Is plyometrics for strength and flexibility?
It seems that whenever there’s a new buzzword or something trendy to do, it soon becomes a panacea for many ills. Plyometrics now seems to fall into this category.
The reason for this probably lies in the fact that few people truly understand not only what plyometrics is and how it should be used, but what it is used for. It is very frustrating to continually read erroneous comments attributed to this method of training.
For example, in a recent issue of a popular running magazine it was stated that plyometrics improves strength and range of motion (flexibility). The first part of this statement is half true if one considers that it is possible to improve eccentric strength with one form of plyometrics. But, it does not improve concentric strength which I believe is what the author meant.
To state that plyometrics improves range of motion is also incorrect. If anything, it limits range of motion if done correctly. For the most explosive movements, which is the reason for doing plyometrics, the range of motion should be minimal!
When are authors in supposedly reputable magazines going to first learn about the topic before they write about it? This doesn’t mean simply reading other popular journals. They should read some of the works of Verkhoshansky the creator of plyometrics.
His articles and information are available in the Soviet Sports Review, Explosive Plyometrics, Build a Better Athlete, Secrets of Russian Sports Fitness and Training, Supertraining and other books. However, it seems that books that have much solid information are taboo for many popular authors.
As a result, athletes and fitness buffs will continue to get second, if not third or fourth hand information which becomes more distorted as time goes on. When the athlete or coach doesn’t know the difference, myths are born and passed on.
More information on this topic read Explosive Plyometrics and Sports: Is It All BS?