Plyometric Exercises for Runners

If you've read our previous article, Plyometrics for Runners: What They Are and How to Use Them, you'll already know that plyometric training is about much more than simply jumping as high as possible.

For runners, the real value lies in learning to produce force quickly, absorb it effectively and move from landing to take-off with control.

But which plyometric exercises should runners actually do?

The answer isn't necessarily the most difficult ones.

A good plyometric programme should progress from relatively simple movements towards exercises that place greater demands on coordination, force production and landing control. Hops, skips and bounds may not look particularly complicated, but performed properly they can provide exactly the type of fast, reactive loading that makes plyometric training relevant to running.

Here are some of the exercises runners can use to build that progression.

1. Pogo Jumps

Pogo jumps are one of the simplest places to start.

Stand tall with your feet approximately hip-width apart and perform a series of small, quick jumps using both legs. Think about bouncing from the ankles rather than dropping into a deep squat between repetitions.

The objective isn't height. It's to spend as little time on the ground as possible while maintaining good posture and control.

Your ankles, knees and hips should remain relatively stiff, with the movement coming predominantly from the ankle.

For runners, this makes pogo jumps particularly useful because they introduce the idea of reacting quickly to the ground without the complexity of a larger jump.

Think: quick off the ground, not high off the ground.

2. A-Skips

A-skips introduce more coordination while still keeping the overall loading relatively manageable.

Drive one knee upwards while pushing off the opposite foot, then switch sides in a rhythmic skipping action. Your foot should contact the ground underneath you rather than reaching forwards.

Unlike a normal skip, the movement should be deliberate and athletic. Stay tall through your torso, keep the rhythm controlled and concentrate on making each ground contact purposeful.

A-skips also begin to look and feel more like running than two-legged jumping exercises. You are alternating from one side to the other, coordinating the arms and legs and controlling your body position with every contact.

Don't rush them. Rhythm and posture matter more than covering the ground quickly.

3. Double-Leg Hops

Once you're comfortable with small vertical jumps, you can begin directing that force forwards.

Start with both feet together and hop forwards, landing on both feet before immediately moving into the next repetition.

The distance doesn't need to be large.

In fact, trying to cover too much ground often changes the exercise completely. The landing becomes heavier, ground contact gets longer and the movement starts becoming a series of standing long jumps rather than a reactive plyometric exercise.

Aim instead for consistent hops with quiet, controlled landings.

You should feel that you're moving forwards naturally rather than throwing yourself from one jump to the next.

4. Single-Leg Hops

Running is predominantly a single-leg activity, so progressing towards unilateral plyometric exercises makes sense.

Single-leg hops increase the demand considerably.

Standing on one leg, perform a series of controlled hops while maintaining balance and alignment through the ankle, knee and hip.

These can initially be performed on the spot before progressing forwards.

Don't underestimate them.

Moving from two legs to one doesn't simply make an exercise twice as difficult. Each leg now has to accept and produce force independently while you also control your balance and body position.

If your knee collapses inwards, your landing becomes uncontrolled or you're struggling to maintain rhythm, step back to an easier variation.

There is no prize for progressing before you're ready.

5. Bounds

Bounding is probably one of the plyometric exercises most runners will immediately recognise.

It looks like an exaggerated running stride: push strongly from one leg, travel forwards through the air and land on the opposite foot before repeating the movement.

The emphasis is on covering ground powerfully while maintaining good running posture.

Your arms should contribute naturally, your hips should remain tall and each landing should lead smoothly into the next bound.

Bounding can place considerably greater demands on the lower leg than simpler drills, which is precisely why it shouldn't necessarily be the first plyometric exercise you attempt.

Performed well, it is a powerful, coordinated movement.

Performed badly, it becomes little more than overstriding with added impact.

Bounding introduces greater force and coordination demands as runners progress to more dynamic plyometric exercises.

6. Split Jumps

Split jumps introduce a larger vertical component.

Start in a split stance with one foot in front of the other. Lower into a controlled position, jump vertically and switch your legs in the air so you land with the opposite foot forwards.

The movement requires power, coordination and control on landing.

Keep your torso upright and avoid allowing the front knee to collapse inwards. The landing should put you in a stable position from which you can produce the next jump.

You can perform individual repetitions with a reset between each jump before progressing towards continuous repetitions.

That pause can be useful.

Plyometric training doesn't have to mean performing everything as quickly as possible. If resetting allows you to maintain better technique, reset.

7. Squat Jumps

Squat jumps are simple to understand but easy to perform badly.

Start in a comfortable squat position and jump vertically as explosively as you can. Land under control, regain your position and repeat.

