Can you enlighten me on the ABC'S of plyometrics? Especially as they can be applied to cycling.

— Ray Reid, Vilas, North Carolina

To get from point A to B on a bike requires a combination of endurance and strength. To get there faster you've got to be able to put some power into those pedals. Think of power as strength times speed -- you can be strong, but if you can't push the pedals quickly, your performance will be limited.

That's where plyometrics come in. They are a method of developing power by doing rapid movements that require a muscle to stretch and then shorten. An example: if you wanted to jump as high as possible, the first thing you would do would be to "drop down" by bending your knees, then push skyward. The dropping down stretches the muscles in your legs, which engages a neuromuscular phenomenon called the stretch reflex, which then sends a message to your leg muscles to contract powerfully (more powerfully than if you didn't drop down) and up you go.

Just as your aerobic training for cycling should gradually introduce higher intensity training as your fitness improves, plyometric training should be introduced after you've achieved a good foundation of basic strength. Ideally, you'll have eight to 16 weeks of strength training under your belt before you start bounding around the gym. Plyometrics are high intensity movements, so a warm-up of 15 to 30 minutes of cycling, jogging, stretching, or other activity is important, as is a cool-down period. These are also exercises that require very few repetitions (six to ten) and lots of rest between sets (one to two minutes). Don't be deceived by the old belief that if some is good, more must be better.

As with other training regimes, there are many plyometric exercises and the best place to start is with a trainer who has experience in teaching the movements. Learn the proper technique and then you can train on your own. Some exercises to consider for cycling are the double-leg bound, incline bound, alternate-leg bound, single-leg speed hop, and scissor jumps. A good reference for the specific mechanics of these exercises and other technical tips is Plyometrics, by Radcliffe and Farentinos, published by Human Kinetics.