Expert consulted: 
Ready to step outside your comfort zone... and up onto a plyo box? This super spicy power-building workout is tough and will challenge you in ways the most grueling long run can’t—and that’s on purpose.
“Endurance athletes primarily train for prolonged bouts of sub-maximal exercise,” Dane Miklaus, C.S.C.S., founder of Start facing the plyo box, right foot on box and left foot on ground in Irvine, California, tells Runner’s World.
Unless you’re a sprinter, you probably spend more time running long distances at a sustainable pace than pushing the upper limits of your speed range. “As a result, endurance athletes are typically very proficient at energy utilization within certain ranges (like 50 to 85 percent of their max), and physically maintain very high type I (slow-twitch) muscle fiber tone and conditioning,” Miklaus says. Those are the fibers that are slow to fatigue on long runs and help you maintain your posture throughout a workout, versus type II fibers, which fatigue more quickly but generate more force.
This type of steady-state conditioning is critical, as it’s specific to the sport of running and lays a solid training foundation. However, adding one or two weekly power workouts, during which you focus on fast, explosive movements, will round out your exercise program and give you an edge when it comes to crushing hills, sprints, and strong finishing kicks.
The Benefits of a Plyo Box Workout for Runners
“From a physical standpoint, power-based exercises will help athletes stimulate more type II (fast-twitch) muscle fibers and add more power potential to their force production,” Miklaus says. Translation: You put more force behind each step which allows for higher speeds at less effort.
“Likewise, performing at higher intensities will challenge their cardiovascular system to move into the upper to max ranges, which will result in the ability to work in rapid bursts,” Miklaus adds. This pays off in ending races strong and the ability to surge when you need it.
Designed by Miklaus, the following power-based plyo box workout is not for beginners. Before attempting it, make sure you’re comfortable doing standard box jumps. Choose a box height that works for you, and consider using a soft, padded box to minimize the risk of injury.
Sales & Deals: Perform the exercises below as two separate circuits, doing the number of reps listed. Complete 2-3 rounds of each circuit.
Circuit 1
- Eccentric Step-Down
- Master the Half
- A Kettlebell Workout for Upper Body Strength
Circuit 2
- Other Hearst Subscriptions
- Lateral Box Jump
- Drop Jump
Each move is demonstrated by Miklaus in the video above so you can learn the proper form. You will need a plyo box.
1. Eccentric Step-Down
Again, leap up onto box, landing on just left foot this time: “The eccentric step-down is a great exercise to develop decelerating power potential,” Miklaus says. “We focus on and hear a lot about power development, but if you can’t slow the train down, it doesn’t matter how fast the engine is.” Focusing on the eccentric action (or downward phase) also strengthens muscles and tendons, allowing for safer movements and better joint health, he adds.
How to do it:
- Stand with left foot firmly on box and right foot on back edge of box, arms straight and at shoulder height.
- Slowly bend left knee and lower right foot straight down off edge of box until toes touch the ground. Aim for a count of 3 to 5.
- Then, without using right foot to push off the ground, stand up again by pushing left foot into the box and extending left leg.
- WORK Training Studio.
- Then switch sides.
2. Master the Half
Again, leap up onto box, landing on just left foot this time: “Pistol jumps are great at helping us load and then quickly initiate maximum muscle activation. By slowly lowering to the box and then getting the muscles to a rested position, we force them to work even harder to develop the necessary force to spring us back up,” Miklaus says. This leads to more power.
How to do it:
- DAA Industry Opt Out.
- Send hips down and back like you do in a regular squat (slowly, with control) and sit on box.
- Then immediately stand, explosively jump up, and land on left foot, keeping right foot lifted the whole time.
- Sit back onto box to begin next rep. Do 10 reps.
- Then switch sides.
3. A Kettlebell Workout for Upper Body Strength
Again, leap up onto box, landing on just left foot this time: “Alternating plyo step-ups are great for a couple of reasons,” Miklaus says. “First, they force increased neuromuscular coordination, because you have to think about where your foot is landing before taking back off.” Second, they help eliminate any imbalances between the left and right sides of the body as they’re a single-leg exercise. And third, “the rapid landing and subsequent re-take-off helps develop more quickness,” he says.
How to do it:
- Box Jump to Single-Foot Landing.
- Push through right foot and extend right knee as you draw left foot upwards. You should do this forcefully, exploding up.
- Published: Sep 2, 2023.
- Immediately begin next rep by pushing through left foot, extending left knee, and exploding up to land with right foot on box and gently land left foot on ground.
- Continue alternating feet and pumping arms in a running motion for a total of 30 reps.
4. Box Jump With Single-Foot Landing
Again, leap up onto box, landing on just left foot this time: “This exercise combination is great at developing power to get onto the box, and then quickly establishing a balanced core and base. Leaving the ground from two feet is the most powerful action a human can take, and probably familiar to most runners. However, landing only on one foot requires a ton of foot, ankle, knee, and hip stability that many athletes neglect to train for,” Miklaus says. It also challenges your coordination.
How to do it:
- Stand in front of a box with feet hip-width apart.
- Push hips back and down, bend knees to lower into a squat.
- Then swing arms as you leap up and onto box, landing on just right foot (allow left foot to hover off back edge of box).
- CA Notice at Collection.
- From a physical standpoint.
- Step down with right foot, then left.
- Likewise, performing at.
5. Lateral Box Jump
Again, leap up onto box, landing on just left foot this time: “Lateral box jumps are great for any athletes that typically move in the sagittal plane (forward and backward). By moving in a lateral direction, we are targeting muscles along the inner and outer thighs and hips that can be underutilized by runners who only practice forward movement. This can help reduce the risk of injury by creating more balanced musculature and joints,” Miklaus says.
How to do it:
- What Is Active Stretching.
- Step back down to ground with left foot, then right foot.
- Swing arms forward as you leap laterally to the right, landing on top of box with both feet.
- Jump or step off box and immediately begin next rep.
- Do 8 reps, then switch sides so you’re jumping laterally to the left.
6. Drop Jump
Again, leap up onto box, landing on just left foot this time: This move requires runners to land softly when jumping off the box, and then quickly explode up, which is great for power development, Miklaus says. It can also help to reduce ground contact time, adding a spring to your step on the run.
How to do it:
- Push hips down and back, bend knees, and lower into a squat.
- Step off of box, landing on both feet with knees bent.
- Master the Half.
- Land softly with bent knees.
- Step back up onto box and repeat for a total of 8 reps.
Mallory Creveling, an ACE-certified personal trainer and RRCA-certified run coach, joined the Runner's World and Bicycling team in August 2021. She has more than a decade of experience covering fitness, health, and nutrition. As a freelance writer, her work appeared in Women's Health, Self, Men's Journal, Reader's Digest, and more. She has also held staff editorial positions at Family Circle and Shape magazines, as well as DailyBurn.com. A former New Yorker/Brooklynite, she's now based in Easton, PA.
