Upper-Body
Plyometrics
INCREASE
YOUR
MUSCULAR POWER
&
EXPLOSIVENESS
Five upper body plyometric exercises to gain power and explosiveness. Increase your speed and reaction time in any sport by incorporating these exercises into your weekly workout routine.
PLYOMETRIC PUSH-UP
From the high plank position, the athlete should move their hands just outside shoulder width at chest height, with external rotation in the elbows. The athlete can then lower into a push-up until the elbows reach just above a 90-degree angle and immediately begin concentric contraction. As fast as possible, the athlete should contract the pectoral muscles and extend at the elbows, with their hands leaving the ground as their elbows reach full extension.
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Modification: An athlete can perform the plyometric push-up from an elevated position with their hands above their feet.
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Progression: An athlete can perform the plyometric push-up with their feet elevated above their hands or with their hands elevated and greater depth of elbow flexion in the eccentric phase.
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BALL SLAM
From the standing or kneeling posistion with a neutral spine and glutes engaged, the athlete should lift a medicine ball or slam ball overhead while not overextending the lumbar spine. The athlete can immediately engage the abdominals and latissimus dorsi (lats), hinge from the fips, and actively throw the ball to the eflor directly in front of their feet (or their knees if kneeling). This allows their arms to continue their path of motion after the load is released. Their torso will come forward, and their hips will shift back. then the athlete should hinge at the hips into a squat with a neutral spine to pitch the ball back up and return to the starting position.
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Modification: The athlete can perform the ball slam with lighter wiehgted ball.
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Progression: The athlete can perform a unilateral (single-arm) ball slam or increase the weight of the ball. Moving into the transverse plane, the ball can be thrown laterally with a windmill release.
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OVERHEAD THROWS
This exercise can start with the athlete standing two to three feet from and facing a solid wall. Their stance is neutral with their feet just outside of their hips for stability. A split stance is also acceptable. The athlete can take a weighted ball overhead and move into the loaded position, which is slightly posterior to the middle of the top of the head with the lats and abdominals engaged. Immediatley, the athlete should throw the ball forward to the wall, keeping the hands high. The ball should rebound back into their hands overhead. It is important the prepetitions be completed consecutively.
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Modification: The athlete can complete the overhead throw from a kneeling position for more stability or with a lighter weight. The distance to the wall can be decreased as well.
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Progression: The athlete can complete the overhead throw unilaterally or bilaterally with a rotation to the target or increase the distance to the wall.
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CHEST PASS
Standing approximately for to fie feet in front of a wall with a neutral or staggered stance, the athlete should hold a medicine ball at chest height. The shoulders should remain down what the core engaged. With both hands on the ball, the athlete should load the ball as close to their chest as possible. The athlete should then immediately contract throughthe pectoral muscles and extend at the elbows to eplosively throw the ball straight-forward to the wall. The ball should rebound back into the extended hands. The athlete should immediately load tot eh chest and complete the subsequent repetition.
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Modification: The athlet can complete the chest pass from a seated or kneeling position or decrease the distance to the wall.
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Progression: The athlete can complete the chest pass unilaterally with rotation. The ball will be loaded and caught bilaterally and then unilaterally released. The distance from the wall can be increased as well.
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CHEST PASS
Standing approximately for to fie feet in front of a wall with a neutral or staggered stance, the athlete should hold a medicine ball at chest height. The shoulders should remain down what the core engaged. With both hands on the ball, the athlete should load the ball as close to their chest as possible. The athlete should then immediately contract throughthe pectoral muscles and extend at the elbows to eplosively throw the ball straight-forward to the wall. The ball should rebound back into the extended hands. The athlete should immediately load tot eh chest and complete the subsequent repetition.
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Modification: The athlet can complete the chest pass from a seated or kneeling position or decrease the distance to the wall.
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Progression: The athlete can complete the chest pass unilaterally with rotation. The ball will be loaded and caught bilaterally and then unilaterally released. The distance from the wall can be increased as well.
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SIDE TOSSES
For this exercise, the athlete should be positioned sideways next to a wall about two feet away. Holding a medicine ball at chest height with the elbows bent, the athlete should load by rotating through eh torso in the direction away from the wall. The athlete can then immediately rotate the torso toward the wall, releasing the ball to chest height. The ball should return to the hands. The athlete can immediately load in the opposite direction and complete the next consecutive repetition.
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Modification: The athlet can complete the side tosses with a lighter weight or decrease the distance to the wall.
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Progression: The athlete can complete the side tosses from a kneeling position with the forward leg positions closest to the wall and with the glutes engaged. The athlete should avoid hinging at the hips from a kneeling position. The distance to the wall can also be increased.
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plyometrics
LOWER-BODY PLYOMETRIC
EXERCISES
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Core
CORE
EXERCISES
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