The Definitive Guide to the Best Plyometric Box Training and Why You Need One

Plyometric exercises are quick, powerful movements. These exercises typically consist of rapid stretching and rapid contracting of a muscle in the attempt to make the muscle more elastic. Plyometrics are often included in a rehabilitation program after an injury to get back in good shape and physical function.

If you’re looking for the best plyo boxes, or want to know more about this type of training, then you’ve come to the right place.

Here you’ll learn about plyometric exercises, how they can benefit your body and what you should look for in the best plyo boxes. We’ll also look at the best plyo boxes of 2022, so you can decide which one is best for you.

What Are Plyometric Boxes?

Plyometric Boxes, also known as Plyo boxes or sets, are used in athletic training to improve explosive power and speed. They are usually around 18 inches high and 12 inches wide.

They can be placed on the ground or a bench. When they are placed on the ground, enough space must be provided so athletes do not run into them when jumping up onto them. The plyo box will usually be 10 feet away from the wall so athletes can leap and land against it. This allows for a better landing and makes the exercise more difficult.

Plyometrics uses different body moves involving the legs, waist and arms. Plyometrics can be of two types: static and dynamic. A static exercise requires the athlete to hold a specific position for a certain time. The dynamic exercise involves the athlete moving rapidly.

Plyometric boxes are not used in all exercises for this type of training. They are very helpful when performing long jumps and high jumps. The aim of using plyometric boxes is to improve the range of motion for explosive movements.

How Can Plyometric Boxes Improve Your Performance

Plyometric boxes are one of the most important pieces of equipment you can have in your exercise facility or gym. Not only are they affordable enough that anyone can buy one without closing the bank on them, but they're also incredibly versatile. 

It's easy to see that there can be many ways to improve performance. Just like any other training method, plyometric boxes offer benefits to both coaches and athletes.

When athletes are training for a sport, coaches try to make sure that one of the sessions per week involves working with plyometric boxes. The benefits are too great to ignore, and you will not find an athlete who couldn't benefit from plyometrics. 

As far as the athlete is concerned, plyometric training allows you to train fast-twitch muscle fibres in ways that can't be replicated when using weights. The result is that you're able to increase your power and speed in a very short period of time. And this is especially true for athletes who haven't done any weight training before.

Plyometric training is intrinsically linked with explosive movement, power, agility and speed. For this reason, it's an ideal training method for coaches who are looking to increase performance in athletes. 

The biggest problem that most people have with plyo boxes is the intimidation they feel when using them. If you spend a week or so working with plyometrics, however, you'll quickly see how effective and beneficial they can be.

Why Are Plyometric Boxes Beneficial in Various Situations?

Why do you use a plyometric box? Well, plyometric boxes are beneficial in various situations because of multiple reasons. 

1. Plyometric boxes are portable, easy to set up and can be safe depending on how you use them. Because plyometric boxes come in many different sizes, it is important to find the size that is right for you. 

2. Plyometric boxes are also beneficial because they can provide great training for a variety of activities. You can train with plyometric workouts to improve your speed, vertical jump, plyometric power and quickness. 

3. Plyometric boxes can also help with your psychological development because of how you need to focus on what you are doing with the plyometric box exercises. For example, you'll need to learn how to land from high box jumps.

4. Plyometric boxes can also help with your training for other sports because of how they can improve your athletic performance. For example, if you are playing baseball, you can train with plyometric boxes to increase your speed at the plate and throw a baseball faster. 

5. Plyometric boxes are also beneficial because they are non-impact. Instead of getting hurt from impact, you'll feel less stress on your joints when you work with plyometric boxes.

6. You can also improve your footwork with plyometric boxes because of how they force you to balance yourself when you do different plyometric box exercises.

7. You can train with plyometric boxes indoors or outdoors depending on your circumstances.

8. Plyometric boxes don't require a lot of maintenance. 

9. Plyometric boxes are also beneficial because they can be used during your warm-up or cool-down.

10. Plyometric boxes are also beneficial because they are cost-effective and don't require a lot of space.

How to Get the Most Out of Plyometric Boxes

If you want to get the most out of your plyometric boxes, you need to make sure that you find the right box for your situation. As with any exercise equipment, there are boxes of different sizes and colours. This means that before you make a purchase, make sure that you're familiar with all the differences.

