What type of training is TRX and why is it recommended
Want to stop injuring your neck and shoulders while doing press-ups and pull-ups?
This may sound harsh but in many cases, one of the biggest causes of injury during these moves is a lack of upper body strength. Simply put, you may not be strong enough for what you are attempting to do.
So to avoid neck, shoulder and upper back issues, try building up your strength using a TRX weight suspension system. Most gyms now have them but you can also buy your own, fairly inexpensively and use it at home.
The TRX is a nylon adjustable strap ending in hand hoops that can be fixed to a wall or overhead beam or bar. If using at home, you can also attach it to a door frame (as per the manufacturer’s instructions).
Exercise 1: Incline press up on the TRX
Stand with your hands in the loops and then lean forward, putting some weight through your arms and keeping your shoulder blades back. Bend your elbows until your chest is in line with your hands. Push firmly through the handles until your elbows are straight again. Once your elbows are straight, press through your hands allowing your shoulder blades to slide apart, then pull them back together again and repeat.
The forward and backwards movement of the shoulder blades are very important, as this helps to create strength and control during transitions between movements.
Exercise 2: TRX rows
Our second exercise is exactly the same as the first but in reverse.
Hold on to the handles and this time lean backwards until your weight is supported by your arms and you are resting on your heels. Pull your shoulder blades backwards, then, keeping your body straight, pull yourself forward by bending your elbows until your chest is in line with your hands. Slowly lower yourself again, keeping your shoulder blades back. Once your arms are straight again, allow your shoulder blades to come forward. Then they pull them back together and start again.
Start with 3 sets of 10 reps progressing to 15. Once you are able to complete this number comfortably and with good control, make the exercise harder by lengthening the TRX to make the incline greater. The closer you are to the floor, with both moves, the harder the exercise.
If you have any questions at all, please don’t hesitate to contact us at our Cambridge clinic.
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What should I do if I sprain my knee?
What is a knee sprain?
A knee sprain is a stretching or tearing of the ligament in the knee joint. Ligaments are tough bands of tissue that connect two bones together in your joint. A knee sprain can occur when you injure or twist your knee awkwardly and may cause you to experience some pain, swelling and/or bruising in and around the knee initially following injury. The swelling may appear immediately or after some time. You may also have difficulty bending and straightening the knee and struggle with walking.
How can I sprain my knee?
A knee sprain can occur when you injure or twist your knee awkwardly. They are common in athletes who engage in fast-paced sports, such as football, basketball or hockey.
Most knee sprains occur as a result of:
- Direct impact on the knee from an outside force ( such as a fall onto the knee or a kick)
- A sudden stop or change in direction when moving at speed
- Over-straightening of the knee joint
What should I do if I sprain my knee?
If your knee injury is serious, that you are unable to weight bear or your knee is giving away when you put weight on it, you should seek immediate medical attention. You may wish to go to A&E or seek advice from a physiotherapist.
If your injury seems less severe (although this can still be painful and limit your mobility and function) follow the POLICE principles to help reduce your pain and help you to recover.
- Protection. Protect your injury from further damage. You’ll need to rest for the first 48-72 hours following the injury. Depending on the injury, consider using some form of support or a splint.
- Optimal Loading. Get active sooner rather than later. Start active mobilisation and flexibility exercises as soon as tolerated without excessive pain. the longer you rest the more muscle waiting will occur and your overall recovery will take longer.
- Ice. Apply a cold compress such as a bag of ice or frozen peas, wrapped in a towel onto the painful area. Do this for around 15-20 minutes every 2-3 hours for the first 48-72 hours following the injury.
- Compression. Compress the injured area with a simple elastic bandage to help control swelling. This bandage should be snug but not tight and also should be removed before going to sleep.
- Elevation. Elevate the injured area, while sitting or lying down, supported on a pillow, to help keep the swelling under control. Avoid prolonged periods with the leg not elevated.
Consider arranging medical review/referral to physiotherapy after 5–7 days, if symptoms are not improving as expected (for example if you are still experiencing difficulties in walking or weight-bearing) or if symptoms are getting worse (such as increased pain or swelling) the physiotherapist will be able to access your knee and give you a detailed rehabilitation programme to progress you back to your previous level of activity.
What exercises can I start doing?
Isometric quadriceps:
Sit with your leg out straight. Tighten your thigh muscles trying to straighten your leg as much as comfortable and hold for 30 seconds. Repeat 10 times.
