A fellow trainer took me through a workout the other day. I told him I wanted a total body routine with an emphasis on power. And what exactly is power? It’s strength times SPEED. Here’s one definition: “the ability to exert maximum muscular contraction instantly in an explosive burst of movements. The two components of power are strength and speed. (e.g. jumping or a sprint start). “For most of the workout Drew took me through, we didn’t use anything more than a 6-pound medicine ball. We did go through a killer circuit with a 40 and 60-pound barbell, but everything was done super-fast, explosively.
You wouldn’t want to train that way all the time, but you should mix in some speed/power workouts with your more traditional routine. Why, you ask? A number of reasons. I won’t get too technical, but your body has fast-twitch muscle fibers and slow-twitch. We’re all born with a certain amount of each, but there are some fibers able to convert. Your fast-twitch fibers are going to kick in when you use fast, explosive movements (and also when doing near maximum lifts). We lose our fast-twitch fibers much earlier and at a faster rate than slow-twitch. And, of course, if you don’t use ‘em, you lose ‘em.
Another reason: your fast-twitch fibers have the ability to grow the largest. Think about it. Picture the build of a sprinter versus the distance runner. The sprinter (males and a lot of females, too) normally is well-muscled in the thighs and butt, as well as through the shoulders and arms. The distance runner is very slim without much muscle. Many marathoners, world-class athletes though they may be, look sickly, in my opinion. Part of the reason for that is pure genetics. World class sprinters are born, not made. But part of it, too, is style of training. Running long distances interferes with your ability to build muscle and studies also show it actually decreases power output. It’s why I limit my runs to three miles, max. (Note: shorter, faster runs are consistent with MY goals, but it’s quite possible, slower, longer runs might work best for you). But to get to my point: which would you rather look more like, the sprinter or the marathoner?
Back in the 80’s, when Nautilus was all the rage, slow reps were in vogue. Slow reps have their place. They will build muscle. The advantage to slow reps (or negatives as we used to call them) is that the muscle is under tension for a longer period of time, which promotes greater growth. So, as with so many methods of training, there is some benefit. But we have a saying in the business: train slow, play slow. How can you get fast or explosive if you’re always doing something slowly?
Training with fast reps or doing plyometrics (e.g. jumping or any movement involving a rapid stretch or loading of the muscle followed by a rapid contraction) also is going to enhance the elastic properties of your muscles. I often tell clients: think of your body as a rubber band. If that rubber band can’t stretch and contract, it’s not much good. Just think of some seriously old underwear!
Would I do plyometrics with an elderly person? Most definitely. I wouldn’t have him or her jumping up on a bench or doing push-ups with a clap, but I would have them do push-ups off the wall or a scaled down version of a jump. The faster and elderly person can react and move, the less likely they are to falls and other mishaps.
Lee Taft, who owns a speed and agility training center, wrote on a favorite website of mine, ptonthenet.com, “the tennis serve, ground strokes and footwork all require certain levels of power. If this client was only trained at a slow tempo, the results would not be as beneficial as if they were doing higher speed training like medicine ball throws or quick rotations with tubing or cables.”
He added, “I would say that if you don’t include some form of speed and power training with every capable client, you are not fully allowing them to reach their physical potential.”
Okay, I think I’ve rambled on long enough. But hopefully I’ve at least given you something to think about in your training. Feel free to comment or hit me with any questions.
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