You should also know which plyometric exercises best suit your goal. It's important to understand the difference between the different plyometric exercises you can do with plyometric boxes. 

You'll want to take into account how your body will respond to the different exercises. There are many things that you need to consider before investing in your plyometric equipment.

Get a coach or a trainer to help you make the most of your plyometric boxes. The first step towards a great workout is finding a good trainer that knows how to use plyometric boxes. It's important to remember that there are different types of plyometrics, and you'll want to make sure that you're using the right exercises for your body.

Here's a video from John Shepherd, an ex Team GB long jumper and now plyometric training coach to top athletes of different training ages.

What is a Plyometric Exercise

Plyometric exercises also called "jump training", are integrative explosive training. These exercises involve using the stretched elastic properties of our muscles, tendons and ligaments to produce extreme forces in short periods of time.

Eccentric contraction: The eccentric contractions are the contracting portion of plyometric exercise. While they don't produce much force, they can help to protect against injury. In the eccentric phase, the muscle is absorbing force, where it can damage the surrounding tissues. When you absorb energy due to impact forces it helps to protect your joints and your muscles.

Concentric contraction: The primary function of these is to create force. These are the main reason exercises are plyometric. In the concentric phase, the muscle will perform an eccentric movement or two to generate force. This is where the plyometric training should be focused. These are the exercises that'll help you to use the plyometric techniques more efficiently.

Amortization phase: When landing, the amortization phase is when you strike the ground and absorb force, then go into another eccentric (lengthening) contraction that decelerates the body to a resting state.

How Plyometrics Helps to Improve Explosive Power

Plyometric exercises are used in sports training to improve an athlete's ability to create explosive power. This is done by its ability to increase the stretch reflex of muscle-tendon units, which can enhance their elastic recoil properties. It allows an athlete to generate more force by increasing the tension on a muscle-tendon unit, thus placing a greater strain on the tendon and muscle. In addition, plyometric workouts can also be used to strengthen muscles through their effect on the elastic recoil of the muscle-tendon unit.

Plyometric training focuses on muscle action or muscle function, rather than on the production of force. This is important because it allows an athlete to train at loads close to the maximum without suffering from severe mental or physical fatigue. That's because the strength developed is primarily neural in origin and as such it can be developed quickly and effectively.

Types of Exercises Using Plyo Boxes

Plyometrics is a type of training that can be broken down into two different categories. The first of the two types of plyometrics are explosive exercises. The second is elastic training. Plyometrics Training

Explosive Exercises (Concentric)

These exercises are fast-paced exercises that are designed to improve your explosive leg strength. The exercises mainly involve your quads, hamstrings, calves, hips and glutes. These exercises are most effective when you do them with a partner or a coach.

Elastic Exercises (Eccentric)

Elastic training is a type of training that focuses on improving your muscles' ability to rebound from impact. elastic training exercises involve focusing on your entire body.

The bottom line is plyometrics is a type of training that can help athletes improve their performance. But, by understanding the different types of plyometrics, you will be able to figure out which is right for you.

Benefits of Using Plyometric Platform for Exercises

There are many benefits of plyo exercises and all of them include improved explosive power and improved muscle strength. Let's look at some of the benefits of plyo boxes training:

1. Versatility: Plyometric boxes can be used for training and warming up. Plyometric boxes are an excellent tool for both beginners and advanced bodybuilders since it is a low-cost, high impact training tool that can help improve sports performance as well as muscle performance.

2. Faster running speeds: Plyometric exercises help athletes develop better sprinting speed because of their ability to develop elastic recoil of muscle tissues.

3. Weight loss: Plyometric boxes are an excellent fat burning tool. Exercises like box jumps and box skips can help you lose weight.

4. Increase biceps development: Plyometrics exercises help to build muscle in the upper body, especially your biceps. There are other exercises you can do that uses both plyo boxes and other fitness tools such as barbells, kettlebells, and resistance bands. 

5. Excellent cardio workout: Box jumps offer a great low impact, high resistance cardio exercise that you can do anywhere. Plyometric exercises offer a great cardio workout without a lot of impact on the joints.

6. Stronger tendons: Plyometrics help increase your tendon strength. Plyometric exercises offer a great way to build strength without putting too much load on your tendons.