Active Straight leg Raise (ASLR):
Sit with your legs out in front of you. Tighten your abdominals and your thigh( quad) muscles. Breathe out to lift your leg 5 cm off the ground and hold it with the knee straight. Count to 5 seconds and lower slowly. Repeat 10 times.
Active knee flexion ( bending) in supine and/or sitting:
Sit on a chair with your feet on the floor or sit with your legs out straight.
Actively bend your knee as much as possible. Use a towel to help slide your knee underneath if sitting on a chair.
Repeat 10 times.
If you think you may have sprained your knee and want to book an appointment with a specialised physiotherapy or have any questions do not hesitate to contact us.
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Physiotherapy Cambridge, Physiotherapist Cambridge, Physio in Cambridge
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Easy desk stretches you can do at home or in the office
With so many of us having careers which allow us to work from home, working on the computer can sometimes give us even less reason to get up and move around, it’s not surprising that you might feel a bit chair-shaped by the end of the day.
Temporary workstation setups – at a kitchen table or using a laptop on the sofa – don’t help either, as you may not have the same supportive setup you would have in the office.
Your neck, upper back, shoulders and lower back are common places for aching and muscle tension to gradually accumulate. Feeling stiff and uncomfortable in these or any other area of your body can not only affect your concentration and productivity but may develop into a more significant pain problem if you ignore it. So getting into the habit of changing positions and moving frequently during your working day is absolutely vital and our quick and easy programme of desk stretches is designed to help you stay on the move at work, without even getting out of your chair.
While incorporating movement into your working day is the key, this can be difficult to achieve if you have deadlines, back-to-back online meetings a heavy workload, or even all three! So we recommend a simple strategy called ‘habit stacking’ to make new habits like your desk stretches more memorable and stick with you for the long term.
Habit stacking is a simple method which can help you break up your working day by pairing your new ‘stretching’ habit with an existing workplace habit to help you remember and to help the new habit stick. It’s a really effective way of making long-term healthy changes to your working day and also in your general life.
Optimising your workplace setup at home or in the office will also help you feel more comfortable and there are several very useful resources here.
Finally, building strength and fitness as part of your lifestyle will reduce both the physical and mental stress associated with sedentary work. A well-balanced programme of cardiovascular exercises, like walking or cycling, combined with strength and conditioning training is ideal.
Don’t hesitate to get in touch if you need a more individualised programme of workplace stretches or more advice on habit stacking.
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How to prevent an injury at the gym
Whether you are new to the gym or starting back after a break due to injury, illness or pandemic restrictions, ensuring that you do not get injured is essential so you can fully enjoy your gym experience.
Often when you are going to the gym for the first time in a while, you are excited and want to do everything at once, however, this can increase your risk of injury.
How to get started in the gym?
While some injuries are unavoidable accidents, there are always steps you can take to help protect yourself as much as possible.
- Warm up properly: A warm-up raises the temperature of the involved muscles and promotes flexibility and mobility. Riding a stationary bike, jogging, swimming, stair climbing or high repetitions of very lightweight exercises are recommended forms of warm-up. This will ensure that your body is ready for the more strenuous workout
- Avoid just repeating the same motion over and over again. If you continuously train or exercise the same muscles in the same way you will increase your chances of getting an overuse injury. To help prevent overuse injuries, vary your workouts. Train different groups of muscles if strength training, use different equipment, and don’t always just run for your cardio workout, try the static bike or rowing machine. This will help keep you more balanced, spread the strain across your body and make your workouts more exciting,
- Good form for your exercise. If you are new to the gym or want to try a new exercise or piece of equipment, learning the right way to use it can help prevent injury. Often you get a free session with one of the personal trainers in a gym so take advantage of this to learn the proper way to do an exercise. Here at Physiofit, we offer 1:1 strength and conditioning sessions with a physio who is also strength and condition trained therefore they will be able to give you the best advice and teach you how to use any gym equipment you are interested in to help reduce injury chances.
- Resting in between workouts. Exercising too often without adequate time for the body to recover can negatively impact your body’s overall level of strength and conditioning. Overtraining drains your energy which, in turn, slows or negatively impacts your progress. Your body will become depleted and weakened, which will increase your likelihood of an injury. The solution is to cut back to three to four sessions per week if you are always doing the same type of exercise and keep session length to no more than an hour.
