Here are seven plyo exercises to help you build power quickly:

Whether you’re a serious athlete or just want to add some cool new tricks to your repertoire, plyometric exercises are the key to increasing your power, improving your reaction time, and taking your athleticism to the next level.

Here are seven plyo exercises to help you build power quickly:

1. Box Jumps

Simple box jumps are an awesome addition to any exercise routine. Performed correctly, they build power and increase your speed and agility, not to mention get your heart rate up without ever stepping on a treadmill.

To do them, you’ll need a plyo box, soft box, or a sturdy elevated surface. Beginners should start with a lower box, as the higher the plyo box, the more difficult this exercise will be.

Do this:

1. Stand in front of a plyo box with your feet approximately shoulder-width apart.
2. Jump forward and up onto the box, landing with your knees slightly bent.
3. Step back down before repeating the jump.

To make box jumps more difficult, you can work on stringing them together rather than breaking them up as described above.

Do this:

1. Stand in front of a plyo box with your feet approximately shoulder-width apart.
2. Jump onto the box, then jump (or step) back down to the starting point.
3. Briefly absorb the shock of the jump, then jump immediately back onto the box without resting.

2. Lateral Jumps

Lateral jumps will increase your lateral power and speed. They are an essential exercise for any athlete who needs to switch directions quickly.

Do this:

1. Stand with your feet about shoulder width apart.
2. Jump as high and far as you can to one side.
3. Immediately jump back to the starting place.

Get creative with lateral jumps and make them harder by adding an obstacle to jump over. The higher the obstacle, the more difficult the jumps will become.

3. Depth Jumps

Depth jumps are a phenomenal exercise to build power and increase your vertical leap. Performing depth jumps from lower plyo boxes (around 30”) will lead to the greatest explosive strength and reaction gains, while performing them from higher plyo boxes (around 42”) will lead to the greatest strength development.

Do this:

1. Stand on top of a plyo box with your feet about shoulder width apart.
2. Step off the box, bending your knees to absorb the shock as you land.
3. Immediately jump up as high as you can.

4. Plyo Push Ups

To build explosive upper body strength and power, there’s no exercise better than plyo push ups. There are tons of different variations of the plyo push up. Try some of these advanced variations to mix up your training:

Plyo Clap Push Ups

Do this:

1. Get in a push up position with your hands directly underneath your shoulders.
2. Bend your elbows so that your chest is a few inches above the floor.
3. Push up explosively, clapping your hands as you reach the top position before landing back in a push up.

Full Body Explosive Push Ups

Do this:

1. Get in a push up position with your hands directly underneath your shoulders.
2. Bend your elbows so that your chest is a few inches above the floor.
3. Push up explosively with your entire body so that both your hands and feet leave the floor.

Push Up Onto Higher Surface

Do this:

1. Get in a push up position with your hands directly underneath your shoulders.
2. Bend your elbows so that your chest is a few inches above the floor.
3. Explode up as you push yourself up and forward onto a mat, yoga blocks, or a higher surface.

The more explosive you become, the higher surfaces you can jump onto.

The options for plyo push ups are endless. Be creative, have fun, and work on pushing your body higher and higher up in the air.

5. Long Jumps

Long jumps are a classic power building and conditioning exercise. They will strengthen your legs and increase reaction time.

Do this:

1. Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart.
2. Bend your knees, then jump as far forward as possible.
3. Absorb the shock immediately, then take off into your next jump.

To make long jumps even more challenging, add obstacles to jump over in between jumps.

6. Single Leg Long Jumps

Single leg long jumps make long jumps even harder and build single leg explosiveness. As a bonus, they also force you to work on your single leg balance and coordination.

Do this:

1. Stand up straight while holding one leg off of the ground.
2. Squat down and jump as far forward as you can on one leg, pumping your arms as you do so.
3. Try to go as fast as you can while still maintaining your balance.

Just like with regular long jumps, adding obstacles will increase the difficulty of single leg long jumps even more.

7. Jump Lunges

Jump lunges build single leg coordination and power and should be a staple in any power athlete’s exercise routine.

