The following information comes from Week Four of the Stength & Stretching Advanced Marathoner program of MarathonSkating.com.

Lesson Four: Plyometrics: Hone the explosive power in your legs

Regular plyometric work improves performance at the starting line and in breakaways. Don’t add it to your workouts until you have sufficiently built up your tendons and muscles through resistance training, because the drills include hopping, bounding and jumping movements, which are all high-impact activities. Each Plyometric move is meant to be an all-out effort that takes advantage of the muscle’s stretch reflex coupled with its elastic rebound capabilities. If you haven’t been weight training regularly, or if age or injuries indicate caution, use interval training or a slide board to build explosiveness instead.

This week’s lesson introduces a once-weekly plyometrics session. As your body adapts, you can add plyometrics at the end of every resistance training workout, but for now, keep it down to one that immediately follows a leg workout on a non-skating day. Start with Lateral step-ups to warm up for the other exercises. Before moving on to each exercise, rest for three minutes or until your heart rate has returned to your recovery zone (about 70% of maximum).

• Lateral step-up: (warm up) Stand sideways near a 6” (beginner) to 12” (advanced) step and place the foot closest to it on top. Without pushing off with the foot on the ground, raise your body until the leg on the step is straight, then lower to your starting position. Do 15 step-ups, then repeat on the opposite leg.
  
• Lateral high hops: Stand to the left of a 12” (beginner) to 24” (advanced) crushable cardboard box. Using a double arm swing, jump up and over the box. Upon touch-down, immediately hop back to the starting side and continue to hop back and forth across the box. Beginners do 12 hops, advanced up to 20 hops.
  
• One-foot zig-zag hops: Set up a 10-yard course with two parallel lines about a yard apart. Balance on one foot at the start of either line, then hop diagonally from line to line to the end of the course, taking off and landing on the same foot. Do not double-hop at the touchdown. Return to your start using the opposite leg. Complete 3 out-and-back laps.
  
• Two-foot zig-zag hops: Using the same course of parallel lines (or longer if you want), start with feet shoulder width apart, straddling either line. Jump from one line to the other in a continuous forward motion, always taking off and landing on both feet. Do not double hop at the touchdown. Complete 3 out-and-back laps.
  

The plyometric training effect is based on how high or how far your muscles can thrust you. So, as your body adapts, move to a higher box and set a wider course for your zig-zag hops.