Project LVLUP · Training Notes
Want to feel younger?
Keep a spring in your step.
When we talk about “staying young”, most of the conversation happens on the outside — skin, hair, nails, wrinkles, grey hairs. But there’s another kind of youthfulness that matters a whole lot more.
How you move.
Think about a kid for a second. They rarely just walk somewhere.
They run. Skip. Jump off things. Hop over puddles. Throw themselves onto the ground and somehow bounce straight back up again.
There’s a springiness to the way they move. And somewhere along the way, a lot of adults lose it.
Not necessarily because they’ve become “too old” to move that way. Often, they’ve just stopped moving that way.
When everyday movements start disappearing
It can happen so gradually that you barely notice it.
You stop jumping. You haven’t sprinted in years. Getting down onto the ground becomes something you think about first. Jumping off the back of a ute suddenly feels like a questionable life decision.
Then one day the opportunity comes up to play a sport, go for a run or chase your kids around and there’s this little voice saying:
“I probably shouldn’t do that anymore.”
That’s the part of ageing I want us to fight against. Not ageing itself.
The unnecessary loss of physical capability.
This is where plyometrics come in
Plyometrics are essentially movements where your body has to absorb force and rapidly produce it again.
Hopping, skipping, jumping, landing, bouncing and faster explosive movements all fall somewhere along that spectrum.
And no, that doesn’t mean everyone needs to start launching themselves onto giant boxes. A small pogo jump can be plyometric training. So can skipping. So can learning how to land properly.
Like strength training, it can be progressed to suit the person.
Why we care about it
Strength training is incredibly important as we age. It helps preserve muscle, strength, function and bone.
But being strong and being able to produce force quickly aren’t exactly the same thing.
A 47‑year study following people from age 16 through to 63 found that physical capacities — including jumping power — decline across adulthood, with declines accelerating later in life. Importantly, people who stayed physically active performed better at every stage.
Source: Westerståhl et al., Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle (2025) — read the study →
Plyometric training also trains the muscle–tendon system itself. A systematic review and meta-analysis found consistent improvements in tendon structure and stiffness following plyometric programs, and earlier controlled research recorded measurable increases in Achilles tendon stiffness after just 14 weeks of jump training.
Why does that matter?
Because your tendons aren’t just ropes connecting muscles to bones. They help store and return energy when you walk, run and jump.
That spring matters.
You don’t need much
Maintaining this ability doesn’t require an entire workout of jumping. Depending on your training history, something as simple as:
- skipping
- low pogo jumps
- small hops
- controlled landing drills
- low box jumps
- faster step-ups or explosive strength work
can begin exposing your body to movements it may otherwise rarely experience.
And these should always be progressed appropriately — particularly if you’re dealing with pain or an existing tendon injury.
This is exactly why you’ll occasionally see plyometrics in our sessions at Project LVLUP.
We’re not making you hop around just to make a workout look interesting. We’re trying to help you maintain qualities your future self might desperately want.
To run if you want to run.
To chase your kids.
To jump over the puddle rather than walk around it.
To step back into a sport years from now.
To have confidence in what your body can still do.
Because maybe feeling young isn’t only about how young you look. Maybe part of it is having a body that still lets you say “yeah, I can do that.”
And we’d like to keep you saying that for as long as possible.
Frequently asked questions
Isn’t jumping and landing hard on my joints?
Not when it’s programmed properly. Force goes through your joints whether you train it or not — every step, stair and misjudged curb involves some degree of impact. Plyometric training in a session is about teaching your body to absorb and produce that force well, starting from very low-impact options like pogo hops or controlled step-downs and building up from there.
What if I have an existing tendon or joint injury?
Plyometric work still needs to be introduced carefully and progressed at the right pace, particularly if you’re dealing with pain or a known tendon issue. That’s exactly why we individualise it — some people start with isometric holds or slow eccentric loading before any jumping is introduced at all.
Do I need to already be fit or athletic to start?
No. Like strength training, plyometrics sits on a spectrum. A small pogo jump or a skip is still plyometric training. We scale the movement, the height, and the load to where you’re currently at, then build from there.
How often do I actually need to do this kind of training?
You don’t need an entire session dedicated to jumping. A few minutes of appropriate plyometric exposure worked into your regular sessions is usually enough to start reintroducing your body to movements it may otherwise rarely experience.
Is this just for athletes, or does it matter for everyday life too?
It matters most for everyday life. Being able to catch your balance, get up off the ground, hop over an obstacle or chase after your kids all rely on the same qualities plyometric training builds — not just sport-specific performance.
References
- Westerståhl, M. et al. (2025). Rise and Fall of Physical Capacity in a General Population: A 47‑Year Longitudinal Study. Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jcsm.70134
- Ramírez-delaCruz, M. et al. (2022). Effects of Plyometric Training on Lower Body Muscle Architecture, Tendon Structure, Stiffness and Physical Performance: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Sports Medicine – Open. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8938535
- Fouré, A., Nordez, A., & Cornu, C. (2010). Plyometric Training Effects on Achilles Tendon Stiffness and Dissipative Properties. Journal of Applied Physiology. journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/japplphysiol.01150.2009
