Try These 7 Plyometric Warm Up Exercises To Get The Most Out Of Your Power Sessions
Warming up for plyometric training properly is crucial to both the effectiveness of the training and the prevention of injury. In this article I will provide you with 7 exercises you can use to warm up effectively for your plyometric training and also provide you with the rational behind designing a general and a specific warm up.
Get weekly roundups of the best training tools in your inbox, every Monday.
No spam – just thoughtful training advice
- Plyometric Work Needs Relatively Long Warm Ups
- Importance Of Easing Into Jumping Work
- General Plyometric Warm Ups
- Sample Plyometric and Squat Warm Up
- 4 General Plyometric Warm Ups
- Specific Warm Ups
- 3 Specific Plyometric Warm Ups
Plyometric Work Needs Relatively Long Warm Ups
Plyometric work involves attempting to move at maximal speed to improve explosive power. Building to a point where we are able to move at our maximal speeds takes time. It is akin to doing maximal strength work and therefore requires a relatively long warm up. Reaching the point where we can produce maximal power takes time, so the warm up should be relatively extensive to create an effective training environment. Warm ups for plyometric training would typically involve a general and specific warm up which I will discuss below.
Importance Of Easing Into Jumping Work
Jumping work that requires explosive power will involve moving the ankle through aggressive ranges of motion, this means that you will need to be sure to have warmed up thoroughly prior to performing plyometric training in order to prevent the risk of injury.
General Plyometric Warm Ups
A general warm up aims to warm up the entire body yet it takes into account the movements being performed in the session. General warm ups for your training session that includes plyometric work should consist of three exercises, one of which will help prepare the body for plyometric work. I have included four of these styles of exercises that you could include in your warm ups.
The other exercises that are placed into the warm up depend on the rest of the session. For example, if the training session involves a seated box jump as a primary and then a back squat, I would warm up for these two movement patterns (plyometric and squat). This means that the warm up would consist of three exercises, a plyometric warm up a squat warm up and a core warm up exercise. Here is a sample warm up for the example training session.
Sample Plyometric and Squat Warm Up
Complete 3 rounds
1. Broad Jumps
2. Goblet Squat to Release
3. Plank
4 General Plyometric Warm Ups
Specific Warm Ups
Specific warm ups are usually regressions or slightly easier exercise variations of the plyometric training you are about to perform. For example, if you are about to perform a seated box jump, you may do a few warm up sets of the seated box jump where the box is at a lower height than your working sets. Below are three examples of specific warm ups you could use after the general warm up to prep for plyometric work.
3 Specific Plyometric Warm Ups
Buy Boxes ↗
Buy Boxes ↗
Buy Boxes ↗
If you enjoyed this resource you can find more below or try Programme, a fitness app that plans every workout for you – based on your progress, equipment and lifestyle.
This resource was written by Sean Klein. Sean Richard Klein has thousands of hours of coaching experience and a BSc in Sports Science with Management from Loughborough University. He owns a gym in Bayonne France, CrossFit Essor, which runs group classes and a Personal training studio.
Sean Klein
