Jump into Plyometrics Plyometric exercises are excellent for building basic muscle strength, power and speed. Plyometric exercises involve rapid stretching, then shortening, of a muscle group during highly dynamic movements. The stretching causes a stretch reflex and elastic recoil in your muscles, which combined with a vigorous muscle contraction, creates great force that overloads the muscles and increases strength and power.
Plyometrics help build bone mass in girls and young women that will protect them against fractures as they age. These exercises are fun and challenging and excellent additions to an active woman’s fitness program. Plyometrics enhance performance in sports because they increase leg power and train the nervous system to activate large muscles quickly during movement. Plyometrics range in difficulty from calf jumps off the ground to multiple one-leg jumps to and from boxes.
Start with simple plyometric exercises, then graduate to more advanced exercises as fitness improves. Keeping Plyometrics Safe Until you’re comfortable with low impact plyometrics, don’t be tempted to move to higher impact activities, such as ones that involve weights or ones where you jump off boxes.
Instead, stick with the low impact exercises and ramp up the intensity when you can do about 50 reps comfortably.
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