Effect of 8 Weeks of Combined Plyometric Training on Increasing Lower and Upper Body Muscle Power in Student Volleyball Athletes

Abstract

The study purpose was to identify the effects of a combination of plyometric exercises in the increasing leg and arm power abilities of volleyball athletes. Materials and methods. Forty students were involved in this study. They were students who were active in practicing volleyball, and then they were divided into four groups of 10 students each, namely (1) Squat thrust jumps and clap push-ups, (2) Squat thrust jumps and lateral push-ups, (3) Rope jumps and clap push-ups; and (4) Rope jumps and lateral push-ups. Then they practiced plyometrics three times a week for eight weeks. Statistical analysis used the t-test and the N-Gain Score using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 26 program. Results. The results of the combination of plyometric exercises stated that it had an effect on the muscle power of both the legs and arms (p<0.05); then, the results showed the combination of squat thrust and lateral push-up exercises was effective in increasing the ability of leg muscle power by 84.43% while the variety of squat thrust jump exercises and clap push-ups provide effectiveness in increasing arm muscle power by 25.23%. Conclusions. The variety of these two types of plyometric exercises was successful in helping volleyball athletes improve their vertical jump abilities. Still, from the results of this study, it was not very effective in increasing the capacity of arm muscle power.

Plyometric training for physical education university students

“…Plyometric exercises help volleyball athletes improve their vertical jumping ability. However, it is not very effective for increasing muscle strength in the arms [17] as it is difficult to evaluate in depth the effectiveness of plyo metric training for improving swimming exit technique [18] because these workouts are effective for improving strength, precision and physiological efficiency of finger movements and not for exit or drive [19].…”

“…Explosive strength is fundamental to the performance of rhythmic gymnasts and it has been proposed that core stability and plyometric training can enhance it [1 6 ]. Similarly, combined plyometric exercises improve the development of strength in the legs and arms of volleyball players [17] which in turn can cause changes in muscle strength which can increase the distance that swimmers travel [18] and have been used to develop strength and precision in the fingers of pianists [19].…”