Explosive power: exercises to boost mobility and prevent injury

Summary

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Life Kit (NPR) Episode Summary

Episode: Explosive power: exercises to boost mobility and prevent injury

Host: Marielle Segarra
Guest: Dr. Jessica Scott (Director of Exercise Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center)
Date: April 28, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this episode, host Marielle Segarra explores the concept of explosive power—why it's important not just for athletes but for everyone, especially as we age. Dr. Jessica Scott joins to clarify what explosive power is, how it fits alongside cardio and strength training, and provides guidance on exercises, progression, and injury prevention. The episode offers practical takeaways for safely incorporating explosive power training into everyday routines for increased mobility and reduced risk of injury.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

What is Explosive Power? (00:37)

• Definition: “Explosive power is the ability to generate a lot of force very quickly. It is not necessarily lifting the heaviest load. It's about moving a lighter load very quickly.”
  — Jessica Scott (00:37)

• It’s essential for athletes (running, jumping, throwing) but is also a component of everyday movements (catching yourself from a stumble, standing up, quickly changing direction).

• Functional Importance:

  • Walking up/down stairs
  • Preventing falls (especially as you age)
  • Performing rapid movements to avoid injury in daily life

  “As we age, our muscle mass declines and training for these forceful movements becomes even more important to prevent falls and injury. Starting at about age 40, we lose 1 to 2% of our fast twitch muscle fibers every year.”
  — Marielle Segarra (01:30)

Why is Explosive Power Important for Everyone? (01:15 – 02:27)

• Fast-twitch muscle fibers allow for quick, forceful movements and start to decline with age (beginning around age 40).
• Training explosive power helps preserve mobility and prevent injuries, not just improve athletic performance.
• “Even before you reach your 40s, adding explosive power training… can have a big impact… It’ll help you preserve your power later in life.”
  — Marielle Segarra (01:30)

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How to Start Explosive Power Training (04:11 – 05:10)

Safely Building a Foundation

• Start Slow:

  • Begin with aerobic exercise and strength training before adding explosive power moves.
  • Typical recommendation: at least three months of consistent aerobic (3x per week) and resistance training (1–2x per week) first.

  “You need a baseline level of strength before you start layering in some of that quick training that we do for explosive power.”
  — Jessica Scott (04:16)

Recognizing Readiness

• Pain-free, strong control over movements, and some aerobic/strength background signal readiness.
• “Once you've had at least three months [of aerobic/resistance training], then you can start to layer in those quickness movements or that Explosive power training.”
  — Jessica Scott (04:40)

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Basic Explosive Power Exercises (06:02 – 09:52)

Entry-Level Exercises

• Chair Stand-Up:

  • Sit in a stable chair, stand up quickly, then sit down slowly (repeat 3–5 times).
  • “Just standing up very quickly. That starts to train explosive power. These can be done in your home.”
    — Jessica Scott (06:02)

• Fast Push-Ups:

  • Start against a wall, progressing to floor push-ups, and eventually to more advanced versions like clap push-ups.

• Jump Squats and Small Hops:

  • Begin with small hops before advancing to jump squats or box jumps.

• Medicine Ball Throws/Snaps:

  • Lighter medicine balls (2–10 lbs) used for throws against a wall, chest passes, or overhead slams.

  “Medicine balls are typically a little bit lighter… move your body, that is what trains explosive.”
  — Jessica Scott (07:46)

• Battle Ropes:

  • More advanced; creates upper body explosiveness and some cardio challenge.

• Kettlebell Swings:

  • Heavier and more advanced due to balance and load, best for progression.

  “Kettlebells…are the best way to generate power because you're doing at more of a moderate load…So that you would progress up to kettlebell exercises.”
  — Jessica Scott (09:20)

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Modifications and Personalization (11:45 – 13:32)

• Alternatives for those with knee pain or joint issues:

  • Explosive movements without leaving the ground (e.g., standing up quickly from a squat to a tiptoe).
  • Keep movement in a single plane, avoid twisting or rapid direction change.

