Have you ever wondered what separates great athletes from everyday athletes? How some people seem to lift, jump, bound, and run with power that looks almost superhuman? Or maybe you’ve hit a plateau in your own lifts or WODs and started to question what’s holding you back. The answer might not be more strength, better fitness, or the wrong genetics. The real breakthrough could lie in something many athletes in the CrossFit space overlook. It is the ability to move fast, react quickly and generate explosive power. Plyometrics is the key to unlocking that potential.
What is plyometrics?
Plyometrics, often referred to as ‘jump training’ are explosive, power-based movements that aim to increase power (force x speed) by training the body’s remarkable ability to rapidly stretch and contact a muscle to generate rates of power that a muscle simply can’t do by itself. This called the ‘stretch-shortening cycle’ and explains how people can jump, bound and hop to heights that seem superhuman – see this below in athletes I train with personally.
Weightlifting without plyometrics is like building a race car without a turbo engine. Plyometrics train your nervous system to react faster, your muscles to contract more powerfully, and your body to produce force quickly. This leads to faster, more powerful lifts, quicker runs, and higher jumps with minimal effort. Yet in the CrossFit world, where the focus is on the ‘10 fitness domains’, plyometrics and the neuromuscular system frequently doesn’t receive the dedicated attention it deserves, leaving a lot of untapped potential on the table.
How will this revolutionise YOUR training?
Weightlifting:
Without knowing, most of your Olympic lifts performed at the gym (e.g. power cleans, snatches, push-press) are underpinned by these plyometric principles, where a combination of speed and explosive strength go hand in hand to execute a quick and efficient lift.
For example, when performed correctly, roughly 60–70% of the power cleans effectiveness comes from explosive (plyometric) output, while only 30–40% relies on raw strength. Similar ratios apply to other Olympic-style lifts such as the push press and snatch, which explains why “muscling the movement” often feels so much harder!
Plyometric exercises such as box jumps and bounds also help reinforce good technique during exercises such as the power clean, without you even thinking about it. Have you ever been told to “extend your hips” as you try to power clean the bar? – Now try NOT extending your hips when jumping onto a box or bounding, it simply can’t work! By practising these plyometric exercises, you subconsciously learning to utilise your body’s full power output by driving through proper hip extension.
Running and Skipping:
Plyometrics don’t just benefit weightlifting. They directly enhance many key CrossFit exercises such as double-unders (skipping), running and sprinting. All three movements rely on your ability to be reactive, powerful and bouncy off the ground. This is where your stretch shortening cycle comes into play, allowing your muscles and tendons to store and release elastic energy rapidly. The result is quicker, higher and more efficient jumps and strides.
That’s why athletes who train plyometrics tend to move smoother, jump higher and fatigue less during workouts involving double-unders, box jumps, sprints or burpees. It’s not just about power. It’s about efficiency. When your body knows how to use elastic energy effectively, every stride and jump feels lighter, faster and more connected. Think of the difference between someone who bounds effortlessly through double-unders versus someone who’s fighting the floor every rep. That’s the power of a trained stretch shortening cycle.
Overall, plyometrics offer endless benefits that can transform your performance across every aspect of CrossFit. What if unlocking this power is the next step toward reaching your full potential.
Are you ready to take it ?