Why Plyometrics Matter for Athletes and Weightlifters
You’ve seen it before—athletes doing box jumps, bounding across turf, or hopping over hurdles like it’s nothing. It looks cool, sure, but there’s a reason it’s a staple in so many high-level training programs: plyometrics work. Whether you're trying to get faster, more explosive, or simply better at expressing force in a short window of time, plyometric training has serious carryover.
And no—it’s not just for jumpers or sprinters. It’s for anyone who wants to move better, be more athletic, and lift heavier. Plyos can be scalable. Things like jumping rope or doing agility ladders are great beginner plyometric exercises. Even going from a standing position to a landing position is a great way to teach landing mechanics to athletes of all kinds.
What Are Plyometrics?
Plyometrics are explosive movements that involve a rapid stretch of the muscle followed by an immediate contraction. Think: jumping, bounding, skipping, sprinting, and even certain types of med ball throws. The goal is simple: train your body to produce force faster and absorb it more efficiently.
In more technical terms, we’re targeting the stretch-shortening cycle (SSC), which is a fancy way of saying we’re teaching your muscles to go from “loaded” to “fired” as quickly as possible.
Why It Matters for Athletes
In sports, you rarely have time to “slow grind” your way through a movement. In some sports you do. Think a football lineman pushing against another big body or a rugby scrum. In many sports contexts though, you need to react, change direction, jump, sprint, and absorb force on a dime. Plyometrics train those exact qualities. Here’s what that looks like in real life:
A volleyball player needs to jump multiple times in a row and still hit high. A baseball player needs to sprint out of the box and decelerate fast to round a base. A football athlete needs to cut, accelerate, and stay balanced all within seconds. If you want to win more races, react quicker on defense, or make your first step more dangerous—this is where plyos come in.
Why It Matters for Weightlifters
Wait… jump training for weightlifters?
Absolutely. Olympic weightlifting is all about explosiveness. You need to generate a ton of force in a short time, then absorb and stabilize it. That’s the same game plyos are playing. Things like depth drops, broad jumps, and pogo hops can help improve rate of force development, tendon stiffness, and body awareness. Additionally, plyometics are a great way to warm up your neuromuscular system for the explosive, full body coordination of olympic lifting.
It’s not a coincidence that many of the best weightlifters in the world move like explosive athletes—not stiff robots.
What Kind of Plyos Are We Talking?
It doesn’t have to be complicated. Here’s a few staples we love at STS:
Snap Downs – Teach body control and landing mechanics Box Jumps – Train power in a low-impact way Mini Hurdle Hops – Great for rhythm, reactivity, and quick GCT (ground contact time) Depth Drops – Build the ability to absorb force and prepare tendons for load Broad Jumps – Teach horizontal power and body projection Each variation serves a different purpose. What matters is that they’re programmed intentionally—based on the athlete's needs, age, and training experience.
The Bottom Line
You don’t need to be a high-flying dunker to benefit from plyometric training. You just need to care about performance. Plyos are one of the best tools we have to bridge the gap between strength and sport, and they belong in every serious training program—when applied correctly.
If you’re trying to get more explosive, more athletic, and more prepared for the demands of sport or the Olympic lifts, then it’s time to start hopping, bounding, and jumping your way to better results.
Best of luck with your training today.