Free Plyometric Exercises!
Lets get down to business. These free plyometric exercises allow you to improve your explosive upper and lower body movement. There are a variety of exercises below, but make sure to start them slow. With these fast and explosive movements it's easy to hurt yourself. For each exercise, do 2-3 sets of 6-12 reps. Combine them into full plyometric workouts & routines to build faster and more powerful punches, jumps, and kicks!
1. Tuck Jump • Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, knees flexed. • Jump up, as high as possible, and tuck your knees to your chest. Bring your knees up with your legs; don't bend your chest forward! • When you land, absorb the shock with your knees and ankles. • Jump again immediately. 2. Spin Jumps • Stand with your feet hip width apart, with your knees flexed. • Jump up and turn 90 degrees to your right, land, and then jump back, left, to facing forward. • Jump up and turn 180 degrees to your right, land, and then jump back, left, to facing forward. • Jump up and turn 270 degrees to your right, land, and then jump back, left, to facing forward. • Jump up and turn all the way around to your right, land, and then jump back, left, to facing forward. • This entire routine is one set. Do the next set jumping left initially. 3. Depth Jumps • Stand on a box about 3 feet tall, with your feet at shoulder width. • Drop to the ground, bending your knees and ankles only enough to absorb the shock & then immediately jump up as high as you can in the air. 4. Ankle Bounce • Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, legs straight. • Jump in place, flexing only the ankles and keeping your legs straight. 5. Squat Jumps • Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, knees bent so that your thighs are parallel to the floor. • Jump up as high as you can, extending your legs straight. • Land and bend your knees & ankles to absorb the impact, letting yourself down into your lower starting position. • Repeat as needed.
1. Clapping Push-up • Start in the position at the bottom of a regular push-up, with your hands at shoulder width. • Push-up forcefully, enough to lift your hands off the ground, and clap them once before you come down. • Keep going till you've gotten as much as you can take ;-) • You can work up to doing 2 or even 3 claps per push-up. 2. Shock Push-ups • Start in regular push-up position, arms extended & with your hands shoulder width apart on two boxes, between 1-2 feet high. Make sure they're the same height :-) • Drop down to the floor, flex your elbows and shoulders just enough to absorb the fall, and then push-up yourself as high into the air as you can. • Catch yourself on the ground and then re-set yourself on the boxes for rep number 2. 3. Decline Push-ups • Place your feet on a box 6-12 inches high, with your hands on the floor shoulder width apart in regular push-up position. • Push off the floor to go as high as possible. On the way down, absorb the impact with your elbows and shoulders as little as possible. • Push yourself back up and do it again. 4. Drop and Rebound Push-ups • Start with your arms bent, hands at shoulder width on two boxes that are 6-12 inches off the ground. • Push-up explosively off the boxes and then catch yourself on the ground as you come down, absorbing just as much of the impact with your shoulders and elbows as you need to, and then... • Push-up explosively on the ground, & then place your hands back up onto the boxes. Repeat. And for the ambitious... 5. Explosive Handstand Push-ups • Start in a handstand, lower your head to the floor, and then push-up explosively into the air. • Catch yourself on the way down, absorbing only as much of the momentum as you need to, and push-up again.
These should be enough for you to put together a basic plyometric workout. If you're interested in more exercises like these, Jumping Into Plyometrics by Donald A. Chu is an excellent book for plyometrics, and some of his exercises are listed above. These can build amazing explosive strength, and can also be used to punch through plateaus in your regular weight training. Use these free plyometric exercises wisely to get the edge over your competition... • Click HERE to learn more about plyometrics! OR • Click HERE to leave 'Free Plyometric Exercises!' & go back to the Home-page!
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