Plyometrics are a great tool for increasing speed and power—both important aspects of lifting heavy and building muscle. Plyos also increase your heart rate, so they can be a great way to incorporate cardiovascular training into your resistance workouts. Plus, plyometrics add some extra fun to your training sessions!
“You will often see me in the gym combining a leg press with a stationary high jump,” says Dawn. “This helps me activate all my muscle fibers in each working set I do.”.
The combination of a controlled movement with an explosive movement also helps Dawn develop her physique alongside her performance. After all, why build muscle if you don’t put it to good use?
Dawn also likes to build explosive, plyo-style power into her lifts. “On leg press,” she says, “I go down slowly and with control. Then I drive the weight up as explosively as possible to mimic jumps.”
Keep in mind that plyometric training taxes your body heavily, so include sufficient rest in your workout split whenever you add plyos as active rest or build them into supersets in your workout regimen.
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