If you’re thinking ‘I’m no Olympian, Super Athlete, so why would I need to do plyometric exercises?’, the answer is simple. If you’re looking to improve your mobility or just looking to get the most out of your gym session, then plyometric exercises are for you. Plyometric training will improve your speed, agility, balance, power, coordination or even help you burn more calories, and will make you a more efficient exerciser – because it trains the body to produce more force for less energy expenditure. It’s not just for athletes, but useful for anyone looking to take their training and fitness to new heights. Plyometric exercises were invented to improve athlete power and explosiveness. Plyometrics comes with several benefits, but it’s arguably one of the most misunderstood and misused training methods out there, in fact most people will think jumping on a box eg. 4X30 at the end of their training session is plyometrics, when they are really just improving their cardiovascular strength. Discovered by sport scientist and track coach, Yuri Verkhoshansky, plyometric training can be best described as a method that forces muscles to undergo significant tension as quickly as possible. The muscle is in a relaxed state before it undergoes this great muscle contraction, which means that a plyometric jump, for example, is not preceded by a running start, but from standing with two feet planted on the ground. BENEFITS OF PLYOMETRIC EXERCISES 1. PLYOMETRIC WORKOUTS DON’T TAKE LONG The foundation of the plyometric training method stems from the fact that the quality of each plyometric exercise should be high, but the volume must be low. For example, plyometric box jumps should not be performed without end, or to the point of complete physical fatigue. Instead, they should be used as a way of stimulating the nervous system – enabling the body to jump as high and quickly as possible from a relaxed state. ‘What about the 3×30 box jumps that are in my workout’ you say? Perform these with caution! This type of training will work your cardio fitness, but it doesn’t qualify as plyometric training. The nervous and physical energy required to perform an exercise such as box jumps is high, which means that performing many them can mean you become overly fatigued and injury is more likely. 2. PLYOMETRIC EXERCISES IMPROVE YOUR GAME – WHATEVER IT IS Using plyometrics to increase the power of your upper body is important if you have hit a plateau in your training and are looking to experience a different style of training. If you’re a basketball player, baseball player, or football player, you can use plyometric exercises to improve the power of your throws and hits (as if having perfectly sculpted arms wasn’t reason enough!) It is understandable that, for most of the population, the idea of performing a plyometric move, such as a clapping push-up, sounds scary and close to impossible. But rest assured, there are several less demanding plyometric moves you can do to work on your upper body. 3. PLYOMETRICS MAKE YOU A FASTER RUNNER Our body is composed of fast- and slow-twitch muscle fibers that can be fine-tuned and adapted to our lifestyle. A long-distance runner utilizes mainly their slow-twitch muscle fibers that help them tackle endurance workouts. Alternatively, sprinters, or any athlete requiring bursts in speed, will master their fast-twitch muscle fibers as these help them exert maximal force in a short span of time (the downside being that they fatigue quickly). This is important to understand as plyometrics concentrates on your fast-twitch muscle fibers, which can improve power and keep you at the top of your game. If you would like to learn more about plyometrics exercise that can be of benefits for your email info@tranquility360fitness.com or DM us on Instagram @tranquillity360fitness
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Has it ever come to your thoughts why boxers, who are arguably some of the fittest athletes around, regularly perform skipping drills to help with their hand-to-eye coordination and cardiovascular fitness? So why not introduce some jump rope into your workouts and. Skipping is great for your overall fitness, whether it’s part of a warm-up or included in your main exercise session, you could reap some of the fitness benefits
If you pay close attention to most boxers especially light weights, they look like they’re dancing on air as they skip in the gym - they have honed their skipping skills and technique through many hours of practice. Skipping is a straightforward exercise, but to get the most from your routine you should make sure that you adopt the following correct technique:
Programming your Skipping
Footnote By adding skipping to your exercise programme, it brings a wide range of fitness benefits. Additionally, studies have shown that skipping is a great for burning calories and depending upon your speed and intensity, 10 minutes of skipping can burn off as many calories as a 30-minute run! If you're looking to shed some unwanted pounds while you're at home, because you can’t get to gym, or even currently going to the gym but stuck for routine for space. These are the massive exercise that can help you burn away unwanted fat, which (when combined with a healthy diet) will help you to achieve the body of your goals. Metabolic Resistance Training This training method works on the concept that if a person performs exercises that engage their entire body (or as many muscles as possible), then this will boost their metabolic rate and increase the number of calories they burn. The exercises should be completed at a high intensity and one after the other for the best fat burning gains For example:
High Knees A simple but effective fat burning exercise is high knees. Remember when carrying out the exercise to bring your knees up as high as you can towards your chest and keep your back straight, swinging your arms to stay balanced. This exercise will soon get your heart racing which is essential for burning fat. Interval Training One of the best ways to burn fat is through interval training. It doesn’t matter whether you complete your interval training through running, on a rowing machine or a bike, the exercise will help you lose weight. This is because interval training increases your growth hormone and adrenaline levels - both of which suppress your appetite and help your body to burn fat. For many years, products have been marketed with the promise of helping you burn more calories, and yes most of these products do works but not on their own. To be honest, is there really anything you can do to increase the number of calories your body burns each day? According to most fitness experts, it’s a yes and no, experts say. The truth seems to be that the number 1 way to burn more calories is the old-fashioned way by moving more. Essentially, we know of no way to burn more calories or up our metabolism than to move more If you are looking to get in shape or maybe add a new fitness theme to your lifestyle, Tranquillity 360 Fitness have great workouts ideas that will boost your fitness and provide you with a decent calorie burn. Bootcamp Training Bootcamps are a massive fitness trend, and rightly so, as they not only give you an all over body workout, but often get you quick weight and fat loss results. Combining endurance and strength training and with little time to recover between sets, bootcamps are great to get your body looking fabulous and develop your current fitness. Calorie burn – approx. 400-600 per hour Running Get your running shoes on and get outside for a brisk run (and since it’s free, there’s really no excuse). Running regularly will not only improve your cardiovascular fitness, it’ll also help you shed some weight and tone up muscles. Calorie burn – approx. 300-400 calories per 30 minutes Circuit Training Get ready for classic star jumps, lots of sit-ups and a few cheeky squats (to name but a few). Circuit training is a great all over workout, improves your aerobic fitness and burns fat. This is a great option if you are pressed for time as you can complete an effective workout even if you only have 15 minutes. Calorie burn – approx. 300-400 per hour Body Pump Body Pump is a moderate to high intensity resistance activity, that usually lasts an hour and is a great way to include weight training in your workout. With lots of repetitive exercises, you thoroughly work all areas of the body, and really tone up without getting bulky. Calorie burn – approx. 250-600 calories per hour (depending on the exercises included and weights used) To receive a free bespoke workout programs on any of above workouts follow us on Instagram @tranquillity360fitness and dm us your info of what you would like. |
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July 2021
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