How to use…
The Plyo Steps Station (#11)
The logo for Windermere Community Fitness Park is a person jumping from a plyo box. A feature like a box or step is an essential part of any fitness park design. The Plyo Steps Station here at Windermere Community Fitness Park encourages jumping, bounding, and landing, primary actions common to childhood play that are essential to becoming a stronger adult.
Why are plyometric actions like jumping, bounding and landing a good thing for adults? These actions generate larger forces than conventional controlled weight training exercise and mimic the actions, forces and movements common to nearly all sports. By including plyometric exercises as a minor but potent part of your exercise routine, you’ll be developing strength, power, resilience and resistance to injury. Too much plyometric activities without sufficient recovery time between training sessions can lead to injury. Find your balance.
How-to Animations:
The how-to animations below provide snippets of exercises demonstrating proper form, posture and positioning.
1. One leg step up
Notes:
Of course, the Plyo Steps can be used for more than jumping and bounding. Including controlled, traditional exercises like the step up is an important first step to build strength and balance prior to including plyometric actions. Step ups are an analog to squats with the same muscles involved.
Muscles used:
Anterior mid section – abdominals, external obliques as stabilizers
Posterior mid section – erector spinae as stabilizers
Lower body – gluteals, upper hamstrings, quadriceps, as prime movers
Difficulty:
2. One leg step up with hip flexion
Notes:
When you’re ready, take the basic step up a little further. Include a knee thrust to add more muscle involvement, more balance, and more practicality than the option above.
Muscles used:
Anterior mid section – hip flexors (iliopsoas, rectus femoris) as prime movers in the knee thrust; abdominals, external obliques as stabilizers
Posterior mid section – erector spinae as stabilizers
Lower body – gluteals, upper hamstrings, quadriceps, as prime movers
Difficulty:
3. Step up and down
Notes:
Stepping up and down adds a dynamic component beyond the options above. This exercise could also be used as a cardio component within a visit to the fitness park, performed at a slowed-down rate, and extended for a few minutes.
Muscles used:
Anterior mid section – hip flexors (iliopsoas, rectus femoris) as prime movers in the knee thrust; abdominals, external obliques as stabilizers
Posterior mid section – erector spinae as stabilizers
Lower body – gluteals, upper hamstrings, quadriceps, as prime movers
Difficulty:
4. Step up and down with arms
Notes:
Stepping up and down while lifting the arms increases the muscles and joint involvement over the option above and makes the movement resemble that of real life, real sport. For instance, volleyball players might see some transference to the court.
Muscles used:
Shoulders – anterior, medial and posterior deltoids
Anterior mid section – hip flexors (iliopsoas, rectus femoris) as prime movers in the knee thrust; abdominals, external obliques as stabilizers
Posterior mid section – erector spinae as stabilizers
Lower body – gluteals, upper hamstrings, quadriceps, as prime movers
Difficulty:
5. Jump up and step down
Notes:
This exercise, jump up and step down, is the first on this page where larger forces than conventional weight training are generated. The relatively small explosive effort required to jump up is a plyometric movement. Increase this effort required for this exercise by moving to a taller step.
Muscles used:
Shoulders – anterior, medial deltoids to accelerate arms
Anterior mid section – abdominals, external obliques as stabilizers
Posterior mid section – erector spinae as stabilizers
Lower body – gluteals, upper hamstrings, quadriceps, as prime movers
Difficulty:
6. Jump up and jump down
Notes:
This is a bonafide plyometric exercise with more stress involved than a comparable conventional weight training exercise like a squat. The double jumps produce a big acceleration force on the jump up and a big deceleration force on the jump down. As with the above exercise, the “jump and jump” can be made tougher by moving to higher steps.
Muscles used:
Shoulders – anterior, medial deltoids to accelerate arms
Anterior mid section – abdominals, external obliques as stabilizers
Posterior mid section – erector spinae as stabilizers
Lower body – gluteals, upper hamstrings, quadriceps, as prime movers
Difficulty:
7. Jump down and bound
Notes:
This plyometric exercise ups the ante from the “jump and jump” variation above by adding the explosive bounding action upon landing from the jump. This rapid change in force and direction is a potent stressor for the lower body’s joints, connective tissue and muscles so, as with all plyometric movements, don’t do too much too soon and allow plenty of recovery time between sessions where plyometric are included.
Muscles used:
Shoulders – anterior, medial deltoids to accelerate arms
Anterior mid section – abdominals, external obliques as stabilizers
Posterior mid section – erector spinae as stabilizers
Lower body – gluteals, upper hamstrings, quadriceps, as prime movers
Difficulty:
8. Plyo steps travel
Notes:
When you’re ready, this variation checks all the boxes for quality and potent plyometric work. For maximum effect, start this exercise on the ground and finish on the ground, initial and final phases of the exercise sequence not shown in the animation.
Muscles used:
Shoulders – anterior, medial deltoids to accelerate arms
Anterior mid section – abdominals, external obliques as stabilizers
Posterior mid section – erector spinae as stabilizers
Lower body – gluteals, upper hamstrings, quadriceps, as prime movers
Difficulty:
9. Lateral steps
Notes:
Half resistance exercise, half cardio, “lateral steps” is one of those movements in a special category of belonging to both of these fitness modalities. Try this action on the taller steps as you progress. Lateral steps improves coordination and balance as well as strength and endurance.
Muscles used:
Shoulders – anterior, medial deltoids to accelerate arms
Anterior mid section – abdominals, external obliques as stabilizers
Posterior mid section – erector spinae as stabilizers
Lower body – gluteals, upper hamstrings, quadriceps, as prime movers
Difficulty:
10. Lateral bounding
Notes:
In the exercise above, both feet are on the bench at the apex of the movement. With this variation, lateral bounding, one foot replaces the other at the apex of the movement, indicating the extra force of acceleration inherent in bounding. Try a taller step once you’re comfortable with lateral bounding.
Muscles used:
Shoulders – anterior, medial deltoids to accelerate arms
Anterior mid section – abdominals, external obliques as stabilizers
Posterior mid section – erector spinae as stabilizers
Lower body – gluteals, upper hamstrings, quadriceps, as prime movers
Difficulty:
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