Plyometrics for Runners: How Jump Training Improves Bone Strength
Many runners, especially beginners, tend to overlook plyometrics. They’re often seen as too intense, too risky, or something only elite athletes should be doing. However, when they’re programmed appropriately, plyometric exercises can be a powerful tool for all runners. They can improve bone strength, running economy, and speed, among other factors.
As a physiotherapist, I regularly work with runners who train consistently but still end up with bone stress injuries. These injuries are complex and rarely have a single cause; I could easily write an entire article on that alone. For this post, though, I want to narrow the focus to one important factor: bone loading. In many cases, the issue isn’t that runners aren’t training enough, but that their bones aren’t being loaded as effectively as they could be.
In this article, I explain why running alone isn’t enough to build bone strength and how bones respond to different types of load. I also discuss how plyometrics for runners can be safely and effectively added to a training program. Let’s dive in!
Why Bone Strength Matters for Runners
For runners, strong bones aren’t just about long-term health. They’re essential when it comes to injury prevention in runners and for improving your loading capacity.
1) Reduces The Risk of Bone Stress Injuries in Runners
Bone strength plays an essential role in reducing the risk of bone stress injuries, which are a common overuse injury in runners. In fact, bone stress injuries account for approximately 15%–20% of all running-related musculoskeletal injuries (Wright et al., 2015). This makes bone health an essential factor in a runner’s ability to train consistently.
Running places repetitive forces through your lower limbs with every step you take. If your bones aren’t strong enough to handle those loads, or aren’t given the right stimulus to adapt, tiny areas of damage can start to build up. Over time, this damage can accumulate faster than your body can repair it. This can eventually lead to a bone stress injury that may force you to take time away from running.
If you’re interested in reading on how to get back to running after a stress fracture, read my detailed article on the topic right here.
2) Improves Capacity to Tolerate Higher Training Loads
Strong bones aren’t just about preventing injuries. They also help you handle more training with less risk. Whether you’re adding mileage, tackling speed work, or ramping up for a race, your bones need to be able to keep up with the increased intensity and volume.
If your bones aren’t strong enough, even a perfectly structured training plan can backfire. Instead of helping you get fitter and faster, it could put you at risk for injuries and hold you back from truly progressing. Strong bones give you the foundation to train harder, recover better, and make consistent gains over time.
3) Supports Long-Term Running
Finally, bone strength matters for long-term running longevity. Many runners think about bone health only later in life, but bone adaptations happen in response to loading across the lifespan. Developing stronger bones now helps protect against future injury risk and supports continued participation in running for years to come.
Is Running Enough to Strengthen Bones?
Running does load your bones and can help maintain bone density compared to non-runners (Kutac et al., 2024).
However, research shows that bone cells quickly become less responsive to repetitive, unchanging loads like steady-state running (Warden, Edwards & Willy, 2021). In fact, bone cells lose most of their sensitivity after just a few minutes of repetitive loading, and doing more repetitions doesn’t give much extra benefit.
In practical terms:
Bone cells respond strongly to the first few loading cycles.
After about 20 cycles, they lose over 95% of their responsiveness, a phenomenon called mechanosensitivity.
Continuing the same repetitive load, like steady running at the same pace or mileage, produces very little additional bone adaptation.
In other words, after a few minutes of repetitive, unidirectional loading, bone cells essentially “tune out” and stop responding.
The good news is that bone cells regain their sensitivity with rest. Research shows that taking 4–8 hours between loading sessions restores over 90% of mechanosensitivity (Warden, Edwards & Willy, 2021).
This means that short bouts of bone-focused exercises, like plyometrics, performed separately from your running, can give your bones an extra stimulus. It’s a way to improve bone strength without piling on excessive repetitive loading.
How Bones Adapt to Load (and Why Variety Matters)
Bones are living tissue, and they adapt to the forces we put through them. How they respond depends on a few important factors (Hart et al., 2017):
Strain magnitude – how much force is applied.
Strain rate – how quickly the force is applied.
Strain frequency – how often the force is applied.
Strain direction – the plane in which the bone is loaded.
The takeaway? Bones respond best to high-impact, varied forces, rather than long stretches of repetitive, low-level loading like steady running. That’s why activities like plyometrics, hopping, or bounding can give your bones a stronger stimulus to adapt.
Another important piece of the puzzle is recovery. After a loading session, bone cells temporarily reduce their sensitivity, but this gradually returns with rest (Warden, Edwards & Willy, 2021). By spacing out short bouts of impactful loading, you give your bones time to reset and respond again, which makes each session more effective than simply repeating the same movement over and over.
What Are Plyometrics?
Plyometrics are exercises that involve quick, explosive movements designed to improve power, strength, and bone health. They typically include jumping, hopping, or bounding movements.
Traditional strength exercises tend to focus on slow, controlled lifting. Plyometrics, on the other hand, place a short, intense load on your muscles and bones. This type of loading sends a strong signal to your bones, encouraging them to adapt and become more resilient.
An important feature of plyometric movements is that they use the stretch-shortening cycle (SSC). This means a muscle quickly lengthens and then immediately shortens again (Kons et al., 2023). For example, when you dip down before a jump, your muscles lengthen (eccentric load), and when you push off the ground, they shorten (concentric load). This rapid transition helps generate force efficiently and increases the stimulus placed on both muscles and bones.
Common examples of plyometric exercises include jump squats, pogo jumps, box jumps, and single-leg hops. When introduced gradually and progressed appropriately, plyometrics can be a safe and effective addition for runners of all levels, not just elite athletes.
How to Add Plyometrics to Your Training Safely
Before diving into specific guidelines, there are a few important points to mention.
