Who else programs stability and landing work before the heavy stuff? I start every session with 8 minutes of tissue prep and two activation sets, then cap plyo contacts at 25 — it’s kept hamstrings and knees happy while numbers climb; what’s your go-to safeguard that still drives performance?
Before lower-body heavy work, I do a 60-90s Spanish squat iso to preload the patellar tendon; it pairs well with your ‘25 contacts’ cap and has kept my knees calm while numbers climb. If I’m pressed for time, one long set does the trick without eating into main work.
I’ve had good results adding a 30–45s per side bent‑knee calf iso against the rack pre-jumps/squats to stiffen the ankle and keep patellar/Achilles happy; it’s been my best landing safeguard. If tendons feel twitchy I cut it to 20s and repeat between sets — have you tried pairing it after activation like @sophie_harper92’s iso?
Quick add: 2x20 tibialis raises against a wall before jumps/squats has been a sneaky win — pairs with @sandrae199’s bent‑knee calf iso to balance the ankle and keep patellar/Achilles calm. If it feels too pumpy, cut to 12–15 and sneak the rest between warm-up sets; you cue ‘quiet landings’ or just count contacts?