Explosive jump-based exercises designed to build muscular power are known as plyometrics. The training method uses rapid, forceful movements—often jumps—to improve how quickly muscles can produce power.
Plyometrics rely on the stretch-shortening cycle. A muscle first lengthens under control, then switches almost immediately to a shortening contraction. In a depth jump, for example, landing creates an eccentric contraction before the athlete rapidly pushes upward. Tendons also help store and release elastic energy during this transition.
The method was developed in the Soviet Union, where sports scientist Yuri Verkhoshansky studied jump training and the “shock method” in the 1960s. American coach Fred Wilt later popularized the word “plyometrics” after observing Soviet athletes, helping spread the approach internationally.
Box jumps, squat jumps, bounds and medicine-ball throws can all be plyometric exercises. They are not simply ordinary strength exercises: speed and explosive force are central. “Calisthenics” refers broadly to bodyweight exercise, while “isometrics” involve producing force without visible joint movement.