First, if you’re completely new to strength training for runners, it’s best to build a basic strength foundation first before adding plyometrics. Plyometrics are designed to develop power, which is essentially strength combined with speed. Without a sufficient strength base, it can be difficult to perform these exercises with good technique.
As a general rule, aim to be consistent with strength training for at least 2–3 weeks before introducing plyometrics. Once you feel stronger and more confident, you can start with beginner plyometric exercises using double-leg jumps and gradually progress to single-leg variations.
The second point relates to plyometrics not being a replacement for strength training, but a complement to it. Research shows that plyometrics are most effective when paired with strength work. Strength training builds force, while plyometrics help apply that force quickly. Together, they improve running economy more than either approach alone (Ramirez-Campillo et al., 2023).
1) Best Times to Perform Plyometrics
Plyometrics should be done when you’re relatively fresh, so you can maintain good landing mechanics and reduce injury risk. Suitable timing options include:
Before strength training sessions.
As a short standalone session.
It’s generally best to avoid doing plyometrics immediately after your runs. As discussed earlier, bone cells become less responsive to loading after repeated running cycles and need several hours (about 4–8) to regain sensitivity.
Fatigue also plays a role. When you’re tired, landing mechanics tend to deteriorate, which increases injury risk.
For the same reason, I don’t recommend mixing plyometrics into the middle or end of a strength workout. Try to keep plyometrics early, when fatigue is low, to help ensure better quality and safer execution.
2) Volume and Programming Guidelines
When it comes to plyometrics, quality always beats quantity. The ideal number of exercises, sets, and reps depends on your training background. Plus, there’s currently no universal consensus in the research on exact plyometric prescriptions for runners.
If you’re new to plyometrics, start on the lower end and build gradually. As a general guideline:
1–3 plyometric exercises per session.
2–3 sets per exercise.
5–10 reps per set.
Rest 1–3 minutes between sets.
1–3 sessions per week.
If your technique starts to slip, stop the set. Soft landings, good control, and proper alignment matter far more than squeezing in extra reps.
Keep in mind that these are general guidelines. If you’re injured or returning from an injury, your plyometric volume and progression will look different. In those cases, working with a physiotherapist is useful to guide a safe and appropriate return to loading.
3) Common Mistakes Runners Make With Plyometrics
Some of the most common errors I see include:
Treating plyometrics as cardio or conditioning.
Doing too many repetitions.
Adding plyometrics during peak mileage weeks.
Poor landing mechanics, such as landing on stiff knees or not landing softly.
Plyometrics should feel powerful and controlled, not exhausting. If you’re fatigued and your form starts to break down, it’s better to stop and come back fresh another day.
Beginner Plyometric for Runners Routine
Here’s a simple routine to get started:
Pogo jumps – 2 × 10 reps
Side-to-side jumps – 2 × 10 reps
Jump squat – 2 × 10 reps
I recommend performing these as a circuit. Complete one set of each exercise, rest for 2–3 minutes, then repeat the circuit once more.
More Advanced Plyometric for Runners Routine
If you’re ready for more challenging exercises, here are a few examples:
1. Split squat jumps – 3x 10 reps
2. Jump on 2 legs, land on one – 3x5 reps per leg
3. Skater hops – 3x10 reps per leg
As with the beginner routine, perform these as a circuit. Rest generously between rounds and focus on quiet, controlled landings. This routine is short enough to be added to a training day without overwhelming your muscles or bones.
Final Thoughts
Running provides some stimulus for bone health, but bones adapt quickly to repetitive loading. To continue getting stronger, they need variety, higher-impact forces, and adequate recovery.
That said, plyometrics are a simple, time-efficient way to provide that stimulus. You just need to make sure that these are introduced gradually and performed with good technique. When done correctly, these exercises can help improve bone strength, support higher training loads, and reduce the risk of bone stress injuries in runners.
As always, your training history and injury background matter. Start small, focus on quality, and progress thoughtfully. Strong bones support long-term consistency in running, and plyometrics can be a valuable tool to help you get there.
Happy running,
April :)
References:
Hart, N. H., Nimphius, S., Rantalainen, T., Ireland, A., Siafarikas, A., & Newton, R. U. (2017). Mechanical basis of bone strength: influence of bone material, bone structure and muscle action. Journal of musculoskeletal & neuronal interactions, 17(3), 114–139.
Kons, R. L., Orssatto, L. B. R., Ache-Dias, J., De Pauw, K., Meeusen, R., Trajano, G. S., Dal Pupo, J., & Detanico, D. (2023). Effects of Plyometric Training on Physical Performance: An Umbrella Review. Sports medicine - open, 9(1), 4. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40798-022-00550-8
Kutac, P., Jandacka, D., Elavsky, S., Uchytil, J., Bunc, V., Krajcigr, M., & Barot, T. (2024). The effect of regular running on the bone tissue of middle-aged men and women. The Journal of sports medicine and physical fitness, 64(5), 455–464. https://doi.org/10.23736/S0022-4707.23.15279-0
Ramirez-Campillo, R., Afonso, J., Moran, J., Behm, D. G., & Granacher, U. (2023). Comment on: "Effects of Plyometric Training on Physical Performance: An Umbrella Review". Sports medicine - open, 9(1), 73. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40798-023-00595-3
Warden, S. J., Edwards, W. B., & Willy, R. W. (2021). Preventing Bone Stress Injuries in Runners with Optimal Workload. Current osteoporosis reports, 19(3), 298–307. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11914-021-00666-y
Wright, A. A., Taylor, J. B., Ford, K. R., Siska, L., & Smoliga, J. M. (2015). Risk factors associated with lower extremity stress fractures in runners: a systematic review with meta-analysis. British journal of sports medicine, 49(23), 1517–1523. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2015-094828