- Do not push your body too hard or too quickly: This is extremely important if you are starting a new type of exercise or returning after a period of rest. It’s essential to slowly increase your intensity levels ( even if it seems too easy at first) so your body can adapt and strengthen slowly. Listen to your body. You can expect sore muscles after your workout. But you should never feel pain when exercising. If you feel pain, stop right away.
- Avoid doing exercise that is too strenuous for your level of fitness. Using too much weight in an exercise will increase injury potential. What’s too much? If you can’t control weight on its downward, loading motion or if you have to jerk or heave a weight in order to lift it. An out-of-control barbell or dumbbell can have a mind of its own and obeys the laws of gravity therefore you may find yourself on the floor with the weight.
- Using proper equipment. In the gym, the main equipment you will need is your footwear. The type you need will depend on the exercises you intend on doing, for example, if you are going to run on the treadmill you will need proper running trainers, if you are lifting weights a weightlifting shoe will be more appropriate.
Further support before you start at the gym
Here at Physiofit, we can offer you 1:1 strength and conditioning sessions with a physiotherapist, where we can teach you how to lift weights and use gym equipment in a safe and structured way. We can tailor a gym program specific to your needs. We also offer running biomechanical assessments, looking at the way you move and identifying areas that may need improvement to keep you injury-free. if you have any questions regarding our services please do not hesitate to contact us.
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How do I know if I have a disc herniation?
Between 60% and 80% of people will experience low back pain at some point in their lives. Not all of these people will have a problem with their discs as the majority of back pain comes from muscle strains, which sounds simple but can still cause severe pain.
What is disc pain?
Our spine is made up of bones called vertebrae stacked on top of each other. Between each of these bones, we have discs that act like shock absorbers and help to maintain the stability of the spine. People with a disc problem are often told that they have a “slipped disc” However this is a poor choice of words as nothing has moved or slipped out of place as luckily for us, the discs are held in place tightly between the vertebrae.
Instead, the discs can bulge and the correct term to be used when this happens is a disc herniation or prolapse, depending on the severity. If the disc bulge irritates or puts pressure on the nerve roots in the lower back you will experience pain and/ or numbness along the affected nerve which can run down your leg. Although this may sound (and feel) very serious it is most often not and responds well to a variety of treatments.
How do I know if I have a disc herniation?
Common symptoms include lower back pain, pins and needles, numbness and pain in one leg or foot and/or muscle weakness. The pain is sometimes described as shooting or burning. Moving may cause sharp bouts of pain.
What treatment should I have?
Your GP will be able to prescribe you some pain relief if you feel you need it.
Going to see a physiotherapist is a great idea to get advice on what to do or not do. A physiotherapy assessment will include taking a detailed history of what may have brought the problem on and a physician exam. This will include getting you to move in certain ways, checking the nerve function and muscle strength and palpating the painful area. From your assessment, the physio will be able to tell you if they think the disc is involved. They will give you some treatment to help with your symptoms, prescribe exercises that can help you recover and give you advice on activity modifications to help you move better. They will then gradually build you back up to your previous level of activity.
Will I need a scan?
For most people scans are not needed. This is because the result of the scan is not likely to change the course of your treatment. However, if your problem does not resolve after a few months or symptoms are progressively getting worse you may be then referred for a scan.
What can I do to help the pain?
- The most important thing you can do to help your pain is to try and keep moving. Gentle exercises and activity can help to ease the symptoms as it keeps the back moving and helps to deliver blood and nutrients into the area to aid recovery.
- If you usually undergo contact sport, impact exercise or weight lifting you will have to reduce this until the pain subsides to protect the back.
- Try to avoid being in any positions or postures for a prolonged period, especially sitting. If you have a desk job ensure you have a good chair and desk set up and get up to move around regularly ideally every 20 minutes.
- Over-the-counter pain relief or visit your GP if you feel you need something stronger
How long does it take to resolve?
Everybody is different and there is no straight answer to this question. However, typically your symptoms will start to reduce after 2-4 weeks and by 3-4 months you should be pain-free.
Is there anything I should be worried about?
In general no. Most low back pain caused by discs will resolve without any major intervention.
Very rarely a disc problem can cause a serious problem called cauda equina syndrome, which needs immediate medical attention. Keep the following symptoms in the back of your mind:
- If you experience any loss of control in your bowel or your bladder (either being unable to tell that you have voided or being unable to empty your bladder),
- numbness/ loss of sensation around your groin, inner thighs or buttocks
- a loss of control of the movement in one or both legs
If you experience any of these then you need emergency medical attention and should go straight to A&E.
