5 Best Exercises for Women to Increase Explosive Strength

Explosive strength training combines speed and strength to improve your athletic performance.

This type of training can be quite beneficial for sports like field and track sports, cycling, football, etc. and is often used by athletes to generate quick power for maximal effort. While people assume that explosive workouts are only meant for experienced and trained athletes, explosive training can benefit any regular male or female exerciser.

Luckily, certain exercises can also help increase your explosive strength. The goal of these exercises is to develop enough strength and power so that you may move heavy weights very quickly.

However, it's also important to note that this type of training involves risks. To reduce the risk of injuries, it's important to start your routine with slow, controlled movements and light weights.

Exercises for women to increase explosive strength:

Nevertheless, we've made a list of five of the most effective exercises for women that can help increase their explosive power.

1) Plyometric push-up

Plyo or plyometric push-ups are basically advanced exercises that target your triceps, chest, abs and shoulders and help build muscle and burn fat. The jumping element included in this exercise makes the entire move even more difficult, thereby increasing your overall explosive strength.

Here’s how to perform this exercise:

• Take a push-up position, and lower yourself to the bottom of the push-up.
• Explode powerfully out of the bottom with force, and release your hands from the ground.
• Land back as softly as possible, and repeat the exercise.
• Continue for five to eight reps.

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2) Frog Squat Jump

A frog squat jump combines both a fast (concentric) and slow (eccentric) contraction. This exercise forces your body to create a great amount of force in a short period of time. To make it even more intense, you may close your eyes, which will make it much more difficult to assume when the weight will touch the floor.

Here’s how to perform this exercise:

• Stand straight, and hold one end of a dumbbell with both your hands. Make sure the dumbbell is facing downward.
• On the descent, allow your arms to hang down and squat back.
• As you squat, do not let your knees move forward, and make sure to keep your lower back flat.
• As you do that, ensure that the dumbbell touches the flopor in between your feet and not in the front.
• Once the dumbbell touches the floor, jump as hard and fast as you can, but do not allow your arms to bend during the jump.
• Complete 10 to 15 reps.

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3) Kettlebell Swing

A kettlebell swing is a full body exercise that enables your heart to pump blood and beat faster. This exercise targets your entire posterior chain muscles, including your lower and upper back, hamstrings and glutes.

As kettlebell swing requires activation of the posterior chain muscles and high force, this exercise works to improve your overall performance and explosive strength.

Here’s how to do this exercise:

• Position your feet at your hip distance, and place a kettlebell in front of your feet at the centre of your legs.
• Engage your core muscles, and grab the kettlebell with a firm grip.
• Keeping hold of the weight, throw the kettlebell back between your legs, lowering your hips slightly and swinging it back to the start.
• Move your hips forward, squeeze your glutes, and swing the kettlebell up to your chest level.
• Make sure to keep your arms straight, and ensure that the swinging movement comes from your hips and not by lifting your arms.

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4) Box Jump

Box jumps are a plyometric jumping exercise that pushes your muscles to their limit, helping improve your overall power, speed and explosive strength. This high-impact exercise targets your glutes, hamstrings, quads and calves.

Here’s how to perform this exercise:

• Take a half squat position, and simultaneously jump on the box.
• Jump down, or step down one foot at a time and then repeat the exercise.
• Try three sets of five to eight reps, and take intervals in between.

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5) Dumbbell Push Press

A dumbbell push press is a compound exercise that helps build power and explosive strength. This exercise involves a hip extension and an overhead pressing movement.

Here’s how to do this exercise:

• Stand straight, and keep a shoulder-width distance between your legs.
• Hold two dumbbells in each hand at your shoulder level, and lower your body into a half squat position.
• Extend your hips, and use your momentum to press the dumbbell over your head.
• Continue to take the dumbbells up till your arms get straight.
• Slowly lower the weight to the initial position, and repeat the exercise.