted twice, as
you'll be doing it on both legs. Dan
Pfaff recommends tracking bounding distance and depth jump contacts as well.
Bounding distance can be measured in meters. Since bounding is prescribed in meters, not
repeats, I count one meter of bounding as one plyometric contact. This is probably an overestimation. Plyometric intensity—the amount of impact
shock in a given exercise—is a more subjective matter, but it's easy to see
that a straight-kneed pogo jump is less shock-intensive than a depth jump. So, we need to progress not just in total
contact volume but in exercise intensity.
We can't start with depth jumps and bounding on day one.
Second, the exercises need to be specific
for distance running. This means that
things like clap push-ups are out—that's a given. But as Steve Magness points out, it also means we should toss out huge
impacts, like depth jumps from very high boxes.
Instead, we should consider single
leg exercises as more running-specific than double-legged ones. So for example, instead of progressing from
low box depth jumps to high box depth jumps, we should progress from low box
depth jumps to low box single leg depth
jumps. In terms of specificity, our
"core" exercises should be bounding and skipping variants, as these
are most similar to actual running.
Third is facility access. There are some great plyometric exercises,
like stair bounding or uphill skipping, that might not be feasible depending on
your particular circumstances. Because
the runners I coach (including myself) live in Minnesota, I needed a plyometric
program that would be doable inside during the winter. This means anything requiring stadium steps
or hills is out.
Finally—and this is more of a life philosophy than
anything—is simplicity. Some programs I
came across in books on plyometrics had several similar exercises. In many cases I elected to use a larger
number of sets of a single more comprehensive exercise instead of fewer sets of
more exercises.
The 16- and 12-week plyometrics programs for
distance runners
By following these considerations, and the
guidelines set out in the resources listed above, I came up with the following
plyometrics programs. There are two
variants, a 12-week and a 16-week program.
The 16-week program is more gradual, and is probably the better choice
if you have the time. Often, though, we
don't have a full 16 weeks before we start up with important races again, hence
the somewhat more aggressive 12-week program.
Each week's routine is designed to be 2-3 times per week, unless noted
otherwise. Distance runners can usually
handle larger workloads of any type of workout, but their muscular power is not
as good as a sprinter's or a jumper's.
As such, I aimed for a medium number of contacts (peak of 300) and
bounding distance (up to 200m) but with a lower level of depth jump contacts
(peak of 27). A sprinter might want to
do lower overall contacts, about as much bounding, but slightly more depth
jumping. Dan Pfaff cautions that depth
jump contacts should not exceed 50 per session, even in top athletes.
As mentioned earlier, it's best to do plyometrics fresh—in an ideal world, you'd do the
plyometrics routine as a secondary training session several hours after your
main workout of the day, but if you're coaching a high school team, this might
not always be possible. It's probably
better to do plyos on easy days instead of on workout days. Some coaches argue in favor of making
"hard days hard," but the plain truth is that you are not going to be
able to get the right level of effort in a plyo session immediately after doing
a challenging workout or a long run.
16 week plyometrics program for distance runners
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12 week plyometrics program for distance runners
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These are also available as printable PDFs at the links below.
I have also included some notes on recovery and
execution. As for selecting an
appropriate box height for depth jumps and box leaps, the training literature
recommends using a height which is high enough to allow you to surpass your
ground-level vertical leap if you instead do your initial countermovement jump
from the box. Keeping in mind Steve
Magness' recommendations, My instincts tell me that it isn't necessary for
distance runners to do depth jumps off boxes taller than 18." It's probably better to be on the low
side. For "low box" depth
jumps, these should probably be no more than 12 or 16".
You'll note that some of the exercises in this
program are not strictly "true plyometrics." The box leap-up, for example, does not involve
an impact that precedes it, and as such doesn't stimulate the
stretch-shortening cycle. This is
because its function is really just as a precursor for the depth jump.
One surprising thing I found is that, though
scientific papers are quite cavalier about depth jumps, Dan Pfaff is extremely caution, recommending that
even experienced athletes only do them once per week, and never during
competition weeks. I've followed these
recommendations when making these schedules.
Once you've reached the end of your plyometrics
program (which should ideally happen just before you begin to compete in
important races, you can maintain your explosive strength by doing the
"maintenance" routine once per week, excluding the depth jumps if you
have a race that week.
Conclusion
This program comes with no promises or
guarantees. I'm sharing it mainly to
illustrate how I went about developing this program in hopes that it might
assist you in planning out a plyometrics routine for yourself or for your
team. The program would probably work
well for sprinters, too, though you might want to do the box exercises off
slightly higher steps to account for the greater explosive demands of a sprint
race. If you want to try out my program
or use it for your team, feel free! I will be trying it out on myself this
winter, so if all goes well I'll report back on my results in the spring!
