What is Plyometric Training and Why Should You Do It?

August 6, 2026 | 6 min. read By Brooks Staff

Focused on building up performance, plyometric training targets your muscles and bones using high intensity workouts, allowing your movements to be stronger and more controlled.

As runners, most of the power you need to both propel yourself forward and keep going is in your legs, so being able to get as much power as you can will only help you push yourself further – especially during a race.

Whether you’re training for a race or simply want to up your fitness regime, plyometric workouts allow you to build strength and muscle.

What is plyometric training?

Sometimes shortened to simply “plyos”, plyometric training is an exercise format that focuses on short “explosive” movements, including hopping and jumping. Plyometric training initially started by Soviet Olympians before moving worldwide, being taken up by athletes in sports like running, basketball and football.

The point is to lean on the stretch-shortening cycle (SSC) which is where your muscles quickly lengthen before immediately contracting, producing as much force to bounce off as quickly as you can. The best example if you need to picture this, is to imagine dipping into a squat before jumping up. The energy in your muscles builds up as you lower yourself into a squat and is then released as you jump up, allowing you to jump higher and with more power.

With proper plyometric training, you can work on improving the power in your leg muscles, which is ideal runners looking to run further and longer.

What are plyometric exercises?

Now we know that plyometric exercises involve fast, powerful movements to take advantage of the power in your legs, we can take a look at the different types of exercises that can help you get there.

Here are just some of the movements you can start to work into your fitness regime to start powering up your leg muscles.

Pogo hops

This is a simple yet highly effective plyometric exercise which focuses on quick hops with a minimal bend at the knee – much like if you were jumping on a pogo stick. The aim with this exercise is to spend as little time on the ground as possible, resulting in quick jumps to keep you up in the air. By doing this, you’re able to work on your ankle and lower leg strength, ensuring that your runs are fully powered by fast and reactive movements to improve your overall stride.

How to do pogo hops

Stand with your feet hip-width apart with your arms by your side
Keeping your legs relatively straight, with only a slight bend at the knee, push through the balls of your feet for a short jump upwards
Land softly on the balls of your feet and immediately spring up into the next jump
Focus on spending as little time on the ground as possible
Repeat for 30 seconds

If you’re just starting out with performing pogo hops, ensure that you’re focusing more on your rhythm over how high you’re jumping. This allows you to keep control over your movements and avoid any injury to your ankles. The aim of this is to stay light on your feet rather than jumping as high as you can.

Single leg hops

This movement forces a higher intensity of power over a traditional hopping movement, as you’re relying on one leg to generate the force required to hop. Single leg hops can improve your overall balance, stability and leg strength, while addressing any power imbalances between your left and right leg. As this exercise works on the power intensity of each leg separately, you’re able to power up each leg, allowing you to push forward during your runs.

How to do single leg hops

Stand tall on one foot and engage your core, with a slight bend in your standing knee
Push through your foot to hop forward, ensuring that you maintain your balance
Land softly on the same foot and immediately push forward to the next hop
Continue for 10 hops before switching sides
Repeat for 3 sets on each leg

When starting out with single leg hops, it’s best to focus on sticking the landing while maintaining your balance. As your stability and confidence improves, you can work on increasing the distance of each hop forward.

Box jumps

One of the most well-known plyometric exercises, box jumps involve jumping up onto the top of a box in one, swift motion. It is often used in calisthenics training and CrossFit and focuses on building up the power within your legs – which is ideal if you’re looking to speed up your average run times.

How to do box jumps

Stand in front of a platform with your feet slightly apart
Push your hips back and swing your arms
In one move, swing your arms forward and spring up onto the box, ensuring your land with soft knees
Jump back down to the starting position
Repeat for 10 reps

If you’re just starting out with box jumps, it’s best to work up to it. For example, spend some time simply stepping up onto the box, allowing you to get used to the height. You can also incorporate stacked plates to jump onto, so you’re not jumping up onto the box from the get-go.

However you choose to start, just remember to look after yourself to avoid any injury.

Squat jumps

Combining a traditional squat with an explosive jump, squat jumps are popular workouts within high intensity interval training (HIIT). These powerful workouts build the muscle within your legs, giving you that much-needed push forward with every step you take as a runner.

How to do squat jumps

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, ensuring your back is straight and you’re not hunched over
While engaging your core, lower yourself into a squat position, keeping your hips pushed back while bending your knees
When you’re parallel to the floor, swing your arms back behind you
As you swing your arms forward, push yourself up through both feet to jump up, ensuring your legs and back are straight during the jump
Land back in the squat position
Repeat for 10 reps

Drop jumps

A more advanced plyometric workout, drop jumps are designed to improve your explosive power and reactive strength. Instead of jumping onto a platform, you should be stepping off a raised platform before immediately jumping upwards once you’ve landed. This works on your stretch-shortening cycle, teaching your muscles to quickly absorb force and convert it into the power needed to propel yourself forward.

How to do drop jumps

Stand on a sturdy box or platform around 20-40cm high (depending on your confidence)
Step off the platform, allowing yourself to naturally drop to the floor As soon as your feet touch the ground, jump up as quickly and as high as you can
Land softly with your knees bent
Repeat for 6-8 reps

Like most other plyometric exercises, drop jumps should be focused on spending as little time on the ground after landing. This quick reaction, partnered with good form throughout the movement, will work your leg muscles as well as how powerful you can push yourself up. If you’re just starting out, use a shorter platform to avoid any injury, building up to a higher platform once you’ve built up your confidence.

What are the benefits of plyometrics?

There are several benefits to plyometric workouts, especially when you utilise the workouts for your runs.

Running further and faster
By building up the muscle in your legs and focusing on generating as much power as you can, you’re able to strengthen your legs to push you along faster during races. By focusing on building up these lower body muscles, you’ll also find that your stamina increases, too, allowing you to run for longer than you could before.
Improve cardiovascular health
Plyometrics training combines strength training with cardio in what’s known as power training. The focus on forcing muscles to exert as much energy in as little time builds on explosive strength, while the high-intensity reps build on your cardio health. This makes it a great middle ground for training days, when you want to continue working on your cardio levels without sacrificing strength training.
Increased bone loading
Plyometric training also helps to build up your bone health through increased bone loading. Bones are naturally dynamic, living tissue that responds to our lifestyle. By working out our bones (through strength training, for example) bones can build density, helping to significantly reduce any risks of fractures and bone-related illnesses, such as osteoporosis.
Improved agility and coordination
Due the fast nature of plyometric workouts, you’ll naturally work on your coordination. For example, box jumps require careful coordination to avoid falling off a tall box while still retaining the speed needed for an effective workout. Other exercises, such as bounding, helps with your agility, as it requires you to move swiftly, yet powerfully.

Plyometric training with Brooks

Now we know what plyometric training is, you can start to incorporate the workouts into your weekly routine. Ensure you have the right gym shoes for the workouts, especially for the fast-paced nature of workouts like box jumps and bounding.

The Brooks Glycerin range is best suited for high-impact workouts such as these, thanks to the comfort and thick cushioning, ensuring that your feet remain protected from the repeated impact from the jumps.