High intensity interval training, functional training and bodyweight training were all marked as fitness trends for 2018. So you’re going to be moving your body powerfully through multiple movements. This often takes the form of “plyometrics”. Without going into the science, think jumping, leaping and bounding. You may have tried an Insanity style training session? You may have noticed a whole heap of jumping and other powerful movements. This is great right? high intensity workouts to get the body firing on all cylinders? Now take a moment and think about your poor joints, how much control did you really have?
Movement Is Key In Plyometrics
At NK Fitness we pride ourselves on movement and technique over intensity and volume. Jumping and landing are highly complex movements and multiple factors to get right. Force transfer, limb coordination, joint stiffness and the list goes on. These are just a few examples of what makes a safe and successful jump.
Learning to land before you jump is essential. You wouldn’t start driving a car with no idea of how to stop it safely. This goes for jumping & landing and walking & running. Get the basics right and you progress at a faster rate and more importantly, safely.
Landing Safely
Again, without getting too sciency or deep down the rabbit whole landing can be looked at in the following way. I believe the simplest way to look at it is as a quarter squat. You want your toes and knees inline and somewhere under the hips and shoulders. This allows you to create a strong stable base and transfer forces safely through your joints without overloading any areas. Accepting the landing by flexing at the hip, knee and ankle again acts as a shock absorber to minimise stress. Keeping your trunk tight and slightly forward means to brace the body to accept the impact rather than being a floppy mess or rigid plank of wood.
Before jumping of any thing or going for a max vertical jump, try landing on a small stack of plates or low box. I would always recommend jumping onto to something low before jumping off of something. From here you begin to increase the height before moving on to stepping of a box and landing smoothly.
Create a Platform For Future Movement
The other benefit of landing in a strong and steady position is the ability to quickly progress into another movement. This is essential for any team sport or racket sport that requires multiple changes of direction. If you want to perform future movement effectively you must set that base effectively.
Plyometrics are a Progression
Strength and Conditioning with my clients is about providing a stimulus that build upon foundations without preventing progress. Our goal is to get the best out of every athlete we work with. Personal Training in Twickenham is no different and everything is scalable. If you spend 3 weeks working on your landings your are on the right track!