Every time your foot hits the ground while running, your muscles and tendons have to absorb force and spring back in a fraction of a second. You do that thousands of times in a single run. Plyometric training, which includes hopping, skipping and bounding, prepares your body to do it well and condition the structures you need to run string and efficiently.
Running is a plyometric sport
Every step you take, your calf,soleus and Achilles stretch as you land absorbing force, then spring recoil to push you off the ground. That bounce, and the force your body has to handle with each landing, is what plyometric training prepares you for. A set of calf raises builds strength, which is a great foundation, but it doesn’t train the speed and elasticity that running demands. Plyometrics bridge that gap.
How plyometrics make you a more efficient runner
Running economy is how much energy it costs you to run at a given pace. Studies of strength and plyometric training in distance runners generally report improvements in the range of 2 to 8%, which is a meaningful gain for work that takes only a few minutes at a time. Here’s how plyometrics help:
They train your stretch-shortening cycle. Your muscles and tendons act like a spring, storing elastic energy as you land and releasing it as you push off. Plyometrics train that spring, so ultimately you use less energy per stride.
They reduce ground contact time. Faster force production means you spend less time on the ground, which cuts down braking forces and wasted energy.
They improve coordination. Explosive drills train your nervous system to recruit your fast muscle fibres and coordinate your joints more efficiently.
In a meta-analysis of strength programs that included plyometrics in highly trained runners, the benefit to running economy was large when the work was done 2-3 times per week for 8-12 weeks.
How plyometrics help you stay injury free
Running puts a lot of repeated load through your legs, and most running injuries are overuse injuries, where the demands of training outpace what your tissues can handle.
Plyometrics help build the qualities that let your body keep up:
Tendon stiffness. Stiffer tendons handle load more efficiently, which is why plyometrics are often used for the Achilles and calf.
Reactive strength. This is your ability to absorb force and produce it again quickly, which is exactly what each footstrike asks of you.
Better impact absorption. If your muscles and tendons can absorb force quickly and well, less of it is passed on to your bones and joints.
Tissue resilience. Progressively loading your tendons and muscles builds their capacity over time, which may help lower your risk of common overuse injuries.
Confidence. Many runners coming back from injury are wary of landing and pushing off. Gradual exposure to bouncing and hopping rebuilds trust in the leg, reducing risk on re-injury.
Effective, and best built on a solid strength program
Plyometrics are an effective way to improve how you run, and the research supports them. They work best when they sit on top of a solid strength program. Strength work gives your muscles and tendons the capacity to handle the extra impact, and plyometrics then train that strength to be fast and elastic. The two work best together, which is why we always build them as one plan (depending on the rehab timeline and stage of healing).
You don’t need a gym or a big running volume
This is where people overthink it. In the trials above, the programs were low volume and done 2-3 times per week, alongside lower-body strength exercises. That’s a small amount of work. Most plyometric exercises need no equipment and can be added to your strength plan in just 5 to 10 minutes at home.
Strength and plyometrics are only half the picture
How you run matters too. Every runner loads their body a little differently. Some land heavily, some overstride, and some lose control through the hip or trunk as they fatigue. Over thousands of steps, small inefficiencies add up to extra force through the same bone, tendon or joint, and that’s often how stress injuries develop. Strength and plyometrics build a body that can handle the load, and good technique helps reduce how much load you’re putting through it in the first place. The best results come from working on both together.
Start with a running and strength assessment
We don’t start with bounding. We start with a running and strength assessment, and this is where the longer appointment times at Streamline Physiotherapy make a real difference. With a full hour for your initial consult and 45 minutes for follow-ups, we have the time to listen to your history, understand your training and your goals, look closely at how you move and run, and put together a comprehensive plan, rather than rushing you out the door with a generic sheet of exercises.
In that time, we cover:
your running form and technique, to see where you’re running efficiently and where you’re loading your body more than you need to
your strength, control and mobility through the calf, hip, trunk and single leg, to find the impairments holding you back or increasing your susceptibility to injury
your tendon tolerance, injury history and current training load
your goals, whether that’s a first 5km, a marathon or a 70.3 ironman
an individualised strength and plyometric training plan, built around what we find to suit your body, your training and your goals
What about triathletes?
Swimming and cycling are great for your fitness, but they don’t load your tendons and bones with impact the way running does. That makes it even more important that the running you do is well prepared, especially for the run leg when you’re already fatigued after the bike. A solid strength program, a short and regular dose of plyometric work, and efficient running technique can all help your legs cope with the demands of running off the bike.
Why it comes back to your plan
Plyometrics aren’t for everyone at every stage. If you’re dealing with a tendinopathy or a bone stress injury, or you haven’t built a strength base yet, plyometrics may need to come later in your plan, once your body is ready for impact. That’s why we start with an assessment and a plan built around you. A good program should be progressive, individualised and realistic enough to fit around your training. If you’d like to run stronger, run more efficiently and reduce your chances of stress injuries and setbacks, come in for a running and strength assessment. We’ll take the time to listen, work out what you need, and set you up with a comprehensive plan to stay injury free and running well.
Balin Munro, Physiotherapist at Streamline Physiotherapy, Thirroul.
References:
Balsalobre-Fernández C, Santos-Concejero J, Grivas GV. Effects of strength training on running economy in highly trained runners: a systematic review with meta-analysis of controlled trials. J Strength Cond Res, 2016
Blagrove RC, Howatson G, Hayes PR. Effects of strength training on the physiological determinants of middle- and long-distance running performance: a systematic review. Sports Med, 2018
Eihara Y, et al. Heavy resistance training versus plyometric training for improving running economy and running time trial performance: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sports Med Open, 2022