For runners new to plyometrics, performing each jump as an individual repetition is often preferable to immediately bouncing into the next one.

Why?

Because the purpose here is to develop force and good landing mechanics rather than simply accumulating repetitions.

If every jump becomes lower than the previous one, your landings get progressively heavier or your technique begins to deteriorate, the set has gone on too long.

Quality tells you when to stop.

8. Box Jumps

Box jumps often attract attention because the height of the box provides an obvious target.

That can also be their downfall.

The purpose of a box jump isn't to find the highest box you can possibly land on.

Jumping onto a sensible-height box can allow you to practise producing force explosively while landing at a higher level than your take-off point. Concentrate on jumping powerfully and landing quietly with both feet securely on the box.

You shouldn't need to pull your knees dramatically towards your chest simply to clear it.

If you do, the box is probably too high.

Step down between repetitions rather than jumping backwards from the box. The jump onto the box is the exercise; adding an unnecessary drop simply adds more impact.

What About Depth Jumps?

Depth jumps are another well-known plyometric exercise, but they deserve a little more respect.

Rather than jumping onto a box, you step from an elevated surface, land on the ground and immediately jump again.

That rapid transition can create a substantial plyometric stimulus, but it also increases the forces you have to absorb and redirect.

For that reason, depth jumps aren't where most runners should begin.

Build the foundations first.

If you can't perform pogo jumps, hops and bounds with good control, adding height and greater landing forces won't magically make the training more effective.

More advanced isn't automatically better.

How Do You Choose the Right Plyometric Exercises?

You don't need to perform every exercise in this article.

In fact, you probably shouldn't.

Choose a small number that match your current ability and perform them well. A runner starting plyometric training might begin with relatively simple two-legged movements and skipping drills before introducing single-leg hops, bounds and more demanding jumps.

A more experienced athlete may already have the strength, coordination and training background required to use advanced exercises.

The important word is progression.

As Dave Chanter explained in our introduction to plyometrics, you earn the right to progress by demonstrating control at the level you're already at.

The same principle applies here.

Don't progress because an exercise looks easy.

Progress because you can perform it consistently well.

How Many Plyometric Exercises Should Runners Do?

Plyometric training doesn't need to become another long workout squeezed into an already busy running week.

A few carefully selected exercises performed with intent can provide plenty of stimulus.

Rather than thinking in terms of completing as many repetitions as possible, think about the quality of every ground contact.

If you're performing ten repetitions but the final four are slow, heavy and poorly controlled, you haven't really completed ten good repetitions.

You completed six.

Stop before fatigue changes the movement you're trying to train.

This is one of the fundamental differences between plyometric training and conditioning. The aim isn't to leave yourself exhausted.

The aim is to perform explosive movements well.

Where Should Plyometric Exercises Fit Into Your Training?

Because plyometrics depend on speed, coordination and force production, they are best performed when you're relatively fresh.

That generally means after an appropriate warm-up rather than at the end of a demanding run when your legs are already fatigued.

They can form part of a dedicated strength and conditioning session or be incorporated into your wider running programme, depending on your training experience and goals.

Remember that plyometrics still contribute to your overall training load. If you're combining strength and endurance training, how those different sessions fit together also matters.

A session containing jumps, hops and bounds may be short, but your muscles and tendons still have to absorb those forces. More running plus more strength work plus more plyometrics isn't automatically a better programme.

Training only works when you can recover from it.

Start Simple and Earn the Progression

Plyometric exercises can look deceptively simple.

A hop is just a hop. A skip is just a skip. A jump is something most of us have been doing since childhood.

But when these movements are used for training, how you perform them matters.

Start with exercises you can control. Land well. Keep your movements sharp. Stop when the quality begins to disappear.

Then progress.

For runners, plyometrics don't need to be complicated to be effective. The goal isn't to become better at performing elaborate jumping drills.

It's to use those drills to become a stronger, more reactive and more efficient runner.

In our next article, we'll look at how to turn individual exercises into a plyometric training programme — including where to start, how often to train and how to progress without simply adding more and more jumps.

References

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2. Eihara Y, Takao K, Sugiyama T, Maeo S, Terada M, Kanehisa H, Isaka T. Heavy resistance training versus plyometric training for improving running economy and running time trial performance: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sports Medicine – Open. 2022.
3. Lum D, Barbosa TM, Joseph R, Balasekaran G. Effects of isometric strength and plyometric training on running performance: a randomized controlled study. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport. 2022.
4. Bonacci J, Fox A, Hall M, Fuller JT, Vicenzino B. A comparison of plantarflexor musculotendon unit output between plyometric exercises and running. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport. 2022;25(4):334–339.