Plyometric Workouts for Cyclists and Triathletes

Cyclists, mountain bikers and triathletes are often hesitant to try plyometrics because they don’t know where to begin. In this blog, I’ll give you a basic floor routine that you can use to get started. Also included are instructions for more advanced athletes.

General Instructions for All Plyometric Workouts

Plyometric workouts need to be done on a good jumping surface. Concrete or other very hard floors should be avoided. Also, a good pair of crosstraining or court shoes should be used for plyometric (plyo) workouts.

Warm-up 10 to 20 minutes on a bike or running before starting a plyo workout. After your warm-up, do plyos first, then weights. (Typically the PE phase if you’re following one of my training plans). When jumping, imagine energy is stored in your legs, like a spring. On the four-square plyos, accuracy is first, then speed.

Taping two pieces of athletic tape together, sticky side to sticky side can make a portable four-square. You can take the square to the basketball court or workout room floor at your local gym. Or, a square can be made on the floor by simply taping the pattern on flat carpeting or a wooden floor.

For counting on the four-square, if the pattern calls for square 1 to 2, a count of "one" is when your feet return to square 1. On the boxes, a count of "one" is when your feet land on the top of the box. For jumping rope, "one"' is each time your feet strike the ground.

On the boxes, draw the knees towards your chin and avoid bending your torso towards your knees. Summons the power from your legs. After landing on the box or on the ground, try to get off of that surface as quickly as possible. The movements are fast and powerful – yet control and safety are important.

Rest between jumps, until you are fully recovered – about one to three minutes. For example, Week 1 on the box plyos, jump 15 times on the four- inch box, rest two minutes, then jump 15 times again. When doing single leg jumps, alternate right leg, then left leg. Don’t do all right leg sets before going to the left leg. Rest two or three minutes after both legs have completed one set.

Record the time it takes to complete each jump drill in the blank provided. (ex: 6-inch box, both legs - 20 sec).

Athletes just beginning plyometrics should do the lower number of sets indicated and start with the four-square or rope-jumping. Another option is to cut the number of jumps in half.

Intermediate plyo athletes can either do the higher number of sets on the four-square or move to box-jumping. Again, if just beginning to work with boxes, do the lower number of sets indicated.

Advanced athletes can move to plyometrics two days per week, one day of four-square and one day of boxes Be sure to separate workouts separated by at least 48 hours.