More Power!!!
Power
Recently we have been covering the skill-related components of fitness. This are aspects of physical fitness that relate to improved performance in motor skills and sports[i]. This help us perform better at sports but also have an indirect connection with health.
So far we have looked at
Balance, and
This week we will look at power.
What is power?
Power. And once again, we just say it like Jeremy Clarkson from Top Gear…
Power!!!!!!
But what is power? The former astrophysics student in me wants to give you the geeky physics definition of force x velocity but I will try to keep this fitness related.
However, surprisingly enough, the physics definition is actually pretty useful. In a fitness context, power is a combination of strength and speed. How fast can you generate force?[ii]
What do we use power for?
As you can imagine, power is needed in many sports such as Olympic weightlifting and football. It takes a lot of power to accelerate a large athlete to speed quickly and then to stop them. Power is also useful in sports such as basketball, tennis and volleyball. Jumping to get a rebound requires a great amount of leg power. Spiking a volleyball requires both leg and upper body power.[iii]
Photo by Jason_V/iStock / Getty Images
But what about in everyday life?
Power is required to perform many daily activities including
Lifting objects,
Hurrying to catch the bus,
Climbing stairs, and,
Preventing fall injuries.[iv]
If you slip and fall toward the ground you need power to help you catch yourself.
Your whole body weight is crashing toward the ground a great speed. So you need both strength (to support your weight) and speed (to decelerate your body in time) to help you from hurting yourself.[v]
Additionally, as we age, power ebbs more quickly than strength. Therefore, it is vital we do exercises that improve our power as we age.[vi]
How do we improve our POWER!!!!
How do we get…, as Clarkson says, “more POWER!!!!”?
Well, as power requires both speed and strength, training for power requires you to develop both speed and strength. If you are already strong, then to develop power, you should work on developing speed (see below). If you are already fast, then to develop power you should work on developing strength.
Additionally, you can enhance your power by combining speed and resistance.
Here are some ways to improve your power (please note that some of these exercises place high demands on your body so, to avoid injury, please do not start power training without a solid base to start from).
Plyometric box jumps
NOTE: Plyometrics should only be attempted once conditioned. Make sure you build up to these and give your body time to grow and adapt to prevent injury.
Start with body weight squats with an ‘explosive’ up movement and a slow downward movement. This can be done as a chair stand, too. Sit down slowly. Stand up quickly.
https://www.gympik.com/articles/exercises-senior-citizens-stay-active/
Start with your legs about hip width apart.
Lower your butt to the ground with your body upright and ensure your knees do not go further forward than your toes.
Goes as low as you can without lifting your heels or losing your form (from the step before).
https://www.menshealth.com/uk/building-muscle/a755607/how-to-master-the-squat/
With time, you can add a jump.
Make sure you practice good landing technique:
Land softly on your toes and roll to the heels and avoid sideways or twisting knee motion.
As you progress trying jumping higher and tuck your knees toward your chest (tuck jump).
With more time, slowly add jumping on to a box (start low and increase box height).
With the box in front of you position your feet shoulder-hip width part.
Look straight ahead and bend your hips and knees (ensure your knees are tracking in the same direction as your toes (no bowing in or out).
Jump up and forward while drawing your knees to your chest. Land softly in a squat position on the top of the box.
Push through your heels and come to a standing position on top of the box.
Step off the box and repeat.[vii]
Power weights training
If you want to focus on the power of a particular group of muscles you can do this using power weights training.
Depending on what area you’d like to improve you power in, choose an appropriate exercise.
Use a weight that is heavy enough to challenge yor over a short set of reps.
Use a weight that is light enough to enable you to use explosive speed.
Uses about 3 minutes of rest between sets to enable your muscles to fully recover their energy supplies.[viii]
Ensure the ‘work’ part of the movement is done explosively (i.e. the ‘push’ part of a push exercise or the ‘pull’ part of a pull exercise).
Conclusion
Power is not only useful for many sports but for everyday activities such as climbing stairs, lifting objects (and children) and preventing fall injuries. To train power we need to train both speed and strength. Once we have these individually, we can build on it with specific power training. Lastly, as we age, we lose power more quickly than strength so maintaining power to prevent fall injuries becomes more important.
Photo by Wavebreakmedia/iStock / Getty Images
[i] Corbin, C. B., Pangrazi, R. P., & Franks, B. D. (2000). Definitions: Health, fitness, and physical activity. President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports Research Digest.
[ii] https://www.verywellfit.com/skill-related-fitness-components-4155209
[iii] https://www.verywellfit.com/skill-related-fitness-components-4155209
[iv] Hoeger, W. W., & Hoeger, S. A. (2015). Principles and labs for fitness and wellness. Cengage Learning.
[v] https://strengthmatters.com/train-powerful-need-power-survive-everyday-life/
[vi] https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/power-training-provides-special-benefits-for-muscles-and-function-201304226097
[vii] https://www.kaylaitsines.com/blogs/education/5-steps-to-master-plyometric-box-jumps
[viii] https://www.verywellfit.com/weight-training-for-power-3498521
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