Do this:

1. Start in a lunge position with one leg bent forward in a ninety degree angle and the other bent behind you.
2. Jump up explosively with your back leg, then switch positions in the air and land with the opposite leg forward.

To make jump lunges even harder, place your back foot on a raised surface such as a mat or bench as you perform the exercise.

Keep Challenging Yourself

Whether your goal is to excel at a sport or to conquer some personal ambitions, increasing power and reaction time with plyometric exercises is a must for any athlete. You can try adding them to your workout routine in different ways:

• Use them to work on improving individual skills. Paying special attention to your technique and form, particularly when you’re new to the movement, will help you master the exercise and prevent future injuries. Box jumps and depth jumps specifically should be treated with due care.
• Add them to a circuit or HIIT workout. This will help you maximize your workout efficiency by elevating your heart rate and improving your conditioning as you work to increase power.
• Add them to a mini-circuit workout finisher at the end of your regular skill practice. This will help use up any remaining energy at the end of a workout without taking too much extra time.

Just as with any new skill or exercise, the key to hitting your goals is to work these exercises consistently and keep pushing yourself to avoid plateaus. As you get better and stronger at the movements, get creative and add obstacles to keep yourself challenged and reaching new heights – literally.

More Like This

• Proper Plyometrics: How to Box Jump, Vertical Jump, and Broad Jump Correctly
• 7 Best Bodyweight Exercises for Stronger Legs
• 3 Ways to Build Lean Muscle With Bodyweight Exercise

Photos courtesy of Krista Stryker.

The post 7 Plyometric Exercises to Build Power Quickly appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

You don’t need a barbell or gym equipment to build serious leg strength.

Yet that doesn’t mean you have to skip working your legs entirely when you’re away from the gym. With a mix of unilateral exercises and plyometrics, you can build your legs using nothing but your own bodyweight. Here are seven bodyweight exercises for strong and powerful legs:

1. Squat Into Tuck Jumps

Combining two awesome bodyweight exercises, the squat into tuck jump makes for a challenging and dynamic plyometric exercise.

Do this:

1. Stand with your feet hip width apart.
2. Squat down as low as you can (aim for a deep squat).
3. Stand up explosively, jumping your knees towards your chest as you do so.

As you get more comfortable with the exercise, focus on speed to accelerate your heart rate and get your legs feeling like they’re on fire.

2. Deep Side Lunges

The side lunge is an underused movement. Most people avoid it, or if they do it, they tend to cut the lunge short. The full exercise takes both leg strength and flexibility, and is a great way to work on both at once.

Do this:

1. Stand with your legs wider than hip width apart so that you’re in a wide standing straddle position. The longer your legs, the wider your stance will need to be.
2. Lean toward your left leg, bending down as far as possible. Your eventual goal should be to get the back of your leg to hit your calf, but don’t stress too much if you’re not there yet.
3. Squeeze your butt as you stand back up into the starting position, then lean toward the right leg.

Focus on keeping your torso upright and core tight the entire time. If you have trouble balancing, hold onto a sturdy surface to help you get used to the movement.

To make side lunges more difficult, hold any sort of weight (even a heavy backpack works) or sit back on the ground as you lunge before using your leg strength to push you back up.

3. Pistol Squats

At first try, even the most experienced gym-goer will most likely experience difficulties with the pistol squat. Not only do you need strong legs to be able to do them, but you also need flexibility to lower down into the full squat, as well as balance and control to keep yourself from falling over. Just like anything else, when you practice consistently and work on your weaknesses, pistols will become less and less elusive.

Do this:

1. Stand on one leg, with the other leg straight in front of you.
2. Lower yourself down on one leg as if you’re sitting in a chair.
3. Focus on going down as far as possible, working toward getting the back of your leg touching your calf muscle.
4. Stand up and repeat on the other side.

As a regression, perform negatives to increase your strength, work on your balance, and get used to the movement. If flexibility is your issue, try pistols on an elevated surface such as a box or a bench to make them slightly easier.

If you’re getting good at them, do pistols on an unstable surface or hold a heavy weight at your chest to increase the challenge.

