As a lover of plyometrics, I was delighted to see Shape Magazine include it in their article on fitness trends to watch for 2012. Many trends come and go, especially in the fitness industry. However, I think plyometrics exercises are here to stay. They are such a great way to get in a fast and effective workout that burns a lot of calories.
Plyometrics exercises use fast and powerful movements and I love them for their ability to allow me to multi-task my workout. I’ve never been a ‘cardio queen’ and I dread the thought of running on a treadmill, so if I can get some cardio in while I’m working out the rest of my body, I’m in! As an added bonus, your brain often gets a workout too because you’re doing more complicated exercises.
My favourite plyometrics exercises
- Burpees
- Mountain climbers
- Pop squats/jump squats
- Box jumps
- Lunge jumps
- Skipping
All of the plyometrics exercises mentioned above use your entire body. These are not small movements, but rather large and explosive movements. They use every muscle in your body providing a full-body workout.
If you are pressed for time, or would rather not use weights and then do cardio, plyometrics exercises make for the perfect workout. For this reason, I believe that this new fitness trend of plyometrics is here to stay.
If you are new to plyometrics exercises, or working out in general, be sure to start slowly. Always do a proper warm-up and cool down, including stretching your muscles after your work-out. This helps greatly with reduced muscle soreness afterwards. Begin with just a few of these exercises, and add more as you get used to doing whole-body, explosive movements.
This fitness trend of plyometrics exercises is great. I love them. What about you? Have you tried them yet and if so, what are some of your favourite ones?
If you’re looking for new ways to challenge your body, check out my post about Tabata workouts.
