Powerful Plyometrics: How Box Jumps Can Help Improve Power Output and Explosiveness
- Marcie Blaskiewicz
- Aug 22, 2019
- 2 min read
Have you ever noticed that some individuals are natural born speed-racers and others have to train their tails off to keep up? Or how some athletes (think marathon runners) can easily maintain a steady pace over long distances, but might not be as successful at racing the 100 m dash. Why is this? Well in part, you can thank genetics. We are all born with a certain concentration of type I and type II (a & b) muscle fibers. Type II fibers (AKA fast-twitch) are recruited during short-duration, explosive movements, while type I (AKA slow-twitch) are called upon during long-distance or endurance activities.
So are you more "fast-twitch dominant" or "slow-twitch dominant"? Well, think about what sports you gravitate towards and what you are good at. If you are built for speed and excel at short-distance sprints, you're likely more "fast-twitch dominant". If you are better at long-distance, endurance activities, you may be more "slow-twitch dominant".
What does this mean for you? Well, if you feel you are more "slow-twitch dominate" and are seeking to improve your power output, you can do so by training your body to recruit a higher number of fast-twitch muscle fibers during movement. How do you do this? By participating in more powerful, explosive movements such as box jumps. In doing so, you can engage a greater number of fast-twitch muscle fibers, and in time, improve your rate of force production.
But wait a second, can't you just strengthen your legs through exercises such as squats to improve muscle mass and power output? Yes, you can; however, exercises like box jumps help your muscles produce power at increased speed. This is thought to be an essential factor in athleticism and can be very beneficial for athletes across the board: weight-lifters, runners, throwers, jumpers, soccer players, gymnasts, basketball players and any sport that combines speed with power.
Recap:
Strengthening = increased power output
Box jumps and other explosive exercise = increased power output at fast speeds
Besides strengthening the entire lower chain: your hamstrings, quads, gluteals and calves and increasing lower extremity explosiveness, box jumps also aid in improving proprioceptive input of your joints. This means enhancing your ability to know where your body is in space without relying on your vision to tell you. This, when carried over to athletics, can be very beneficial. Additionally, box jumps work on high-impact landing mechanics which may in turn, help improve agility and prevent injury.
When trying to engage fast-twitch muscle fibers, and improve power output/explosiveness, focus on training with heavy resistance or explosive movements, using low reps because fast-twitch muscle fibers fatigue more readily (Ie. 3-4 sets of 2-3 repetitions). Also, be sure to allow 2-3 min rest between reps.
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