  “It’s about not jumping, but using your body weight to move quickly from one position to another…”
  — Jessica Scott (12:07)

• Don’t Push Through Pain:

  • “Listen to your body, don't push past pain.”
    — Marielle Segarra (13:11)

• Focus on movement quality, not fatigue; 3–5 reps, not to exhaustion.

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Integrating Explosive Power Training (13:32 – 16:30)

• Timing:

  • Best done as a standalone session, not immediately after cardio or strength workouts to avoid fatigue.
    • “You don't want to combine it with aerobic exercise or after you’ve done resistance training. This should be its own training day…”
      — Jessica Scott (13:39)

• Duration:

  • Effective sessions can be as short as 20 minutes.
    • “In as little as 20 minutes, you can complete a lower body and upper body exercise workout because you want those movements to be short and high quality and you do not want to get to fatigue.”
      — Jessica Scott (14:20)

• Sample Structure:

  • 5–10 exercises per session, 3–5 reps each, for three sets (e.g., 15 reps per exercise).

• Integration in Daily Life:

  • Standing up quickly at your desk, jump squats next to your desk, jump rope while your water boils, etc.
  • “You can incorporate explosive power training into your daily life throughout the day… A great way to incorporate this is to…take a movement break, do some of these quick explosive power exercises.”
    — Jessica Scott (15:52)

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Why It Matters for Active Lifestyles and Sports (16:30 – 18:46)

• Sporting activities (even recreational ones) like softball, rec league soccer, volleyball—require explosive power for performance (sprints, throws, quick changes in movement).
• Key for both enhancing performance and injury prevention: torn Achilles, ACL injuries often linked to untrained explosive movements.
  • “That's the critical piece: explosive power can be really helpful, not just for performance, but also for preventing injury.”
    — Jessica Scott (17:59)

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Memorable Quotes

• “Explosive power is the ability to generate a lot of force very quickly. It is not necessarily lifting the heaviest load. It's about moving a lighter load very quickly.”
  — Jessica Scott (00:37)

• “As we age, our muscle mass declines and training for these forceful movements becomes even more important to prevent falls and injury. Starting at about age 40, we lose 1 to 2% of our fast twitch muscle fibers every year.”
  — Marielle Segarra (01:30)

• “Listen to your body, don't push past pain.”
  — Marielle Segarra (13:11)

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Three Main Takeaways (Summed Up)

1. Start Smart, Protect Your Power (05:10, 18:57)

• Power loss accelerates from age 40, but training in your 20s and 30s helps build reserves for later.
• Don’t jump into intensive explosive moves if untrained—build a cardio/strength baseline first.

2. Begin with Gentle Explosive Movements (09:52, 18:57)

• Chair stand-ups, fast wall push-ups, small hops, light medicine ball or kettlebell work.
• Back off at first sign of pain.

3. Fit Explosive Power into Your Routine (16:30, 18:57)

• Structured 20-minute standalone session once a week (5+ exercises, 3–5 reps x 3 sets).
• Or integrate bursts of explosive movement throughout daily life—both count.

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Useful Timestamps

• Defining Explosive Power: 00:37
• Why it matters as you age: 01:30
• Getting started safely: 04:16
• Sample beginner exercises: 06:02
• Medicine ball & kettlebell tips: 07:46, 09:20
• Modifications for pain/injury: 12:07
• Session timing & structure: 13:39, 14:20, 14:52
• Daily life integration: 15:52
• Application in sports/injury prevention: 16:30, 17:59

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Final Thoughts

You don’t have to be an athlete to benefit from explosive power training. Thoughtfully included in your weekly exercise (or even daily habits), it supports mobility, helps prevent injuries, and makes sports—and life—feel easier and safer. Start small, don’t rush, and listen to your body.

Transcript

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[Mariel Segarra]

you're listening to Life Kit. Hey, it's Marielle. So you've heard of strength training and you've heard of cardio, but have you heard of training for explosive power? Sounds kind of badass, right? And it is.

[Jessica Scott]

Explosive power is the ability to generate a lot of force very quickly. It is not necessarily lifting the heaviest load. It's about moving a lighter load very quickly.