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The benefits of weight training
What is weight training?
People can use weight training for many outcomes but we will focus on some of the most common; to gain strength and increase muscle mass.
Strength or resistance training is a physical activity designed to improve muscular strength and fitness by exercising a specific muscle or muscle group against external resistance, which could be using your own body weight, bags of sand, kettlebells, barbells, free weights or weight machines. The basic principle is to apply a load and overload the muscle so it needs to adapt and get stronger.
Why should I do weight training?
The benefits of weight training to general health, injury prevention and recovery are massive. Regular strength or resistance training is good for everyone of all ages and fitness levels for the following reasons:
- Increase your strength. It is the best way to increase your strength. Being stronger makes day-to-day tasks easier and reduces your likelihood of injury or falling. Being stronger will make you better at any sporting activity or able to be active for longer durations.
- It will increase your muscle mass. We naturally lose muscle mass as we age which can start around the age of 30. Losing muscle mass will make you weaker, reduce your stamina and interfere with physical activity. A lot of people become fearful of building muscle mass as they do not want to be big and bulky. However, to achieve this bulky appearance it takes years of weight training and overload along with diet adaptations and dedication. Regular weight training to increase muscle mass will just leave you toned and feeling good about yourself.
- Increases bone density: Like muscle mass, we also lose a percentage of bone density each year as we age. Resistance training creates a force on the bone and helps it stay strong, leaving you less likely to break a bone if you have an accident.
- Improves your balance. Having stronger muscles and a better ability to use these muscles will improve your balance. Therefore you are less likely to fall in the first place.
- It boosts metabolism and fat loss. Your body demands a lot of energy usage when you are weight training therefore you burn more calories. Also, when you have more muscle you burn more calories even at rest!
- It can help with chronic disease management. Strength training can also help ease symptoms in people with many chronic conditions, including neuromuscular disorders and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, this may be as it helps fight off inflammation. It can also help improve glucose control in those with type 2 diabetes.
- It can boost energy levels and improve your mood. All exercise boosts mood because it increases endorphins. There is also evidence that strength training can help you sleep better, and we all know a better night’s sleep can go a long way in keeping our mood up.
The great news is, that even if you are in your 90s+ you can still gain muscle and strength. Furthermore, strength training increases bone density reducing the risk of fractures, if you were to fall, in addition, it also improves your balance so you are less likely to fall in the first place. After all, prevention is better than cure.
How much should I do?
Just 30 minutes 2-3 times a week of high-intensity resistance training can improve functional performance and help with the benefits listed above.
To gain muscle and strength changes, you should try to use a load ( weight) that challenges you between 6 repetitions and 12 repetitions. You should be able to work between those ranges finding the exercises difficult and challenging but still able to maintain proper form and technique.
How can I get started with weight training?
- Weight training is a brilliant form of exercise for you and your body. However, if it is done incorrectly you can easily injure yourself or create bad habits and movement patterns. It is harder to overcome bad/poor movement patterns than to take the time to learn them correctly, in the first place. So, finding yourself a good coach to teach you how to train and lift correctly is very important.
- Start with bodyweight exercises, so you get used to the right movement patterns before you start using heavier weights. You can start these at home also so there is no need for all the gym equipment.
- Slowly and gradually increase the load (weight) on your body so you give your muscles time to adapt and strengthen without too much overload.
- If you feel any aches or pains that are different to DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) please seek the advice of a physiotherapist
Here at Physiofit, a number of our physiotherapists are trained in strength and conditioning, therefore they will be able to give you guided advice and teach you the proper techniques in weight training. We have a fully equipt weights gym also so you will have all the equipment needed to start and develop your weight training.
If you want more information on strengthening and conditioning and how to implement it into your life, please do not hesitate to contact us.
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How to exercise without needing a physiotherapist
It might seem quite odd that we want to advise you on how to exercise and not have to come see us but as physiotherapists our main goal is to promote health and fitness. When you are injured and need to see a physiotherapist often you have to stop or reduce your normal exercises. Physician activity can help you lead a healthier and happier life therefore, we want you to be able to maintain your exercises as much as possible.
Benefits of exercises:
There are too many to mention! Exercise is almost like a miracle cure for many of the major health conditions of today’s world.
It can reduce your risk of major illnesses such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer. It can lower the risk of death by 30%, as exercise makes us stronger and fitter we are able to keep going for longer. It can boost your self-esteem, mood, sleep quality and energy levels as well as reduce your risk of stress, depression, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. If exercise was a pill we would all be begging to take it, but it’s free we just need to put the effort in…
How do I get started?
