THE NEW PLYO POWER-UP

How modern takes on an old fitness favorite can calibrate your training for an insta-boost of athleticism and strength.

- ANDREW HEFFERNAN, C.S.C.S.

SCROLL FITNESS INSTAGRAM and Tik Tok and you'll see @jtm_fit doing flying pushups off (or onto!) a stack of dumbbells, @JustFlySports bounding across 20 meters of turfon just... one...leg, and @BrotherFaris doing insane hurdle hops.

It's a frenetic feed of jumps and leaps and explosive moves that might make you wonder if your own workout needs revving up. And the truth is, this time the fitfluencers are actually onto something.

All those viral posts have reintroduced aclassic kind of movement called plyometrics, a specialized training modality that pushes your body to essentially jump, land, and then immediately jump again. These high-speed training moves are usually reserved for pro athletes, because the exercises can be very technical (and when performed incorrectly can increase your risk of injury) and sports scientists have long felt there were only marginal benefits for civilians.

But new research reveals that injecting a few plyometric drills into your regular routine can enhance your overall athleticism. "Whether you're hoping to play pickup hoops or chase your kids around long into midlife, plyometrics makes you more durable for those tasks," says Paul Fabritz, C.S.C.S., who trains top NBA players like James Harden.

The first-ever plyo drill was originally implemented in the 1960s by Russian track coach Yuri Verkhoshansky, who had athletes jump from a box onto the ground, then jump again, and repeat. Doing plyometrics helped his sprinters find an extra gear in competition thanks largely to improved power production, and over the past few decades, trainers have embraced similar ideas while working with elite athletes.