4. Jump Lunges

Not only do jump lunges take a good amount of leg strength and conditioning to perform, they also require a fair amount of balance and coordination. The result is an incredibly efficient unilateral exercise you can do anywhere.

Do this:

1. Get into a lunge position with one leg bent forward in a ninety degree angle and the other bent behind you.
2. Jump up explosively with your back leg, switch positions in the air and land with the opposite leg forward.

Although at first you should focus on form and make sure you don’t fall over, eventually you should do these as quickly as possible for maximum conditioning and leg burning effect.

5. Squat Jumps

Squat jumps turn regular bodyweight squats into a much more challenging exercise by adding a plyometric element. They build strength while getting your heart rate up fast. 

Do this:

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Lower yourself into a squat position with your thighs parallel to the floor.
3. Jump up as explosively as you can, land in a squat position, and repeat.

Focus on speed with these and aim to squat around parallel rather than going into a full deep squat.

6. Long Jumps

This staple of track athletes will leave your legs feeling super tired. Long jumps will build a strong, muscular lower body and core. Try doing 3 sets of 10-20 or do as many as possible in thirty seconds and feel your legs burn.

Do this:

1. Squat down until you reach a ninety degree angle.
2. Jump forward as far as you can.
3. Repeat immediately for maximum effect.

If you don’t have a lot of space to jump, you can always do a couple of jumps, turn around, then jump back the way you came from.

7. 180 Degree Switch Jumps

180 degree switch jumps are a fun, dynamic variation on the classic squat jump that will make your quads burn in no time.

Do this:

1. Start in a squat position with your arms by your sides.
2. Jump up as high as you can, pulling your arms up and rotating 180 degrees mid-air.
3. Land back in a squat position, lowering your arms as you do so.
4. Repeat going as fast as you can.

Work hard, be consistent, and don’t be afraid to incorporate new exercises into your training. The only way you’ll grow as an athlete is to get rid of your excuses and keep pushing yourself to new limits.

More Like This:

• 4 Drills for Getting Stronger and Better at Handstands
• 3 Ways to Build Lean Muscle With Bodyweight Exercise
• Dear Coach – Can I Increase Muscle With Bodyweight Exercises?
• What’s New On Breaking Muscle Today

The post 7 Best Bodyweight Exercises for Stronger Legs appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Ask any longtime hand balancers and they’ll tell you that consistent handstands take years to build up to. Yes, there are several ways to work smarter to help speed up the process – which I’ll share with you below – but you have to be patient and willing to put in the work.

Handstands Require Practice

There are some exercises you can work on sporadically and still make progress – but handstands are not one of them. More than anything else, the key to a solid handstand is consistency. To build up to a solid handstand, you’ll need to spend time working on them almost every day (but please, give yourself at least one day off a week to let your body rest).

If you’re fairly new to handstands, you’ll need to start by working on your handstand line and building up your endurance for holding yourself on your hands. Having a strong upper body and core is crucial to a good handstand, and understanding the proper alignment of your shoulders, hips, and toes will make freestanding practice later on much less frustrating.

“Be aware that balancing in a handstand is ridiculously challenging, even for people who have worked on them for years.” 

Once you’ve built a certain amount of strength and are used to being upside down, only then should you start working on the balance portion of handstands. Be aware that balancing in a handstand is ridiculously challenging, even for people who have worked on them for years. Progress will happen slowly, but if you’re consistent, it will happen. 

Note: If you find your wrists start hurting after too many handstands, you can alternate between flat hands and working on parallettes.

4 Drills for Getting Stronger and Better at Handstands

1. Pike Rolls With a Swiss Ball

A great way to help you build strength and practice correct shoulder positioning for handstands.

To do:

1. Grab a Swiss ball.
2. Get in a plank with your shins on the ball.
3. Slowly roll forward so you’re on top of your shoulders in a pike position.
4. Try to get a stretch through your shoulders and get your butt as far over your head as you can while you keep your core tight and point your toes.
5. Roll back down with control.

Practice this often and you’ll start to better understand the correct handstand line for a freestanding handstand, as well as build strength and flexibility in your shoulders.