- Firstly, let us discuss the best form of exercise there is. This will be different for everyone as it has to be individual to you. The best form of exercise is something that you love doing as when you enjoy it, you are more likely to commit to making it a routine and continue it long-term. It doesn’t have to be what the magazines or celebrities say will get you in the best shape, we get benefits from all forms of exercise, so choose something you are likely to make a habit out of.
- Make a plan: the exercise needs to be able to fit around your lifestyle so plan when you are going to be able to exercise. Put it in your diary so you feel more accountable
- Be realistic. If you already have a busy work and family life, aiming to exercise every day is probably not very realistic. Start small, plan 1-2 sessions a week initially so that you know you will be able to achieve this. If in the future you are able to add more days in that’s great but start
How do I avoid injury when exercising?
- Get advice: If you are starting a new form of exercise or returning to something you have done previously it’s best to get advice to ensure you are doing the correct technique. Prevention is better than cure. It’s easier to work on your technique and skills while still able to exercise rather than getting injured, having to stop and then start learning the skills.
- Be patient: The biggest reason people get injured is because they try to do too much too quickly and their body doesn’t have time to adapt. Give your body time to adjust and build your exercise up slowly.
- Change things up: Doing the exact same thing every time you exercise can overload the joints and muscles you are using. Our body needs to be used in a balanced way so try and add in a stretch session or try something new one week and then go back to what you love.
- Get niggles sorted: if you have an old ache or pain that you have been ignoring, get it sorted, even if it currently doesn’t stop you from exercising. This little niggle could get worse over time or be the first sign of a weakness that could cause you a bigger injury in the future.
- Rest and don’t rush back. There will be times during the year when you will have a break from exercise due to holidays or family events. Enjoy your break! But remember not to try and make up for that time when you start exercising again. Have a slightly easier session when you return to get your body back into the swing of things.
How can Physiofit help?
Our end goal is that you do not need us anymore but we can be of some help to get you to that point. We can help you overcome any old injuries or niggles you have so you are 100% fit when embarking on your exercise regime. We can advise you on a good exercise program to start or return to exercises. We have physiotherapists who specialise in strength and conditioning who can teach you weight-lifting techniques and give you a tailored exercise program to work on. We also offer online physio-led pilates classes so that you can exercise at home around your schedule (contact us if you would like to receive a 7-day free trial).
Ultimately, we want you to be able to enjoy exercise that is going to enhance your life and help you feel happier and healthier without injuries.
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Three great plyometric exercises for runners
Running is a very good form of exercise and is great for cardiovascular and mental health. Anyone can do it, regardless of age and all you need is a good pair of trainers. That’s the good news.
The bad news is that it’s easy to increase your training too quickly, in other words, overdo things. Your cardiovascular system adapts much more rapidly to running than your musculoskeletal system, meaning that while you might feel able to run further and faster, you may be in danger of overloading your joints, muscles, bones, ligaments and tendons.
Most running injuries are caused by overloading or increasing training programmes too quickly. So make sure you build up in a consistent way, increasing week by week by no more than 10% for any variable (time, distance or speed).
For those of you already running regularly, a programme of plyometric exercises, like the ones I recommend below will help you to develop tensile strength in your muscles and tendons to support your joints and progress your running without injury.
Three great plyometric exercises for runners
Make sure that you are warmed up, well hydrated and do not attempt them (without advice from a physiotherapist) if you are recovering from an injury. These are quite taxing exercises and are aimed solely at experienced runners with good fitness, strength and conditioning.
Exercise 1: Drop off
Stand on a low step. Drop off with both feet and land as softly and silently as possible. If you don’t have a gym step or plyo box, you can use the bottom step of a staircase.
The purpose of this is to enable you to better absorb impact through your joints, which is essential for running and injury prevention.
Exercise 2: Hop, land and balance
Initially, on a flat surface, hop forwards onto one leg, control it with a quiet landing, hold in that position for two seconds and then, hop forwards onto the other leg and repeat.
This is good as it helps absorb the landing, helps with controlling to a stop and improves drive of distance which is important with pushing through harder inclines.
Exercise 3: Drop, bound and balance
Start on a step. Drop off onto one foot and then bound forward and land and balance on the other foot. Repeat all three exercises a maximum of 3 – 5 times (3 sets) with at least 72 hours of rest before attempting them again.
