Not getting much stronger even with weightlifting exercise? Try plyometrics

For beginners without much exercise experience, resistance training exercise with weights is a wonderful way to get stronger. Your muscles adapt by getting larger and firing with more force. Oftentimes the improvements in the first couple of months of resistance exercise are pretty profound and should be noticeable within a month or two.

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As people continue, sometimes they run into plateaus where it does not seem like they are able to get stronger. An adjustment to an exercise program can be made to include movements that are performed quick and fast. An example of such exercises is what exercise professionals call plyometrics. They have been shown to improve athletic performance, including running, jumping, and throwing, help improve cardiovascular fitness levels, and to help maintain healthy muscle mass.

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Plyometrics involve quick and powerful movements that involve a quick stretch of muscles followed by a rapid contraction.

One example is to jump as high as you can off of two legs.

Another example is to hop side to side on one leg as quickly as you can.

Another example is skipping as high as you can.

Another example is throwing a ball.

To optimize the strengthening benefit of these exercises, try to perform them as quickly and as forcefully as you safely can.

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Do not aggressively start with these exercise. If you have a reasonable level of fitness, start with less than 20 total repetitions and then gradually build up in intensity and repetitions so that you minimize the risk of injury that is inevitable with any form of high intensity exercise. If you have significant and consistent joint pain during other forms of exercise, it is not wise to consider plyometric exercise until your joints are more tolerant to more intense exercise like plyometrics.