Plyometric Training and Distance Running: Does it Help?

You may or may not have heard of plyometric training – especially if you are exclusively a distance runner or recreational runner.  If you haven’t, this is understandable; until very recently, plyometric training was thought to not be useful for distance running.

A recent study from the University of Technology Sydney, in Sydney, Australia, suggests otherwise.

Plyometric training is dynamic exercise designed to build explosiveness and power in muscles by developing muscular strength and elasticity, as well as improving reaction times in the nervous system.  One can see how this is highly useful for most sports, as well as sprinting, but what about distance running?

Researchers at UTS took a group of 17 male runners, who were tested for lower leg musculotendinous stiffness (MTS), running economy, VO2 max, lactate threshold, and 3 km run time, among other factors.  Previously, studies concluded that plyometric training improves running economy; this study was to see if this change is a result of improvements in MTS.

The group of runners were divided into a control group and an experimental group, which conducted regular plyometric training over a six-week period.  At the end of the six-week period, the runners were retested in the above factors.

The study found that the experimental group significantly improved their 3 km run time, by as much as 2.7% on average.  The experimental group also significantly improved their running economy.  The control group, by contrast, saw no significant improvement comparable to that of the experimental group.  No increases in VO2 max or lactate threshold were observed in either group.

The study also concluded that the improvement in run time was more than likely due to an increase in running economy, which was related to an increase in lower-leg MTS.  Therefore, MTS did cause an increase in performance from plyometric training.

What does this mean for you? It is pretty clear from the study that incorporating plyometric training into your running routine can significantly boost your 3 km run time, and possibly have an effect on longer distances as well. If your 3 km run time, for example, is 15 minutes, then you can cut your time by 24 seconds.

That is a pretty substantial improvement, which means that plyometric training could very well be something to consider for intermediate runners.

Spurrs, R.W., Murphy, A.J., & Watsford, M.L. (2003).  The effect of plyometric training on distance running performance. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 89(1), 1-7.

 

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