Plyometrics is great for people who are aiming to boost their explosive speed. These include sprinters, basketball players, football players, and even marathon runners who want to retain their finishing kick. Crossfit plyo boxes can be great tools for this exercise but you have to use them the right way. Being too eager can actually hurt your fitness as you are more likely to develop injuries, relegating you to the sidelines. You need to do it the right way through careful progression. Make sure that your body is ready for the next step before you move on. Below are some things that you have to consider:

Increase Functional Single Leg Strength

Plyo requires leg strength not only for the jumps but also for the landings. You should do some exercises that strengthen your legs before getting serious about this. Functional single leg strength should be your focus because doing resistance training with two legs might mask the weakness on one side. Strive for balance. Try single leg squats to see how many you can complete with proper form on each side. You can also do a minute of single leg balancing to improve proprioception. If it feels too easy, then try to close your eyes.

Go from Low to High Intensity

Master the low intensity Crossfit plyo boxes first. These include high knees and but kicks. Sure, those do not require jumping per se but they do call for a small vertical force. They also help with the single leg strength. Jumping rope is also a good thing to try. You will need to practice quite a bit to get the rhythm right. If you get used to them, then they can become your warmup routine for the actual plyo box jumps, broad jumps, and squat jumps. You can also do scissor jumps and lateral jump and stick. High intensity plyo such as depth jumps and multiple squat jumps should be reserved for much later.

Do a Gradual Rise in Repetitions

Listen to your body. There is no definite number of repetitions for beginners because each person is coming from a different fitness background. Some will come off the couch while others have already ran multiple marathons. Do a few repetitions at first and see how your body responds in the succeeding days. You will know if it was too much based on your soreness and the length of your recovery. Add or subtract as needed.