Plyometric Exercises and Jumping Exercises Can Help You Lose Belly Fat and Get Ripped 6 Pack Abs

Including plyometric exercises (jumping exercises) in your regular fitness routine can yield many benefits.

Jumping exercises will obviously increase your fitness, speed, quickness, and jumping ability, but jumping also burn tons of calories, speeds up your metabolism, and can help you lose belly fat and get ripped 6 pack abs.

Benefits of Jumping for Everyday Gym Goers

Generally, when people lift weights in the gym they move in a slow and controlled manner, and it is wise to keep good form and move in a controlled fashion.

But life and sports are fast, and the best way to get better at moving fast is by performing fast movements like plyometrics.

If you work out at a gym for health, but also play sports that require running and jumping it is important to include jumping exercises in your regular fitness routine.

If you play soccer, tennis, basketball, baseball, volleyball or any other sport for fun, plyometrics can both increase your performance and also decrease your likelihood of injury.

Weekend Warriors often injure themselves when their body has to move fast, so 2 major benefits of including plyometric exercises in your workout are increased sports performance and decreased injury risk during sports.

Plyometrics Burn Tons of Calories

In addition to preparing you for sports and decreasing injury risk during sports, plyometric training can help you burn a ton of calories.

If you read my article on Sprinting and Ripped Abs you understand that working out at a high intensity is a great way to significantly decrease your body fat percentage.

Jumping Exercises are generally very anaerobic in nature. When you work out at 90%-100% intensity, you really stimulate your metabolism and can have an elevated calorie burn for hours after the workout is completed.

If you get through an entire workout and never feel out of breath, adding some plyometric exercises to your workout will increase the intensity and help you burn tons of extra calories.

Plyometrics and Injury Risk

With every type of exercise you must weigh the benefit versus the risk. I do not recommend plyometrics for everyone! If you have a history of knee, hip, or ankle injuries or surgeries, you should consult with a licensed health professional before adding jumping exercises to your workout routine.

The exercises that work your body the hardest and burn the most calories also place the most stress on your joints and muscles.

Listen to your body.

Sample Plyometric Exercises

Any jumping exercise would be considered plyometric. Squat jumps and bounding are 2 examples.

Squat jumps are done by squatting and then jumping in place. You can place your hands on your hips, behind your head, or reach over your head when you jump. Perform 8-15 jumps and rest 1-3 minutes between sets.

Bounding is performed by jumping forward repetitively. Perform 8-15 bounds and rest 1-3 minutes between sets.

Incorporating Plyometrics Into Your Workout Routine

If you want to incorporate plyometric exercises into your workout, begin slowly. Add 1 exercise and perform 3 sets of 8-10 2-3 times a week.

Then, try adding a second exercise. After mastering 2 exercises, try adding a third exercise.

Always focus on form. Do your best to keep your ankles, knees, and hips in good alignment and land in a soft and controlled manner. Use a mildly cushioned surface if possible. Pavement and concrete are not ideal for jumping. A rubberized track or padded turf will be more ideal for jumping.

Make sure to always warm up with light aerobics and always cool down with stretching and light aerobics. It is wise to avoid jumping when your legs are extremely sore or if you have pain in any of your joints.

Try to give your body a break from the impact of jumping by taking some time away from plyometric training every 4-6 weeks. 2-3 months of intense plyometrics is a recipe for overtraining and injury for anyone who is not as elite athlete.

If you are trying to improve your fitness, but are not able to jump because of your joints try interval training on cardio machines. Interval training is a great way to burn tons of calories and increase your anaerobic capacity.

Conclusion

Adding in plyometric exercises to your fitness routine can help you to lose weight because jumping exercises burn tons of calories and can help to speed up your metabolism. Start slowly by adding 1 exercise to your workout.

Always listen to your body, and take breaks from jumping to let your body recover. If you have trouble jumping, no worries, try interval training on a cardio machine to get some of the same benefits from high intensity interval training.

Work Hard, Rest Adequately!

Yours in Health,
Dr. Charles Former Long Jumper Boston University

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