Plyometric Training for Runners: How to Get Started

Plyometric training can be a valuable addition to a runner's training programme, but adding it does not mean suddenly filling your week with jumping exercises.

Running already places considerable repetitive load through the legs. Add long runs, intervals, hills and perhaps strength training, and there is already plenty for the body to absorb.

The aim, therefore, is not simply to do more.

It is to introduce plyometric training in a way that complements the running you are already doing.

If you are new to plyometrics, a relatively small amount of well-executed work can be enough to get started. From there, the training can develop gradually as your ability to tolerate and perform the movements improves.

Start With Your Current Training, Not the Plyometrics

Before deciding how much plyometric training to do, look at the training week you already have.

A runner completing three relatively easy runs each week has a very different starting point from somebody running six days a week with intervals, hills, a long run and two strength sessions.

Plyometrics create another training demand, particularly through the muscles and tendons of the lower body. They therefore need to be considered as part of your total training load, rather than as a few extra exercises that do not really count.

This is particularly important when you first introduce them.

Instead of asking:

"How many plyometric sessions should I do?"

A better first question is:

"Where can plyometric training fit into what I already do?"

How Often Should Runners Do Plyometric Training?

If you have never deliberately included plyometrics in your training before, one session per week is a sensible place to start.

That may sound conservative, particularly when research programmes and more experienced athletes sometimes use plyometric training several times per week.

But there is an important difference between what somebody can do and what they need to do when introducing a new form of training.

One session gives you an opportunity to learn the movements, assess how your body responds and build consistency without immediately adding several new sources of fatigue to your week.

As you become more experienced, two sessions per week may be appropriate. There is no need, however, to progress simply because a certain number of weeks have passed.

Progress when the work you are already doing is being performed well and recovered from well.

Where Should Plyometrics Fit Into Your Running Week?

There is no single weekly schedule that will suit every runner.

Your running volume, experience, strength training, work and family commitments, injury history and goals all influence where another training stimulus can sensibly fit.

There is, however, one useful principle:

Try not to turn every day into a hard day.

If you already have a demanding running session planned, it can sometimes make more sense to incorporate a small amount of plyometric work into the same training day rather than placing it on what should have been an easier recovery day.

For example, a runner training five times per week might organise the week like this:

Monday: Easy run
Tuesday: Plyometrics + running session
Wednesday: Easy or recovery run
Thursday: Strength training
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Running session
Sunday: Long run

That is only an example, not a programme to copy.

The important point is that the plyometric work has been deliberately positioned within the week rather than simply added wherever there happens to be a spare half-hour.

Should You Do Plyometrics Before or After Running?

When plyometrics and running are performed in the same session, we would generally favour doing the plyometric work before the main running session, following an appropriate warm-up.

Plyometrics depend on speed, coordination and the ability to produce force quickly. Those qualities are difficult to train properly when your legs are already fatigued from a demanding run.

Think about plyometrics as quality work rather than conditioning.

The objective is not to see how many jumps you can still perform when you are exhausted.

If your landing mechanics, coordination or speed begin to deteriorate, the quality of the exercise has already changed.

There is little value in adding repetitions simply to make the session harder.

How Much Plyometric Training Should You Do?

This is where runners can easily fall into the trap of treating plyometrics like a conventional workout.

More exercises. More sets. More repetitions.

More must mean better.

It doesn't.

For somebody starting out, a plyometric session does not need a long list of exercises. Choose a small number of movements you can perform properly and concentrate on executing them well.

The exercises themselves can come from the progressions discussed in our guide to plyometric exercises for runners, but your first session should sit comfortably towards the simpler end of those progressions.

The exact number of repetitions will depend on the exercise. Ten controlled pogo jumps and ten demanding single-leg bounds are not equivalent simply because both involve ten ground contacts.

That is why counting repetitions alone can be misleading.

The intensity and complexity of the movement matter too.

Build the Training Before You Build the Difficulty

Progression in plyometric training does not have to mean moving immediately to a harder exercise.

You have several ways to progress.

You can increase the number of repetitions. Add another set. Introduce a second weekly session. Progress from two-legged to single-leg movements. Increase the speed or explosiveness of an exercise. Or eventually introduce more demanding movements.

But you do not need to change all of those things at once.

In fact, you shouldn't.

Change one element and give your body time to adapt to it.

If you have increased the amount of plyometric work you perform, there is little reason to simultaneously increase its difficulty and frequency.

A progression only works if you can absorb it.

Give Yourself Time to Recover

One of the advantages of plyometric training is that a session can be relatively short.

That does not mean it carries no recovery cost.

Muscles, tendons and the nervous system have all been asked to deal with rapid force production and repeated ground contacts. That needs to be considered alongside the stress created by your running and any strength training you are doing.

This becomes particularly relevant when combining several forms of training.

We have previously looked at combining strength and endurance training successfully, and the same broader principle applies here: different training methods need to complement one another rather than continually compete for the same recovery resources.

If introducing plyometrics leaves your legs consistently heavy for subsequent running sessions, look at the overall programme before assuming the answer is simply to push through it.

The problem may not be the plyometrics themselves.

It may be where you have put them.

Plyometric training adds to your overall training load, so recovery needs to be considered alongside running and strength work.

Don't Progress Because the Calendar Says So

Training plans often encourage us to think in neat blocks.

Week one. Week two. Week three. Time to progress.

Your body does not read the plan.

Two runners can start exactly the same plyometric programme and respond differently. One may quickly become comfortable with the movements while the other needs considerably longer.

So look at what is actually happening.

Are your landings controlled?

Can you maintain good posture?

Are the movements still quick and coordinated?

Are you recovering comfortably before your next important training session?

If the answer is yes, you may be ready to progress.

If the answer is no, repeating the same level of training is not failure. It is training appropriately.

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

A Simple Way to Start

If you are completely new to plyometric training, keep the first few weeks uncomplicated.

Start with one session each week. Choose a small number of relatively simple exercises. Perform them after warming up and while you are fresh. Keep the volume manageable and give yourself enough recovery between sets to maintain good technique.

Then observe what happens.

Not just during the plyometric session, but over the following day or two.

How do your legs feel? Has the session affected your running? Are you maintaining the same quality from the first repetition to the last?

Once that becomes familiar, you have something to build on.

That is a much better foundation than starting with an ambitious programme simply because it looks more impressive on paper.

Final Thoughts

Plyometric training for runners does not need to be complicated.

The exercises can be simple and the sessions relatively short. What matters is how they fit into the bigger picture.

Start with the running you already do. Find an appropriate place for plyometrics within that training rather than simply adding more work. Begin with a manageable amount, prioritise quality and allow progression to happen gradually.

Plyometrics are there to support your running.

When they begin compromising the training they are supposed to support, it is worth asking whether you are doing too much, progressing too quickly or simply putting them in the wrong place.

Start small. Do it well. Then build.

References

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3. Saunders PU, Telford RD, Pyne DB, et al. Short-Term Plyometric Training Improves Running Economy in Highly Trained Middle and Long Distance Runners. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 2006;20(4):947–954.
4. Paavolainen L, Häkkinen K, Hämäläinen I, Nummela A, Rusko H. Explosive-Strength Training Improves 5-km Running Time by Improving Running Economy and Muscle Power. Journal of Applied Physiology. 1999;86(5):1527–1533.