7. Complete full-body workout: By using plyometric boxes, you can do several exercises that working your entire body.

8. Reduce the risk of injury: Plyometrics offer an excellent way to reduce the risk of injury because it is a low-impact exercise that does not put too much stress on your joints or spine. It also strengthens your muscles, tendons, and ligaments which can help them to absorb impact better.

9. Balance and coordination: Plyometric exercises help to improve your balance and coordination since the training involves a lot of movements that require your brain to have complete control.

Plyometric Training Workouts for Athletes and Beginners

Many people like the idea of plyometric training because it offers great benefits for athletes and non-athletes alike. There are different plyometric training techniques found in the world of sports. 

Here are lower body and upper body plyometric exercises for beginners:

Lower Body Plyo Exercises

1. Jump-off Box Landing

Before you learn how to jump, first learn to land. Start on a slightly elevated surface, anywhere from 2 inches high to 1 foot, that doesn't feel too high for you. This will give you the confidence that you can land without any injuries.

2. Low Box Step Up

Box step-ups target the quads, hamstrings, gluteal muscles, lats, spinal erectors, Achilles tendons, and calves. It is an effective lower body exercise that uses the plyo box where it is practically impossible for a person to fail. It requires low-level skill making it a great starting point for athletes of all different ability levels.  

3. Box Jumps

Start with a standing position with the plyo box in front. Jump onto the box using a two-foot take off while both feet land on the box simultaneously. Jump up and down on the box while counting the number of jumps done. The box jump targets the glutes, quads, hamstrings, and calves. 

4. Box Jump Over

In the box jump over, the athlete can choose to jump up on top of the box and then jump down on the other side or he can jump completely over the box and land on the floor. If jumping on the box, then to the other side, there is no requirement to stand tall while on top of the box. 

5. Side Box Shuffle

Side-box shuffles exercise the muscles in your lower body and your core specifically the calves, hamstrings, quads, glutes, hip flexors and abdominals. They are also great for cardio movement. In the side box shuffle, the athlete jump over the box landing with one foot on the ground and the other foot on top of the box.

6. Squat Box Jump

The squat box jump is simply a box jump with a full deep squat movement. Start with a full squat position on the floor and jump up onto the plyo box. The squat jumps develop explosive leg and hip extension and help improve speed and acceleration. 

Upper Body Plyo Exercises

1. Box Push Up

Box push up or plyo pushups work your chest, triceps, abs, and shoulders. It is simply performing a regular push up with the use of plyo boxes that adds an incline to the exercise. With your hands on the top corner of the box and shoulders width apart, lower your torso to the box by bending your elbows then drive back up to a straight arm position. 

2. Depth Push Up 

Depth push-ups primarily target the chest, middle back, shoulders, and triceps. Placing two flat plyo stacks parallel to each other on the ground while you assume the standard push up position in the centre. Begin with bending your elbows and lowering your chest down to the ground, then explode off the ground pushing as hard as you can and land your hands on the plyo stack. Next, drop your chest for another push-up on the plyo stack, push yourself back up and move your hands to the ground. 

3. Box Dip

The box dip is a great alternative for box push up if you want to switch it up a bit while still hitting the same body parts. Start by sitting on the edge of the plyo box. With your palms securely holding the edge, extend your legs together in front of you and slowly lower yourself. Press your torso back up until your elbows extend straight for a complete dip. 

4. Box Squat

The box squat is actually a compound exercise that use a barbell and plyometric box to work the upper and lower muscles in your body. When performing a box squat, rest the barbell on your upper back then start lowering your body until you are sitting on the plyometric box for one count then return to a standing position. The depth of the squat position will depend on the height of your plyometric box. Box squats work your hamstrings, quads, glutes, calves, core, and upper body.

Plyometric Training Common Mistakes and Injuries

Plyometric training is very popular among athletes, but many people do plyometric exercises in the wrong way that can cause injuries. Here are some common mistakes to avoid in order to prevent crashes and injuries when doing plyometric exercises.

1. Not warming up fully: Before doing plyometric exercises you should always warm up to get the body ready. This is because the body needs to get the blood filling it and circulating through all of your muscles. To do this, start with a light jog and then finish off with some sprints. Depending on your fitness level, you can choose to do some stretching or yoga poses to get your body ready. It is always best to start with a light warm-up before working out and then finish it up with a foam roller to prevent soreness.