[Mariel Segarra]

Jessica Scott has her PhD in cardiovascular physiology and she's the director of Exercise Oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. She says you'll need to do explosive power training, which is also sometimes called ballistic power training or plyometric training if you're an athlete and you're running, jumping, throwing, hitting, flipping. But you'll also use it if you're not. It's a component of our day to day movement.

[Jessica Scott]

It's used for mobility when you're walking up and down stairs. If you stumble or catch yourself while walking down the sidewalk, explosive power is what allows you to catch yourself and not fall.

[Mariel Segarra]

You even use explosive power when you're doing things like standing up from a seated position. And here's the thing, as we age, our muscle mass declines and training for these forceful movements becomes even more important to prevent falls and injury. Starting at about age 40, we lose 1 to 2% of our fast twitch muscle fibers every year. These are a type of muscular cell that allow us to do these explosive movements. But even before you reach your 40s, adding explosive power training into your exercise routine can have a big impact. For instance, my nephew is a toddler and he's always running around grabbing at things, quickly changing direction. And recently he tripped and almost face planted, but I was able to catch his face in my hand right before it hit the ground. That's a classic example of explosive power in action.

[Jessica Scott]

Explosive power is really about when you need to change direction very quickly. How quickly can you change your streng into movement?

[Mariel Segarra]

On this episode of Life Kit, how to train specifically for explosive power and how it's different from cardio or strength training. Jessica tells me about specific exercises we can all try and we also talk about how to start because you don't want to jump straight into jump squats. That's coming up after the break.

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[Mariel Segarra]

All right, so if you don't currently train for explosive power, how can you get started?

[Jessica Scott]

It's really important to start slowly and it's not jumping straight into doing explosive power movement. You need to start by including aerobic exercise first and starting with strength training. You need a baseline level of strength before you start layering in some of that quick training that we do for explosive power.

[Mariel Segarra]

How do you know when you're ready?

[Jessica Scott]

Usually if you've had a consistent training for at least three months. So that can be three days a week of aerobic training or walking or cycling, and at least one day, maybe two days a week of resistance training or strength training. Once you've had at least three months of that, then you can start to layer in those quickness movements or that Explosive power training

[Mariel Segarra]

takeaway 1 We tend to lose explosive power as we age, especially after 40. But training in your 20s and 30s is beneficial too, because it can help you stave off injuries when you're playing sports or just doing life. And it can also help you run faster, jump higher and change directions quickly. Also, it'll help you preserve your power later in life. As for the how it's not a good idea to jump right into the more intense explosive power training. If you don't currently work out, you'll want to get into an exercise routine first. Doing regular cardio and Resistance training for three months. But Jessica says most people can start right away with the lower intensity explosive power exercises. Just make sure you're pain free, you have full control over your movements, and you stop before you're fatigued. And what exercises do you like for explosive power?

[Jessica Scott]

One of the ones that we really like to start with is in a stable chair doing three very quick standing up and slowly sitting back down in a chair. And you repeat that three to five times. Just standing up very quickly. That starts to train explosive power. And these can be done in your home. It doesn't necessarily have to be at a gym. And once you've done several weeks of movements like that, then you can start to layer in jump squats where you're jumping up and then going into a squat position. And again, it's about doing these lighter loads with good mechanics, and it's about speed.

[Mariel Segarra]

What are some other ones you can do? I just tried the standing up one, by the way.

[Jessica Scott]

Yeah, the standing up quick is one that you can do at work or anywhere. The other movements that you can do are push ups. Even on a wall. If you do a push up very quickly, you can start with the wall push ups and then move to the floor push ups and eventually maybe graduate to a clap push up. So that's when you do a push up and then clap in between and catch yourself. You can gradually progress to other exercises like jumping up to a box and then jumping back down. So it's really important to gradually progress these movements.

[Mariel Segarra]

Yeah, I was, you know, working with a strength training coach, and then he started layering in some of these jumps. Not jumping onto a box, but. But jumping up and then also medicine ball snaps. Can you talk about that? Like something you can do with your arms and with a weight, like a medicine ball.

