One of my favorite off-bike training methods is plyometrics. Put simply, plyometrics are explosive jumping exercises.
Plyometrics are extremely intense and provide one of the most gut-wrenching workouts possible. They will build immense speed and power to improve your fitness tremendously.
(Note: Beginners should be able to perform most bodyweight exercises before moving on to the higher impact plyometrics exercises.)
What’s cool about plyometrics:
- Build explosive power without need for weights.
- More intense than any other bodyweight exercises.
- More fun and exciting than simply running sprints.
Technically speaking, plyometrics are about reaching maximum force in minimal time. Does that sound familiar? Perhaps if you’re riding in a group and you want to attack and break away? You need to create a maximum amount of force as quickly as possible to make such a devastating attack.
For more information about how and why plyometrics work, check out these two pages:
Levi Bloom is an experienced endurance athlete who has been training and competing for over 17 years. A former Cat 1 road and mountain bike racer (professional class on the regional circuit), he is now a cycling coach (USA Cycling Level 3 Certified) and sports nutrition coach (Precision Nutrition Level 1 Certified).
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