What Is The Purpose Of Stefon Diggs’ Rubber Band Push-Ups?

A video of new Buffalo Bill Stefon Diggs performing an odd variation of push-ups went viral recently leading many to wonder aloud (or at least tweet): “What is going on here?”

The short answer is that he is completing a plyometric exercise, but most people could probably surmise that. The long answer is that…well, I guess the long answer involves explaining the minutiae behind plyometric exercises.

The specific kind of plyometric exercise Diggs is performing is known as a depth push-up. Many times this exercise is completed by starting with the hands on a semi-stable surface – like a wobble board or basketball – dropping the hands off the surface and onto to the ground, then exploding upwards until the hands leave the ground before setting them back on the relatively unstable surface. Rinse, repeat.

Diggs’ rubber band aided version really isn’t all that different, at least at the kinesiological level.

Like with all plyometric exercises, the muscles involved in a depth push-up – primarily the pectoralis major and triceps – go through three phases known as the stretch-shortening cycle: eccentric contraction, amortization, concentric contraction.

An eccentric contraction – mostly used for controlling descent – occurs when the muscle is contracting as the muscle lengths; this occurs in the video from when Diggs’ hands first hit the ground until the infinitesimally short moment of pause before he pushes himself upward. The amortization phase occurs during the brief period of pause; the goal of plyometric exercises is to make this moment as short and the next phase as explosive as possible. A concentric contraction occurs when the muscle is contracting causing it to shorten; this is what propels Diggs off the ground. The purpose of the rubber bands is to essentially pull Diggs back up to his workout partner, whose job is to propel him back towards the ground so he can complete another repetition.

Plyometric exercises are wonderful for developing power, scientifically defined as the ability to create a vast amount of force in a short amount of time; for those interested, the equation to determine Power (P) is P = (Force x Distance)/change in Time. There are many variations of plyometric exercises, though the most common involve the lower extremities (think box jumps and single leg hops). Other examples of upper extremity plyometric drills include weighted-ball tosses and power drops – which involve dropping a medicine ball from a height, catching it, and propelling it upwards.

Depth push-ups are a unique way to help wide receivers develop the power needed to help separate themselves at the line of scrimmage from cornerbacks who are defending them with bump coverage. They provide a more functional (i.e. game-like) experience, more so than a bench press, for example.

Is it 100% necessary to perform depth push-ups in this matter and does this type of depth push-up provide Diggs any additional benefit above a “normal” depth push-up? No and likely not, but sometimes you have to have fun and switch up the workout routine a little bit.

The Buffalo Bills acquired Diggs – along with a 2020 seventh-round draft pick – in a mid-March trade with the Minnesota Vikings; Minnesota received the Bills’ first-round pick (22nd overall) along with a fifth- and sixth-round pick in the upcoming draft plus a fourth-round pick in 2021.

Diggs eclipsed the 1,000 receiving yard mark during his last two seasons (1,021 and 1,130 yards respectively in 2018 and 2019) with the Vikings and caught 30 touchdowns over his five-year career. The trade for Diggs adds fire power to the Bills’ offense and gives quarterback Josh Allen (58.8% completion percentage, 3,089 passing yards, 20/9 touchdowns:interceptions in 2019) another 1,000-yard weapon to throw to.



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