So what is this secret fitness weapon?
Power!
Power can have several different meanings and uses.
But for this article lets discuss power in terms of sports and fitness.
“Power is defined as the amount of work performed per unit of time. Power is an element of skill-related fitness that is needed to excel in athletic performance
. Increased strength does not always translate into increased power.” Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/115549-define-strength-power-muscular-endurance/#ixzz2HRc7hBZL
Why do I say power is the secret weapon?
Because power is super important for the athlete and for fitness alike.
Power is the combination of strength and speed!
So if we increase strength, power will increase as long as speed does not decrease.
We can increase speed, and this will also increase power as long as strength does not decrease.
This is why by simply increasing strength and/or speed in the same amount of time is a great way to increase overall fitness level.
“Developing power does not necessarily have to involve Olympic lifts or bounding up and down an athletics track, but can have dramatic results in beginners and advanced trainees alike looking for fat loss, when programmed correctly.” http://training.fitness.com/articles-research/importance-power-training-any-goal-42800.html
No matter your goal power should be accounted for.
Power is needed to jump higher, sprint faster, move a weight faster, or move a band faster.
In the end any program should increase a persons power!
Comment below your thoughts about this secret weapon.
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Interesting post Jeremy…I was especially taken by the idea that strength doesn’t necessarily equal power. I’m probably not the only one that has those two concepts tied tightly together. Thanks for the insight!
To further explain a sprinter (and athletes) are a lot more powerful versus a marathon runner. Strength almost always equals more power but we forget about moving a weight fast (with control and safety) or especially bands. So we do not have to always increase weight instead we can increase the amount of speed. This is why I like workouts to be 30 minutes or less in many cases. You control the time aspect or power now we just need to get stronger or move faster (with proper form).
Hi Jeremy
Yes… Power is necessary for most sports – but the power of the mind can overcome strength and speed in team games and one to one competition. Often it is the speed of the mind over the power of the body than can win in the end……
I say this…. because my skinny little body won many a karate match ‘cos they said I had a scary face!!
Best wishes Jeremy,… great blog
Peter
Yes power can be used in a mental sense. However just because someone is skinny does not imply low power. I know people with 40 or even 50 inch vertical jumps that only weigh 150lbs. Their relative and peak power is extremely high. I bet you have more physical power than you might realize:) But again mental “power” is a key to winning in sports as well! Thanks for the post.
Hi Jermey
I agree power has many meanings however in sporting terms it’s the combination of strength and speed
Mark
This is correct. However different sports need different kinds of power. And I did not talk about power endurance which is the ability to express power over and over again
Jeremy, the takeaway that I got out of your inspiring article is power. I liked how you broke power down into the different sections. I would like to add one more element to this…”drive”. When you are training, your internal drive has an immense influence on how you train, thus how your power develops.
It can create more power using our internal drive. However if too much exercise without controlled intensity can lead to adrenaline fatigue and decrease performance. Especially for the stressed out beginning person. This is why under a great deal of stress a person can lift a lot more weight than normal. Again gradual progression in intensity of a long period of time is really the key. I hope that makes sense.