Athletic DUers... Who Does Plyometrics?

[BamaLefty]

If you do the program of training your fast twitch muscle fibers, please list the pros & cons before I buy a book on it.

Gonna use it for basketball. :)

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

1. I used to do it a lot...

Back in my younger years, for martial arts. It really does work.

Sadly, as you get older, the nature of the exercises do not really go with the standard effects of aging. Add to that the effects of the injuries I have sustained over the years, and...

[BamaLefty]

2. Thanks

:)

[democracyindanger]

3. I didn't but

a friend of mine did for hoops. Improved his explosive speed in a slightly noticeable way.

[Poiuyt]

4. Effective, but dangerous

Not dangerous in that you might fall. Dangerous because it will probably lead to injuries of some kind or another. Be very careful, make sure that you warm up properly, and work into them gradually.

You might want to post this over on the exercise & fitness forum and see if anyone elese has experience.

[BamaLefty]

5. Okay

[NationalEnquirer]

8. Bingo.

It works, but don't ignore other types of training.
We use it as an adjunct to regular strength training.

[ThorsHammer]

6. Useful, but be careful

A lot of the programs seem to wear out your muscles by having too many reps. It's pretty intense stuff, as you are putting the equivalent of 2-3x your weight on your legs (scientific DUers, correct me if I'm wrong here) with each jump. For this reason, many experts recommend that you should be able to squat 2x your weight before starting the program. IMO, they do work well, as long as you're careful about it. If you're doing boxes, increase the height gradually, as you don't want to do too much too fast. I also would make sure to take enough rest time, as your muscles need time to heal. I'm not an expert, but do not like the programs that have you working 5 days a week.

[mr_hat]

7. Used the excercises quite a bit during my rugby career (off season). >

Not such a great idea if you have joint/connective tissue instability or other problems.