Training
Advanced Level
Maximising Explosive Power and Speed
1 Single Leg Hip Thrust Lie on your back with your upper back resting on a bench and one foot flat on the ground . Drive your knee toward your chest while thrusting your hips upward with the working leg . Lower back down and switch legs .
• Reps : 10-12 per leg
• Sets : 3
• Rest : 90 seconds between sets
• Focus : Hip strength , glutes , and hamstrings
2 Depth Jump Stand on a box , step off , land softly , and immediately jump as high as possible .
• • Reps : 8-10
• • Sets : 3
• • Rest : 90 seconds between sets
• • Focus : Explosive power , reactive strength , and leg endurance
3 Single Leg Lateral Hop on Step Stand next to a low step or platform on one leg . Hop laterally onto the step , landing softly on the same leg . Hop back to the starting position and repeat on the other side .
• Reps : 10-12 per leg
• Sets : 3
• Rest : 90 seconds between sets
• Focus : Lateral power , single-leg stability , and coordination
4 Pogo Lunge Hop on One Side Start in a split lunge position . Perform small , rapid hops in place , keeping your feet close to the ground . Switch legs after the set .
• Reps : 10-12 per leg
• Sets : 3
• Rest : 90 seconds between sets
• Focus : Quickness , coordination , and lower body endurance
5 Jump with Two Feet , Land with One on Step Stand with both feet on the ground in front of a box . Jump up , landing with one foot on the box and the other foot still on the ground . Alternate legs with each rep .
• Reps : 10-12 per leg
• Sets : 3
• Rest : 90 seconds between sets
• Focus : Power , balance , and coordination
Integration in Your Routine
To effectively incorporate plyometric training into your running regimen , consider the following guidelines :
• Frequency : Start with 1-2 sessions per week , allowing at least 48 hours of recovery between sessions to prevent overtraining .
• Progression : Gradually increase the intensity and complexity of exercises as your strength and coordination improve .
• Warm-Up and Cool-Down : Always perform a thorough warm-up before starting , and a cool-down after your workouts , to prevent injuries and aid recovery .
• Focus on Form : Prioritise proper technique over speed or height to maximise benefits and minimise injury risk .
Conclusion
Incorporating these plyometric exercises into your training can significantly enhance your performance as a runner . By progressively challenging yourself through different levels of exercises , you can improve your explosive power , agility , and overall running efficiency . Whether you ’ re a beginner or an advanced athlete , these exercises will help you build the strength and speed necessary to excel in your running endeavours .
Jurgens Grobler is a holistic health and wellness advocate with a wealth of qualifications and diverse experiences , including coaching , strength training , biomechanics , injury-prevention and sport massage , and he specialises in personalised fitness programmes . As an avid runner and cyclist , he embodies a lifestyle of health , balance and passion . More at http :// www . jagfitness . co . za
Avoiding Overtraining By Derick Marcisz
Ever woken up with ‘ heavy legs ,’ but still forced yourself through a run ? You were probably suffering from overtraining , but the solution is simple .
When you train sensibly , your body builds up during the recovery period between training sessions , allowing you to do future training easier , or at a faster pace , or with an increase in distance . When you overtrain , the opposite occurs and your ability to recover and build up is outpaced by repetitive high intensity training ( speed or distance ), leading to a decrease in performance , or even illness and / or injury . You have pushed your body beyond its ability to adapt to exertion – and the crazy thing is that when this happens , many of us believe we need more or harder training , instead of less or easier training !
It is important to establish your balance between build-up and breakdown , to prevent overtraining . Train and race hard , but always ensure proper recovery , which you can do by keeping a simple training log and using this information to determine how you train , by keeping check on your recovery :
• Monitor your waking heart rate every morning . A variation of 5-10 beats a minute above your average means you have not recovered fully and are tired . Have an easy or short run that day .
• Log your RPE ( Rate of Perceived Exertion ) for each training session on a scale of 1-10 , so that you can compare how you feel today against last week . For example , last week you did a 20km run in two hours and your RPE was 5 ( medium to hard effort ), but this week when you do the same route your RPE is a 7 ( the run felt hard ). Clearly you have not recovered properly from training during this week , so a rest day might be needed .
Solving the Problem
Overtraining often leads to illness ( mostly colds and flu ) and injury , and when this happens , you are forced to rest . However , overtraining can also simply affect performance , so an athlete can still perform reasonably well , but your performance should have been better had you taken notice of the signs of overtraining .
Firstly , you need to acknowledge and understand that you are overtrained . This is not easy for fit athletes to do , and even more difficult is to cut back on training , but it ’ s crucial that you do just that . Reduce the distance and intensity that you are running , and rest more often . Also , finish each run feeling you could do more , and could run at a faster pace . Hopefully after a week or two of this , you will start to feel stronger and look forward to your training , and then you can build up to normal training again .
Also , continually evaluate your levels of fatigue , especially when you get into serious training with bigger mileage weeks , and remember , hard training is not overtraining … but train to race , don ’ t race in training .
Derick Marcisz is a running and triathlon coach , with multiple ultra-marathon and Ironman finishes to go with his 20-plus years of coaching experience .
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