Plyometrics is one of the most unique methods of training that generally revolves around explosive jumping exercises in order to build up power, speed, and agility in the muscles. And finding the best time to fit plyometrics into your own workout routine could be the only difference between seeing results or not. If you’re a beginner, I understand how confusing it can get at first, especially with the lack of information about this subject in particular. You don’t know whether to implement plyometrics before, after, or in between your workouts. And I get asked this question quite often: when is the best time to do plyometrics?
Although the time at which you implement plyometrics into your workout rarely affects its results, it is recommended to do them before starting weight training and after warming up since it revolves around intense exercises that require the body to be at its full strength.
In this article, we’ll talk more in-depth about the best time to do plyometrics and the reasoning behind it.
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When is the Best Time to Do Plyometrics?
In order to answer this question, we’ll see what happens when you perform plyometrics before, between, and after workouts to see which time has the best effect on the body and the muscles.
Plyometrics Before Weight Training
Plyometrics exercises are some high-intensity movements that generally involve quick, powerful, and explosive jumping exercises. It’s definitely one of the most intense methods of training out there so it does put a strain on the body and the muscles and it needs them to be at their full capacity.
If you perform plyometrics before weight training and after you warm up (to avoid injury), of course, you’re pretty much giving your body a burden that it’s capable of handling. Think of it as a fully charged phone, even though you blast it with tons of apps right at the start, it’s still gonna perform well based on its battery percentage.
And this is the same with your body and muscles, when you warm them up, you’re basically preparing them for the intensity that’s about to come. And it’s the best time to perform anything that is high-intensity and that includes plyometrics too. And that’s the main reason why a lot of experts recommend doing them during this time when your body is still capable of providing power.
Plyometrics in the Middle of Weight Training
Performing plyometrics right in the middle of your training routine might also be a good idea since it’s a great way to surprise your muscles, especially if your workout routine is slow-paced.
Think of it this way, you warmed up your muscles and started your typical “not so intense” workout routine, then you instantly increased the tempo by doing plyometric exercises. Your body and muscles will have no idea what just happened which is exactly what you want. Since the intensity of the workout suddenly jumped (the difference in intensity between normal weight training and plyometrics is very large), your muscles will have to adapt to these new circumstances by expanding and growing because they think that’s the best way to avoid injury.
For example, going from normal squats to explosive plyo box jumps is a big and sudden change in terms of momentum and will give you a nice boost in terms of strength.
Surprising the body is one of the best ways to achieve greater results in short periods of time and it’s also a great change of pace from typical weight training which can get boring really easily.
Plyometrics After Weight Training
There are also some people that prefer doing plyometrics right at the end of their workouts which can be a decent idea if you think that your body is capable of handling intense exercises at the end of weight training.
If that’s the case, finishing with a “bang” is a great way to end your workouts and could lead to some fantastic results. Most experts recommend always ending your workouts with something intense in order to add a lot more calorie burn which is great for weight loss and getting shredded.
But for most people, finishing with plyometrics is near impossible and causes their bodies and muscles to burn out which is not what you want. If you think you can handle it, then go for it, but it is not recommended.
Final Verdict
If you’re a beginner, doing plyometrics before weight training and after warming up is the best way to go about it since your body and muscles will be at their full capacity at that time and aren’t mature enough to handle intense plyometric exercises in the middle or at the end of your weight training. If you think you can handle it, then go for it, just make sure to things slow at the beginning and increase the intensity when you think that your body is capable.
Conclusion:
The best time to do plyometrics all depends on your own preference. There are people that prefer to go more intense right at the end of their workouts and there are others that implement intense exercises at the very start. Just make sure to try out all the options first and see the best one that suits your needs.