I've messed around with plyometric excercises but never really stuck with it. Have any of you guys actually seen major improvements in your punching power by incorporating plyos to your workout?

Or is plyos overrated

Having heavy hands is mainly something you either have or don't but as far as explosive conditioning plyometrics if anything are underrated I think. The drawback is some of the exercises are injuries waiting to happen and you have to recover from them so you won't be as sharp the next day.

I've gotten a lot faster using it. I haven't used it in like 2 years but it did it's job.

I wouldn't use pylometric exercises as a basis to gain power. Obviously, the constant contraction of the muscles will strengthen you up somewhat, but pylometric exercises should be used for speed and reactions.

all i do is polymetrics

Been doing some plymetrics for a couple of months, but i can see a difference already. I feel faster and it seems my punches have a little more snap.

I do some medball throws, medball slams, the exercise where you do the motion of cutting a tree with an axe but with a medicine ball in your hands, don't know what its called. I also a couple of resistance exercises agaisnt a wall.

If you guys got some good ones i'd like to know about them.

I tend to think the lower body, leaping, bounding type plyometrics are way better than than the upper body stuff. Different stuff works for different people though of course.

Been doing some plymetrics for a couple of months, but i can see a difference already. I feel faster and it seems my punches have a little more snap.

I do some medball throws, medball slams, the exercise where you do the motion of cutting a tree with an axe but with a medicine ball in your hands, don't know what its called. I also a couple of resistance exercises agaisnt a wall.

If you guys got some good ones i'd like to know about them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqs4RUoPHcA

that **** will kill you! also check out the plyo push ups from that dude, good stuff.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqs4RUoPHcA

that **** will kill you! also check out the plyo push ups from that dude, good stuff.I like that , thanks.

There's also one I found on the web. It starts off with the med ball being set on the ground, you get into your fighting stance and you bend at the knees to grab the ball and throw it forward, kinda like a chest pass in b-ball/ or depending which punch you wanna work on, either the jab or straight punch.

The other version is the same thing, but you're throwing the ball to the side, to simulate a hook punch.

What the guy did in the video is he set-up about 10 med balls on the ground all in a row, about 3 yards apart and he picked it up one at a time at a fast pace.

I've messed around with plyometric excercises but never really stuck with it. Have any of you guys actually seen major improvements in your punching power by incorporating plyos to your workout?

Or is plyos overrated

major improvements when done properly. my power has improved tremendously

The drawback is some of the exercises are injuries waiting to happen and you have to recover from them so you won't be as sharp the next day.

this is true. i see a lot of people doing plyos who are not progressed enough to do them and are injuries waiting to happen. there are requirements and precautions. here are the NSCA guidelines...

you should be able to do 5 continuous clap pushups with no "pause in between" for upper body plyos. For lower body plyos, you should be able to squat at least 1.5 times your body weight and 1 time your body weight for larger athletes. For quick movement-oriented plyos designed to improve speed-strength, you should be able to do 5 squats with 60% of your body weight in 5 seconds or less (assuming you are doing a proper squat, which most people are not). The balance requirements are single and double leg standing without faltering for 30 seconds each for low-intensity plyos, 30 second double and single leg quarter squats without faltering for medium-intensity plyos, and 30 second double and single leg half squats without faltering for intense plyos. All tests should be conducted on the same surface in which the plyos are to be performed on. plyos should be done with extreme caution for heavier athletes and are not recommended for athlete's over 250 lbs.

this is true. i see a lot of people doing plyos who are not progressed enough to do them and are injuries waiting to happen. there are requirements and precautions. here are the NSCA guidelines...

you should be able to do 5 continuous clap pushups with no "pause in between" for upper body plyos. For lower body plyos, you should be able to squat at least 1.5 times your body weight and 1 time your body weight for larger athletes. For quick movement-oriented plyos designed to improve speed-strength, you should be able to do 5 squats with 60% of your body weight in 5 seconds or less (assuming you are doing a proper squat, which most people are not). The balance requirements are single and double leg standing without faltering for 30 seconds each for low-intensity plyos, 30 second double and single leg quarter squats without faltering for medium-intensity plyos, and 30 second double and single leg half squats without faltering for intense plyos. All tests should be conducted on the same surface in which the plyos are to be performed on. plyos should be done with extreme caution for heavier athletes and are not recommended for athlete's over 250 lbs.

Any recommendation on plyos that you have used to increase speed/power ?

btw these exercises do u mean using you own body weight ?

Any recommendation on plyos that you have used to increase speed/power ?

me personally? jump squats, box jumps, box jumps to squats, depth jumps, and a couple of custom plyometrics that i designed with a trainer with whom i work. in my "power" phase of training, i also incorporated snatches, kettlebell training, cleans, push presses and other traditional power exercises. the results are great when put into an intelligent training program that is well documented and progressed.

i would never just give a cold recommendation to anyone to do any exercise without evaluating their current state of fitness and training background first though, so I can not tell you what exercises to do. You may be perfectly ready for plyos, or you might be better suited for 6 - 8 weeks of basic strength and hypertrophy training at this point. i don't know. if you feel you are ready for plyos, make sure to first do your research and be careful. good luck!