2. Taking it too far and overestimating your capacity: Everyone has a different capacity in terms of strength and ability in the gym. It is best to gauge your capabilities instead of overestimating them. Make sure that you are listening to your body and not overworking it.

3. Not learning to catch the rebound - During the landing phase of plyometric exercises, it is very important to learn how to land properly to prevent injuries. When jumping, always land softly on the balls of your feet then you should be able to catch the rebound to make sure that your knees are aligned with your ankles.

4. Not mixing it up - Always mix up what you do so that you don’t become stale and the plyometric exercises become predictable. If you stick with one type of exercise for too long, then your body will eventually adapt and you will lose your effectiveness. The more challenging the exercise, the more you will benefit from it. 

5. Using improper techniques - One of the main causes of injuries with plyometric exercises is improper technique. When you are doing plyometric exercises you need to be sure that your form is correct in order to benefit the most from them. 

Common Plyo Injuries

There are many injuries that can come from doing plyometric exercises. The most common injuries are strained tendons, pulled or torn ligaments, broken bones, or sprained joints. 

1. Strained Tendons: When doing plyometric exercises, if you are jumping for a very high distance or height then your body might not have enough time to adjust and absorb the impact from landing on the ground. Your body will then tense up and tighten to protect itself from injury. Over time this can lead to tendon injuries.

2. Pulled or Torn Ligaments: When doing plyometric exercises, the main ligaments that are affected are the ACL, PCL, MCL, and LCL. These are the ones that will be strained when you land or when you are in the air when doing box jumps. If your feet are not properly grounded when you are landing, then your knees will have to absorb most of the force instead of being relaxed. This will make it harder for your ligaments to stabilize your knee.

3. Fractures or Broken Bones: If you are doing plyometric exercises that involve jumping onto a high box with no proper equipment then most likely you will most likely fracture your ankle, foot, leg, or knee. Most of the time the bones are broken in your foot or lower leg. The other injuries are very uncommon because these exercises don’t involve much force to cause them.

4. Scraped Shins: This is very common in plyometric exercises that involve jumping onto a high box. When jumping off the box and landing on your feet, you will scrape your shins or feet on the box. This isn’t a serious injury, but it will leave you bruised and can possibly cut you.

How to Choose the Right Plyo Box 

When choosing the right plyometric box, you need to look at several factors. Always listen to your body first and then consider the other factors that will help your performance. 

1. Plyometric Box Height: The height of your plyometric box will also depend on your fitness level. Beginners should begin with a box height of 12 to 18 inches. Advanced athletes will need a box with a height of 24 to 30 inches.

2. Plyometric Box Size: Before buying a plyometric box, you need to know what size of the box it is. The working platform area should be wide enough to comfortably jump in and offer stability. 

3. Plyometric Box Weight - If the box is too heavy then you won’t be able to move it when doing plyometric exercises. You should make sure that the box is light enough to jump and move around with ease. 

4. Plyometric Box Style: The plyometric box style is very important because it can affect your performance and how you jump. Some plyometric box styles are raised up on one end, are square with rounded edges, or are tapered with rounded edges. 

5. Plyometric Box Material: Plyometric box cushioning is very important to keep your knees safe. Having a very soft landing surface will give you a little less impact when you land. Foam plyometric box is ideal for indoor use because it is clean, smooth, and durable. The foam absorbs the impact and cushions your feet and knees especially when you miss some of your jumps. It is also the most cost-effective type. 

Morgan Plyo Boxes is made of high-density EVA foam covered with non-skid vinyl. It's a beginner-friendly plyo box that absorbs impacts on landing and minimises the risk of injury during jump training. The three-plyo box set can be stacked on top of each other for desired plyo box height for a more challenging jump. 

Morgan Sports is an industry leader in commercial sports equipment in Australia. We offer high-grade fitness equipment for gyms and sports organizations so their athletes and fitness members can reach their full potential and lead healthier lives.

Final Thoughts

It is important to always listen to your body and use proper form when jumping. Plyometrics are very beneficial, but they are not without their risks. Make sure that you know the tips above that will help prevent injuries with plyometrics.

Contact Morgan Sports for all your commercial fitness equipment needs.