If you have any questions at all, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
PhysioFit Team
How to develop healthier movement habits for the long term
We all know that sitting for long periods can lead to muscular aches and pains, particularly around the neck and shoulders.
However, it’s one thing to know that sitting for long periods isn’t ideal but it can be a real challenge to remember to move when you’re absorbed in work or have deadlines.
Apps or timing software which vibrate at intervals to remind you to move are sometimes helpful but I really only recommend them for short-term use and for very specific clinical reasons.
For example, if one of my patients has a painful condition which is easily stirred up by a particular activity like typing, then timing software, preset to limit the time spent typing continuously, can help the painful area calm down and become less sensitive.
Using a timer in this way can be effective in the early stages of treatment but in my experience, it’s not sustainable in the longer term because. like hitting the snooze button in the morning, it’s easy to turn of the reminder.
So, if you want to make a habit of moving more regularly during your working day for the long term, I recommend the ‘habit stacking method’ developed by behaviourist BJ Fogg.
What is habit stacking and how to do it
Habit stacking is a way of helping you form new habits by building them into your existing routines. Put simply, if you’re trying to build a new habit, pair it with a current habit and it’s more likely to stick.
It’s simple but extremely effective because it taps into the strong connections you already have with patterns of behaviour which have been strengthened over years of repetition.
So if the habit you would like to develop is to move more regularly during your working day then an example of habit stacking might look something like this:
After I check my emails (current habit), I will stand up (new habit).
Once the new habit has become part of your routine, you can stack another habit next to this one and create a domino effect of habits, one by one.
For example, after I check my emails, I will stand up. After I stand up, I will write a to-do list. After I write my to-do list, I will take a quick walk. And so on.
Habit stacking tips from your physio
- Be realistic – don’t plan to add in a new habit at a time of day when something else is likely to take priority like the school run or a regular morning meeting
- If your new habit is something you want to do daily, don’t stack it on top of a current habit that only happens once a week.
- Be very specific about your new habit so you have very clear instructions. For example, after I put the kettle on, I will jog on the spot continuously until it turns off.
I hope this helps, please get in touch if you need any more guidance with your habit stacking!
The Physiofit Team.
Plyometric's guide for rehab and training
After a knee or lower limb injury or operation, your physiotherapy rehabilitation programme will be heavily influenced by the things you want to be able to get back to doing. If your goals include running or playing a sport where you have to land and push off through your legs, change direction rapidly with control or generate explosive force in your legs, then plyometric exercises will be a vital component of your rehab and return to sport.
What are plyometric exercises?
Plyometric exercises are essentially ‘jump training’, requiring muscles to generate maximum force in repeated short cycles. Many uninjured athletes include plyometric exercises as part of their training to boost their performance but as a physiotherapist, I often recommend plyometric drills to my patients towards the end of their rehab programme. It can help with restoring the balance, strength, power and reaction speed that they’ll need for their particular sport and also helps prevent future injuries.
Plyometric training occurs right at the end stage of rehab as the exercise drills themselves are complex and require skilled coordination to be performed safely and effectively. You also need to have built up sufficient strength and landing control to safely absorb the force that plyometrics generate. So the intensity of any plyometric training programme needs to be built gradually and should only be performed when you are completely pain-free and have excellent strength and control around your ankles, knees and hips.
It’s not just about jumping up and down. The type and intensity of the plyometric drills prescribed will also be different for different sports and influenced by the athlete’s own body mass. So this kind of information is all taken into account when planning a programme. A skilled sports specialist will be able to introduce the right exercises at the right time for you and help you to build up the exercise intensity safely in a way which helps you to meet your goals.
To give you an idea of what a plyometric exercise programme might include here are some examples:
Box jumps – jumping up onto a box or step or down from a box or step.
Lateral jumps – side-to-side bounding or jumping from one leg to another
Squat jumps – Lowering your body into a squat and jumping into the air, landing softly.
It’s worth saying that plyometric exercises aren’t restricted to the lower body either. It’s all about engineering your body to better create explosive power, so boxers, for example, spend a lot of time using upper body plyometric exercises like clap press-ups. This is why it’s so important that a plyometric programme is bespoke for you, your body mass and your sport (or other goals).
A carefully planned programme of plyometric exercises will help you to return to your sport safely and run faster, jump higher and kick further, all with greater control.
Please don't hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions at all!
The Physiofit Team.