Exercise glossary
These exercises really ought to be illustrated
with video, but these text explanations will have to do until I get around to
making one. In all exercises, remember
that the emphasis is on a quick, explosive
jump off the ground. Minimizing
ground contact by using your explosive strength to your greatest ability should
be your top priority. This should be
obvious, but single-leg exercises should be done twice; once with each
leg.
Pogo -
Hopping vertically with locked, straight knees, using calves for rebounding off
the ground
Rocket jump
- Jumping vertically using knee flexion/extension to rebound from the
ground. Like jumping to touch the rim of
a basketball hoop.
Scissor
Jump - SR (single repetition) - beginning in a full lunge, leap into the
air and swap leg position, moving from a left-leg-forward lunge to a
right-leg-forward lunge. Rest on ground
between reps.
Scissor
Jump - MR (multiple repetition) - as above, but instead, immediately
rebound off the ground to swap leg positions again, continuously.
Side hop
- Hopping on both legs laterally, over a small object like a cone - hop from
the left side to the right side, back to the left side, etc.
Lateral
bound - Similar to side hop, but taking off on one leg - landing and taking
off from your left leg while on the left side of the cone, and your right leg
while on the right side.
Double leg
hop progression - Leaping forward with both legs together over several
small obstacles, like cones.
Single leg
hop progression - As above, but leaping, landing, and rebounding on a
single leg (the same one).
Bench
step-ups - Standing in front of an 18-24" box, leap up to the top of
the box by driving off the ground with one
foot, stepping onto the box first with the other foot. Once both feet are on top of the box, step
down gently.
Box leap up
- Standing in front of an 18-24" box, leap up to the top of the box by
driving off the ground with both feet. Step down gently.
Double leg
low box rebound - Standing on top of an 8-18" box, drop off the box
and immediately rebound off the ground back to the top of the box. If you can't rebound quick enough (~0.2
seconds), move to a lower box!
Single leg
low box rebound - Standing on top of a 6-12" box on one leg,
drop off the box, landing on that same leg and rebounding immediately back to
the top of the box. If you can't rebound quick enough, move to a lower box!
Fast
skipping - Skip forward, focusing on extremely rapid leg movements and very
minimal ground contact time.
Ankle
bounding - Bound forward with your knees mostly locked (it's not actually
possible to do this with them fully locked), using your ankles and calves to
generate most of your vertical and horizontal motion.
Bounding
- Bound forward using maximal muscle power to maximize height and more
importantly, minimize ground contact time.
High
skipping - Skip forward, using maximal muscle power to maximize height and
minimize ground contact time.
Single leg
bounding w/ cycle - Bound forward on a single leg, doing one
"cycling" motion (kicking heel back to butt, bringing knee forward
again, as if running) in the air with the leg that you are bounding on.
Depth jumps
- Standing on the top of a 12-24" box (see note on determining proper
height), drop down and immediately leap up as high as you can, landing on the
ground again. If your vertical leap on a
depth jump cannot beat your flat-ground vertical leap, use a lower box!
Single leg
low depth jumps - As above, but use a much lower box (6-18", though 18
is rather high) and leap & land using a single
leg. If your vertical leap on a
depth jump cannot beat your flat-ground single-leg vertical leap, use a lower
box!
References
1. Turner, A. M.; Owings, M.;
Schwane, J. A., Improvement in Running Economy After 6 Weeks of Plyometric
Training. Journal of Strength and
Conditioning Research 2003, 17 (1), 60-67.
2. Spurrs, R. W.; Murphy, A. J.; Watsford,
M. L., The effect of plyometric training on distance running performance. European Journal of Applied Physiology 2003, 89 (1), 1-7.
3. Saunders, P. U.; Telford, R. D.; Pyne,
D. B.; Peltola, E. M.; Cunningham, R. B.; Gore, C. J.; Hawley, J. A.,
Short-term Plyometric Training Improves Running Economy in Highly Trained
Middle and Long Distance Runners. Journal
of Strength and Conditioning Research 2006,
20 (4), 947-954.
Hey John,
ReplyDeleteI am having trouble comprehending the Bench step-ups as you describe them. Would you possibly be able to link me to a video of them?
Thanks!
Hi. Did you ever get around to making videos of the exercises?
ReplyDeleteHi John,
ReplyDeleteWhere, if anywhere, does jump rope fit in plyos for distance runners?
Talking from my current experience trying to come back from long term injury, I feel it is helping me re-establish my "spring" / posterior chain stiffness after doing months of long slow marathon-style training and improving the proprioception of my feet striking the ground softly. Good technique i.e. jumping 1" or less off the ground makes it surprisingly low impact. You can easily work lateral plane of movement as well. Turns out it's quite good fun too!
Boxing and soccer are two sports that appear to highly value rope jumping, I'm interested why running doesn't appear to?