[Jessica Scott]

A medicine ball is a great way to start that explosive power training. Medicine balls are typically a little bit lighter, so they can be 2 pounds or 5 pounds or 10 pounds. And using those medicine balls as the weight to move your body, that is what trains explosive. So you can do exercises like a squat and throwing the ball against a wall and then catching the ball and going back into a squat. That's a very explosive power movement. And if you have a partner, there are some great exercises that you can do together. You can do overhead throws where you catch it and throwing it. That also generates explosive power.

[Mariel Segarra]

You can also just throw it at the ground. Right. Snap it really fast down to the ground from above your head.

[Jessica Scott]

Exactly. You know, it also helps with getting out anger when you throw it down as hard as you can, that's a great movement as well.

[Mariel Segarra]

I also did one one time with ropes. It's like you have a rope in each hand and you're trying to like snap them to the ground basically fast making waves with them kind of.

[Jessica Scott]

Yes. The rope one is more of an advanced exercise because you're generating some cardiovascular movement and you know your heart rate probably got up very high. And you're also doing that explosive power with your upper body as well.

[Mariel Segarra]

And we talked about medicine balls. I think kettlebells are also useful, right? You can swing those around.

[Jessica Scott]

Kettlebells are a great way to get explosive power in. And kettlebells are a little bit different than medicine balls. They're typically a little bit heavier and require a little bit more balance when you're doing those motions. But they also are the best way to generate power because you're doing at more of a moderate load compared to a lighter load. So that you would progress up to kettlebell exercises.

[Mariel Segarra]

Takeaway 2 Start off with the lighter, gentler, explosive power exercises. Sit in a chair and then stand up quickly. Do fast push ups against the wall. Try small hops before you start doing big jumps. And then you can do bodyweight exercises like jumping jacks or jump squats. Props can help too, like medicine balls, kettlebells and ropes. And if you start to feel pain in your knees, for instance, back off. We'll have more Life kit after the break.

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[Mariel Segarra]

What are some common modifications for folks who can't do the more intense explosive power exercises? Like I'm thinking, for instance, if you have knee pain and jumping doesn't work for you, I remember one time, basically I did one where you start in a squat and then you just kind of stand up really fast and swing your arms up and get on your toes, but you're not actually jumping off the ground.

[Jessica Scott]

That's a great description. So it's about not jumping, but using your body weight to move quickly from one position to another position. So in that squat motion, it was moving from a lower position to a standing up position position and then back down again. And usually those movements are okay for individuals who've had knee injuries or arthritis. It's typically, it's in when you have those fast movements from changing direction. That's when you might aggravate some knee pain. So if you stand in a single plane or if you think about doing those movements in a single plane, those are usually safe and still effective.

[Mariel Segarra]

It seems like explosive power exists on a spectrum, right. Like you can do the simplest version of it, or you can do the more intense version of it. What I always hear in training or in yoga classes is listen to your body, don't push past pain.

[Jessica Scott]

Exactly. So we really start with low repetitions. So three to five repetitions, you're not like doing the resistance training where you're trying to go to fatigue with explosive power. It is about generating that motion and movement quickly, but not getting to fatigue.

[Mariel Segarra]

And do you recommend doing this right after you strength train or right after cardio or on its own?

[Jessica Scott]

I would definitely recommend doing this on its own. So you don't want to combine it with aerobic exercise or after you've done resistance training. This should be its own training day where you can have the best training possible. Again, it's about going in with generating high quality movements. And if you've already done an aerobic exercise day or a resistance exercise, your muscles are likely to be a little bit fatigued and not able to generate that explosive power that you want to train.

[Mariel Segarra]

How long do you think that a training session should take? It sounds like not that long.

[Jessica Scott]

That's one of the benefits of doing this explosive power is that you can get a lot of benefits in a pretty short amount of time. So in as little as 20 minutes, you can complete a lower body and upper body exercise workout because you want those movements to be short and High quality and you do not want to get to fatigue.

[Mariel Segarra]

And what might a full workout look like that 20 minutes? How many of these types of exercises would you do?

[Jessica Scott]

You can do as as few as five different types of exercises, up to 10 different types of exercises. And again, we're starting with three to five repetitions and doing that three times. So in total you might be doing 15 repetitions of your squat jumps, for example, and then 15 repetitions with a medicine ball where you're doing chest press or throwing it against the ground. So there's a lot of different movements and motions that you can get in in a very short amount of time.