2. Handstand Wall Walks

A great way to boost your strength and handstand endurance – plus, they look pretty cool and will undoubtedly impress your friends.

To do:

1. Start in a plank position in front of a wall.
2. Walk backward up the wall so your stomach is facing the wall.
3. Push up through your shoulders and pull your core in.
4. Once you’re into position, lift one hand up, then shift your body and move to one direction before putting your hand back down, bringing your feet along with you as you walk sideways against the wall.

If this is too scary at first (especially if you’re doing it on concrete like I am), try doing handstand walks on a soft surface such as a gym mat to help ease your fear. Alternatively, you can put a ton of pillows or a couple of yoga mats down in case you fall.

“More than anything else, the key to a solid handstand is consistency.” 

You can also practice walking with your hands further away from the wall to start building strength and getting the feeling of being upside down, but eventually you’ll want to work on getting your hands as close to the wall as possible.

3. Handstand Shoulder Touches

One of my favorite ways to build upper-body strength and condition for handstands.

To do:

1. Walk up the wall so your chest is facing the wall.
2. Really focus on keeping your entire body tight as you push up through your shoulders.
3. Your hands should be just a few inches away from the wall or as close to the wall as you’re comfortable with.
4. Lean slightly to one side, then lift your other hand up, touch your shoulder on the same side, and lower back down.

Ideally, you’ll work toward having enough control so you’re not slapping your hands down each tap. It should be fairly quiet as you set your hand down. Don’t get discouraged if shoulder taps are really tough for you at first or if you can barely get your hand off of the floor. They will get easier with practice.

You can always try shoulder taps in a pike push up or modified handstand position or place a pillow or mat under your head at first if you’re nervous about falling on your head.

4. Chest Against the Wall Hold/Split

This is a great way to practice holding freestanding handstands if you’re having trouble with the balance portion. This was one of the drills that helped me the most when first learning to do a handstand.

To do:

1. Start in a push up position and walk up the wall so your hands are about a foot away from the wall.
2. Push up through your shoulders, tighten your core, and point your toes.
3. Remove one foot from the wall and balance it overhead so you’re in a straight line.
4. Slowly remove the other foot from the wall and hold your handstand as long as you can.
5. If you fall backward, just put your feet back on the wall. If you fall forward, simply cartwheel out (this is a good thing to get used to doing as you will fall when doing handstands).

While you’re practicing these, try to get a feel for the balance in your fingertips. Fingertip balance is what will really help you hold a freestanding handstand later on, and building awareness through this exercise will help you learn how to keep yourself from falling immediately after you get up in a handstand. Practice this regularly and your freestanding handstands will improve. Just be patient.

“Fingertip balance is what will really help you hold a freestanding handstand[.]”

Note: For those of you who would rather kick up into a handstand against the wall, I’d highly recommend trying the walk-up option instead. Holding a handstand with your chest against a wall mimics a freestanding handstand much better than having your back to the wall.

Freestanding Handstand Practice

If you want to get better at handstands, there’s really no way around practicing them without a wall – and often. Some people spend too much time practicing on a wall and eventually plateau because they get so used to the support that they just can’t figure out how to hold without it.

Spend as little as five minutes a day practicing your handstands, including freestanding ones (and yes, falling is perfectly acceptable), and you’ll start to become more aware of your body and how to make it stay upright for longer.

If you’ve been doing this for a while and are feeling stuck, here are two things to try:

1. Have someone hold you in a handstand. This can help give you the freestanding feeling without making you rely on a wall.
2. Take a video of yourself trying to do a handstand. This can show you what your weaknesses are and help you improve.

Most of all, practice, practice, practice. No matter your fitness level, handstands are doable – but they’re not easy. The only way you’ll get better at them is to keep trying.

Check out these related articles:

• 5 Steps to Work Through Your Fear of Handstands
• How to Maintain and Control a Handstand
• My 4-Week Program From Achieving Handstand Happiness
• What’s New On Breaking Muscle Today

Photos courtesy of Krista Stryker.

The post 4 Drills for Getting Stronger and Better at Handstands appeared first on Breaking Muscle.