Effects of Plyometric Training on Physical Performance: An Umbrella Review

BACKGROUND: Plyometric training can be performed through many types of exercises involving the stretch-shortening cycle in lower limbs. In the last decades, a high number of studies have investigated the effects of plyometric training on several outcomes in different populations. OBJECTIVES: To systematically review, summarize the findings, and access the quality of published meta-analyses investigating the effects of plyometric training on physical performance. DESIGN: Systematic umbrella review of meta-analyses. DATA SOURCES: Meta-analyses were identified using a systematic literature search in the databases PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, SPORTDiscus, Web of Science, Cochrane Library and Scielo. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR SELECTING META-ANALYSES: Meta-analyses that examined the effects of plyometric training on physical fitness in different populations, age groups, and sex. RESULTS: Twenty-nine meta-analyses with moderate-to-high methodological quality were included in this umbrella review. We identified a relevant weakness in the current literature, in which five meta-analyses included control group comparisons, while 24 included pre-to-post-effect sizes. Trivial-to-large effects were found considering the effects of plyometric training on physical performance for healthy individuals, medium-trivial effects for the sports athletes' groups and medium effects for different sports athletes' groups, age groups, and physical performance. CONCLUSION: The available evidence indicates that plyometric training improves most related physical fitness parameters and sports performance. However, it is important to outline that most meta-analyses included papers lacking a control condition. As such, the results should be interpreted with caution. PROSPERO number: CRD42020217918.