Box jumps

Find a stable object, a chair or box for example. Then jump onto the box and immediately back down to the previous position. Then repeat. This completes one rep. Do 15-20. Do 5 sets of 15-20 reps and rest for a minute between sets.

Depth Jumps

Jump from the box then immediately blast off. Repeat that process to complete one rep. Do 10 reps and 3 sets. Rest for aabout 1 minute between sets.

Knee Tuck Jumps

This is one of the hardest exercises you will do, but it is massively effective. Try to do 20 reps and 3 sets with 2 or if you need more than 3 minutes of rest between sets. Again, if this is too difficult for you, work at your own pace.

Squat Jumps

Stand in a squat position for 2 seconds and explosively jump up as high as you can and repeat that process 10 times to complete a set of 10 reps. Do 2 sets with 1 minute break between the two sets.

Squat Hops

The picture is, I think pretty much self-explanatory. Do 5 reps and then blast off on the sixth rep. This completes one set. Do 5 sets with 1 or 2 minutes break, depending on your stamina.

Do the exercises in the order given here. Don’t be forced to finish them all if you sense that you are not “there yet”. Slow down, don’t overtrain. Start small, then gradually build up your muscles.

Lower Body Plyometric Exercises

Drop Jumping: - This exercise involves the athlete dropping (not jumping) to the ground from a raised platform or box, and then immediately jumping up. The drop down gives the pre-stretch to the leg muscles and the vigorous drive upwards the secondary concentric contraction The exercise will be more effective the shorter the time the feet are in contact with the ground. The loading in this exercise is governed by the height of the drop which should be in the region of 30-80 cm. Drop jumping is a relatively high impact form of plyometric training and would normally be introduced after the athlete had become accustomed to lower impact alternatives, such as two-footed jumping on the spot.

Bounding and hurdling: If forward motion is more the name of your game, try some bounding. This is a form of plyometric training, where over sized strides are used in the running action and extra time spent in the air. Two-legged bounds reduces the impact to be endured, but to increase the intensity one legged bounding, or hopping, can be used. Bounding upstairs is a useful way to work on both the vertical and horizontal aspects of the running action. Multiple jumps over a series of obstacles like hurdles is a valuable drill for athletes training for sprinting or jumping events.

Examples of lower body plyometric exercises with intensity level:

• Standing based jumps performed on the spot (low intensity) - Tuck Jumps, Split Jumps
• Jumps from standing (low-medium intensity) - Standing long jump, Standing hop, standing jump for height
• Multiple jumps from standing (medium intensity) - bounds, bunny hops, double footed jumps over low hurdle, double footed jumps up steps
• Multiple jumps with run in (High intensity) - 11 stride run + 2 hops and a jump into sandpit, 2 stride run in + bounds
• Depth jumping (high-very high intensity) - jumps down and up off box (40-100cm), bounding up hill
• Eccentric drop and hold drills (high-very high intensity) - hop and hold, bound/hop/bound/hop over 30m (athletes stops and holds on each landing before springing into the next move), drop and hold from a height > one metre

Upper Body Plyometric Exercises

A variety of drills can be used to make the upper body more explosive:
Press ups & hand clap: Press-ups with a hand clap in between is a particularly vigorous way to condition the arms and chest. The pre-stretch takes place as the hands arrive back on the ground and the chest sinks, and this is followed quickly by the explosive upwards action. Once again, to get the best training effect keep the time in contact with the ground to a minimum.
Medicine Ball: Another means of increasing upper body strength popular with throwers is to lie on the ground face up. A partner then drops a medicine ball down towards the chest of the athlete, who catches the ball (pre-stretch) and immediately throws it back. This is another high-intensity exercise and should only be used after some basic conditioning.