Q: I heard that Plyometrics is a way to gain more strength. What is it and can bodybuilders benefit from incorporating it into traditional weight workouts?

A: Plyometrics is a great complement to a weight training program, because it can truly increase strength, speed, agility and explosivity. As you probably know, all of these factors are interconnected and can greatly benefit a bodybuilder in their workouts. It can also build the body in a way that traditional resistance exercise can’t. Plyometric work varies and encompasses anything from explosive squat jumps, cone agility runs, box jumps, hops and many more movements. The way that these often seemingly innocuous movements can help a bodybuilder depends on the movement and how you use it. However, in general, becoming more explosive aids in movements like squats, deadlifts and bench press.

Agility helps shape the physique and put the body into positions that are more akin to building a more completely developed body. But it’s strength and speed that really make Plyometrics a great addition to traditional resistance exercises in the gym. Incorporating it into a workout is fairly simple, but very intense. It’s like a superset with a partner movement like you’ve never experienced. Rather than doing leg press and then going to do leg extensions, you may do a set of leg press, then do squat jumps—exploding from your haunches and extending upward as high as you can jump. These are done in a succession of jumps until exhaustion. Another might be to do walking lunges and then do box jumps. You can do upper body exercises as well. What I recommend is buying a book with lots of photos or diagrams to show you how to incorporate Plyometric movements into your workouts.

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