Plyometrics: train the spring, not strength

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Most runners try to “get fitter” with more miles, more intensity, better shoes, more gadgets. Jay Deshari (board-certified sports clinical specialist, PT, biomechanist, researcher, and author of Running Rewired) makes the case that the biggest gains often come from something way less sexy: Better mechanics + better elasticity + better durability.

In this episode, we go deep on why distance running is largely elastic (tendons storing + releasing energy) and how small posture and movement changes can shift running economy by up to 8%, which can beat the benefit of most “super shoe” upgrades.

What we cover

• Why running economy is largely elastic energy transfer (joint to joint)

• The slingshot idea: you must absorb/storing energy first to release it

• Why “land under your body” can be misleading (you often contact slightly in front to load tendons)

• Jay’s lab observation: running economy changed up to 8% just from posture orientation (slight lean forward/back)

• What “form breakdown under fatigue” really costs you (seconds → minutes)

• Why plyometrics are the fastest way to train elastic return (and how most people do them wrong)

• Short ground contact is the point (don’t “hang out” on the ground)

• Avoid ego box jumps (knee-height max)

• Do them fresh, not cooked after a hard session

• A simple strength template for runners (especially 40+)

• 3 quality sets × 4 exercises (done fast, done right)

• 6–8 rep range, rest long enough to actually lift heavy

• Over 40: 2×/week strength often beats another run day for durability + longevity

• The truth about “stability shoes,” pronation/supination, and what actually matters

• Heel striking: not the villain. Where your foot lands relative to your body matters more than what part hits first.

If you’re a masters runner (or just injury-prone), this one is a goldmine.

Chapters

0:00 Intro

8:47 Run 8% faster with less effort

22:40 Muscles vs tendons for running

29:18 Plyometrics

36:38 Strength training

47:47 MOBO Board

1:01:48 Supination, pronation & stability shoes

1:0:31 Heel vs mid vs forefoot strike

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