This Is How Top Athletes and Navy SEALs stay in shape!

Favoured by top athletes like Usain Bolt, action heroes like Chadwick Boseman, and even United State’s Tier-1 Special Operation Forces like the Navy SEALS, this workout form has become a hot favourite among the pros to push their fitness to the next level. Read on as we take a look at the “Plyometric Training” and tell you why YOU need to include this in your fitness regime!

What is Plyometric Training?

First coined by one of the most dynamic track coaches of the United States, Fred Wilt, the term plyometric training refers to the Greek words “Plio” which translates as more and “Metric” which translates as measurement. Before becoming a part of the mainstream fitness industry, the plyometric training was an essential part of various medal winning Soviet olympic teams.

5 Amazing Benefits You Can Reap With Plyometric Training

The best thing about plyometric training is that it is super convenient and pocket friendly. Plyometric training can be done almost anywhere and anytime with minimum investment. Secondly, it is a great way to break the monotony of regular exercises. But beyond that, here are 5 amazing benefits you reap when performing  plyometric exercises:

Activate More Muscle Fibres: At any given point in time, an untrained person is able to utilise only 50% of the available muscle fibres to execute a movement. However, with plyometric training, your body demands for 100% activation of  the neuromuscular system; thus improving the efficiency and force while performing moves like jumping or sprinting.

Burn More Calories: A study by the American Council of Exercise (ACE) shows that for someone weighing approx 60 kilos, it is possible to burn 100 calories in just 10 minutes by performing plyometric training. In fact, depending on size and gender, some participants ended up burning nearly 770 calories in just 43 minutes!

Boost Your Explosive Power: In any athletic event, for  example sprinting, explosive power or the ability to exert maximum amount of force in the shortest time possible is often the decisive factor. This is where the fast-twitch muscle fibres in your body come into play. Research confirms that plyometric training can significantly boost the growth of fast twitch muscle fibres. It  also increases the efficiency of the neuromuscular system which is responsible for the contraction and relaxation of the muscles, thus improving your ability to generate maximum power in a very short period of time.

Great For Your Bones and Joints: A study conducted by University of Missouri found that plyometric training, just like weight training, can promote and increase the bone density of the body. Involving men in the age bracket of 25-60 with lower than normal bone mass, over a period of 12-months it was found that plyometric training lowered the level of a protein called sclerostin (which is known to affect bone growth negatively) while boosting the levels of IGF-1 hormone which is associated with better bone growth.

You may also like: 7 Ways To Kick Off Your Fitness Plan

Maximum Benefits In Minimum Time: If you are one of those busy bees who cannot afford to go to a regular gym due to a packed schedule, plyometric may just be the thing you need! Rather than slogging it off on a treadmill for 20 minutes followed by hours of workout, plyometric training offers you a fast paced yet effective alternative which to turn your life around!

Apart from the plethora of benefits we just counted, the plain fact of the matter is that jumping around is a lot more fun and full of energy than conventional weight training! So what are you waiting for? Start drawing up a new workout plan with plyometric training already!