[Mariel Segarra]

For folks who are short on time, which I think is most people, can you work these kinds of exercises into a day? Like do you have to do a 20 minute session or could you do a few sets of jumping jacks and then a little later you do a few sets of whatever jump squats.

[Jessica Scott]

I think you can incorporate explosive power training into your daily life throughout the day. Even if you are in an office or you're working at home. A great way to incorporate this is to when you take a movement break, do some of these quick explosive power exercises. Whether it is some jump squats beside your desk or some clap pushups or jumping jacks, there are a lot of ways that you can incorporate explosive power training into your daily life.

[Mariel Segarra]

Takeaway 3. One way to incorporate explosive power is to do a 20 minute session once a week. Pick an exercise and remember to start at the lesson intense end of the spectrum and do three to five reps of it. That's one set. You'll do three sets in total and then see how many exercises you can fit in. Five different types of exercises is a good starting point. If you don't have 20 minutes to set aside for this, you can also incorporate explosive power training throughout the day. Standing up quickly from your desk chair, doing jumping jacks while your water boils. It all counts. Remember, you don't want to push to the point of fatigue though. One thing I've thought about personally is how important explosive power is if you're playing some sort of sport. So I play softball just in a rec league, but the three big moves in the game are sprinting, hitting and throwing. And those all seem to require explosive power.

[Jessica Scott]

Exactly. Explosive power is critical for performance if you are an athlete when whether it is throwing a ball, catching a ball, sprinting from base to base, diving for a volleyball. Explosive power is the basis of performance for many, many sports.

[Mariel Segarra]

And I know a lot of us are not. It's not like we're professional athletes. But if you're playing in a rec league, maybe you want to improve and have a little more force behind your swing and also just not get injured.

[Jessica Scott]

That's the critical piece is explosive power can be really helpful, not just for performance, but also for preventing injury. We know with a lot of rec leagues, for example, there are cases of torn Achilles tendons or torn ACLs because of those very quick movements that are required when you're doing team sports, for example. And, and explosive power can help train your body so that when you do those explosive movements when you're in the middle of a game or a match and you're really focused on winning or achieving that first base, that is really helpful to have that training so it can prevent injury.

[Mariel Segarra]

I'm about to do that. Softball starts on Thursday, so I gotta get ready. Jessica, thank you so much for this.

[Jessica Scott]

Thank you.

[Mariel Segarra]

Okay, time for a recap. Takeaway 1. We tend to lose explosive power as we age, especially after 40. But training in your 20s and 30s is beneficial too, because it helps you avoid injuries and preserve power later. It can also help you be better at sports. As for the how it's not a good idea to jump right into the more intense explosive power training. If you don't currently work out, you'd want to get into an exercise routine first, doing regular cardio and resistance training for three months. But Jessica says most people can start right away with the lower intensity stuff. Just make sure you're pain free, you have full control over your movements and you stop before you're fatigued. Takeaway 2 Start with the lighter, gentler explosive power exercises. Sit in a chair and then stand up quickly. Do fast push ups against the wall. Try small hops before you start doing big jumps. Props can help too, like medicine balls, kettlebells and ropes. And if you start to feel pain, back off. Takeaway 3 Try doing a 20 minute explosive power training session every week. You can pick an exercise like jumping jacks and do three to five of them. That's one set. And then you do three sets after that. You'll see how many different exercises you can fit in. Five is a good starting point. You can also incorporate explosive power training throughout the day. It all counts. All right, that's our show. Just a reminder that you can sign up for Life Kit plus to support our work at NPR and get curated playlists on popular Life Kit topics. Start Listening today at plus.NPR.org LifeKit this episode of Life Kit was produced by Claire Marie Schneider. It was edited by Sylvie Douglas. Our digital editor is Malika Garib and our visuals editor is CJ Reecalon. Meghan Kane is our senior supervising editor and Beth Donovan is our executive producer. Our production team also includes Andy Taegle and Margaret Serino. Engineering support comes from Damien Herring. Fact Checking by Andrea Lopez Crustado. I'm Mariel Segarra. Thanks for listening.

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