Many people are interested in body building or just simply staying in shape by having a strenuous exercise plan.
Others who are in the realm of professional or at least extremely competitive athletics can benefit by using plyometrics exercises to build strength in both their upper and lower leg muscles.
Basketball players are one of the biggest group of practitioners of this level of workout.
Plyometric exercises are tough.
They should be used by professional athletes or competing athletes and not by ordinary people as a regular exercise program.
They are designed with the theory that muscles become stronger if they are first stretched and then contracted.
The stretch reflex works like a rubber band and when it is released the contraction is much stronger.
The person becomes involved in jumping over and over again, but not in place.
They jump from the floor, to their left onto a box and then back to the floor.
They then jump from the floor to their right onto another box and then back to the floor.
This is done with both feet together on each move.
It may look easy, but in this case looks are deceiving.
This is repeated over and over again without interruption for a period of time.
Eventually, over time it becomes easier and easier to do the exercises meaning that the leg muscles are becoming stronger and stronger.
The goal of this exercise for a basketball player is to increase their vertical jump to the maximum level possible.
Typically, the maximum level will be around 40 to 42 inches.
It is recommended that you start out slowly with the plyometrics exercises and build up over a span of time.
The boxes you start with will not be 42 inches high in the beginning but your goal in the end of your training is to be at 42 inches with ease.