A Runner’s Stimulus Package:

Plyos, Hopscotch and an Improved Economy

Although plyometrics has resurfaced as a popular training tool these days, it has been used by European track and field athletes since the 1920’s. The benefits of plyometric training, whether you are a sprinter or a marathoner, are numerous in part, because of the running-specific nature of the exercises involved. The body is kept vertical, such as in running, and the forces developed are similar.

First, what are plyometrics besides a form of self-torture? Wikipedia defines plyometrics (also known as "plyos") as a type of exercise training designed to produce fast, powerful movements, that improve the functions of the nervous system, generally for the purpose of improving performance in sports. Remember the old adage “No pain, No gain”? Well, with plyos there’s lots of pain and subsequently lots to gain.

So why pay the painful price? Because plyometrics are movements in which the muscle is repetitively loaded and then contracted in rapid sequence, you improve your running economy. What the heck is this running economy? Running economy is a fancy word for how effectively the body consumes oxygen while running. The more efficient your running economy, the less oxygen your body “spends” uselessly.

We all, for the most part, start with same amount of currency, oxygen. Some just spend and invest oxygen more wisely. It seems these days the success of many companies depends upon how self-fish the CEO (your muscles are). Elite endurance athletes have running economies that would have scared Enron straight. No glutenous useless oxygen bonuses are wasted on their CEOs (muscles).

Another way to look at is, their muscles have been built to consume oxygen as a hybrid compact car consumes gas. Plyos reduce your gas bill by making your muscles into strong, compact, hybrid fuel efficient cars so you can go further, for longer, for less money (or oxygen).

Repetitively loading and contracting your muscles while hopping, skipping, bounding, and jumping summons large and small muscle groups, in your core, lower body and upper body. As you act like a kid at recess, hopping, skipping, and jumping all over the place, your body is burning oxygen like an incinerator. Due to all that jumping around your muscles become stronger, more compact, and therefore require less energy and oxygen to run. Or how I like to think of plyos, it’s just so darn hard by comparison running seems like a piece of cake.

The downside of plyos, if you have been out of grade school for a while, you’re in for one heck of a surprise. Get the Motrin and ice ready! You probably don’t remember hopscotch making you sore as a kid. The upside, if you regularly incorporate plyometrics into your training regimen, your body adapts and becomes more efficient. Thus improving your running economy. So get your hopscotch on, improve the economy, and teach those selfish CEOs a lesson. I double dog dare you!