Plyometrics for Beginners: Jumping Safely When Out of Practice
Plyometrics are jumping, hopping and bounding exercises that train your muscles and tendons to store and release force quickly. If you have not jumped in years, the safe way in is to learn to land before you learn to jump, start with tiny low-amplitude hops rather than box jumps, keep the number of contacts low, and progress over weeks rather than sessions. Most adults who get hurt doing plyometrics did too much, too high, too soon, often tired at the end of a workout. Done patiently, it is a useful way to stay springy, quick and confident on your feet.
What plyometrics actually train
When you land from a jump, your muscles and tendons stretch under load, then recoil. That stretch and recoil, sometimes called the stretch-shortening cycle, is what makes running, changing direction and bounding up stairs efficient. Plyometric training improves how quickly and stiffly the system responds.
The key structure here is the tendon, particularly the Achilles and the patellar tendon below the kneecap. Tendons adapt more slowly than muscle. That is why someone can feel fine during a first jumping session and have sore, grumbly knees or heels two days later. Respecting that lag is the whole game for beginners.
Are you ready? A short checklist
Before any jumping, you should be able to do the following comfortably and without pain:
- Ten bodyweight squats to a chair height with control.
- Ten slow single-leg calf raises on each side.
- A 30-second balance on one leg without wobbling much.
- A brisk walk of twenty minutes or more with no knee or ankle pain afterwards.
If any of those are a struggle, spend a few weeks on basic strength first. Our guide to calf raises that actually work is a good place to start, because strong calves protect the Achilles.
Check with your GP first if you have joint, tendon or back problems, osteoporosis, a heart condition, are pregnant or recently postnatal, are significantly overweight, or are coming back after a long break. Jumping multiplies the load through your joints compared with walking, so it is worth having the all-clear.
Learn to land first
A good landing is quiet. Practise it before you add height or speed.
- Stand tall, feet hip-width apart.
- Rise onto your toes, then drop your heels and sink into a quarter squat as if absorbing a landing.
- Land through the whole foot, starting at the balls of the feet and letting the heels settle.
- Knees track over the toes, not caving inwards. See our piece on knees caving in if yours tend to.
- Hips back slightly, chest up, arms ready.
- Hold the landing for two seconds, still and balanced.
Repeat 5 to 8 times. Then progress to small jumps of a few centimetres, sticking each landing and pausing. This is called a snap-down or a stick landing and it is unglamorous, but it is the foundation everything else stands on.
A beginner progression
Each stage should feel easy for at least two sessions before moving on. Count foot contacts, not sets, because total contacts is what tendons respond to.
| Stage | Drills | Contacts per session |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (weeks 1 to 2) | Stick landings, snap-downs | 20 to 30 |
| 2 (weeks 3 to 4) | Small pogo hops on both feet, low squat jumps with a held landing | 30 to 50 |
| 3 (weeks 5 to 6) | Continuous pogo hops in short bursts, low step-ups done briskly, forward hop and stick | 40 to 60 |
| 4 (weeks 7 and beyond) | Low box jumps (landing on, stepping down), lateral hops, gentle single-leg hops | 50 to 80 |
These numbers are deliberately modest. A trained athlete may do far more; an adult returning to jumping does not need to. Two sessions a week, with at least a day between, is plenty.
The details that keep you safe
Do it fresh
Plyometrics belong near the start of a session after a proper warm-up, not as a finisher when you are tired. Fatigue degrades landing mechanics fast. Five minutes of easy cardio, leg swings, bodyweight squats and a few calf raises is a sensible warm-up.
Step down from boxes
Jumping onto a box is fine. Jumping back down repeatedly adds a lot of landing force for little benefit. Step down.
Choose the right surface
A rubber gym floor or firm grass is ideal. Concrete is unforgiving; very soft mats can make ankles unstable.
Wear sensible shoes
Supportive trainers with a stable base. Avoid worn-out running shoes with a collapsed heel.
Use the 24-hour rule
Check how your knees, shins and heels feel the next morning. Mild muscle soreness is fine. Tendon soreness, a localised ache at the front of the knee or the back of the heel that is worse first thing, means the load was too high. Drop back a stage.
Signs you are ready to progress
Move up a stage only when all of these are true: landings are quiet and stable, your knees stay in line with your toes even on the last rep, you feel no joint or tendon ache the next morning, and you have completed the current stage comfortably for at least two sessions. If any one of those is missing, repeat the stage. Progressing a week late costs nothing; progressing a week early is how people end up with sore Achilles tendons for a month.
Low-impact alternatives if jumping is not for you
Not everyone needs to jump. If your joints do not tolerate it, you can still train speed and power:
- Fast-intent strength work: lower slowly, lift quickly.
- Short sprints on an air bike or exercise bike.
- Brisk step-ups onto a low step.
- Quick sit-to-stands from a bench.
Our piece on power training after 40 covers these options in more detail.
How I approach it in the studio
In our private Highgate studio, any jump work is preceded by landing practice and strength checks, and I count every contact. With most busy professionals, plyometrics are a short block of a few minutes, not a workout in themselves. Some clients never jump at all because there are better options for their joints and goals. Deciding that is part of 1-1 personal training: you do the drills that suit you, at a pace your tendons can handle. The NHS also has general guidance on physical activity for adults if you are building a wider routine.
Questions we get asked
Are plyometrics bad for your knees?
Not inherently. Too much, too soon is the problem. Well-controlled landings and gradual progression are usually well tolerated by healthy knees.
How long before I see a difference?
Landing control improves within a few sessions. Noticeable springiness usually takes several weeks of consistent, low-volume work.
Can I do plyometrics every day?
No. Tendons need recovery. Twice a week with rest days between is ideal for beginners.
Do I need a box?
No. Hops, stick landings and step-ups need nothing at all. Our personal training page explains how sessions are put together.
Book with The Highgate House
Ready to start training properly? Email us at [email protected] with the service and the day that suits you, and we will come back to you with times.
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