One of the most common questions I get from athletes is ‘how do I get faster, jump higher, change direction quicker? There is one thing all these athletic attributes have in common: POWER!
Power = (force x distance) / time
Athletes can get carried away and jump straight into training for power production without thinking about long term results.
As you can see in the equation above, one of the factors in power is force. So how much force can you produce? This is where strength training come in. If we can increase the amount of force you can produce, we can increase your potential for power production. Now just because you are strong doesn’t mean you are powerful, but your overall potential for power production is greater.
Eric Cressey, strength and conditioning expect, uses the analogy of strength being a like a glass. The stronger you are, the bigger your glass is. Then everything else you train for in the gym (eg, speed, power, agility, hypertrophy etc) is the liquid inside. Without a good solid foundation of strength, you will only be able to produce a limited amount of power.
This foundation will take some time to establish, Rome wasn’t built in a day. Take the time to build your strength before trying to take your power to the next level. A good starting point for beginners to aim for is your body weight on the bar. This is a great foundation that you can continue to build on into the future. This foundation is now a platform that you can explode off while training to be as explosive as possible.
If you are an athlete training to be the best you can be at your sport, then timing is also an important factor to consider. The time working up to your season or competition is the perfect time to work on building your foundation of strength. Then shortly before the season or competition begins is a great time to transfer that foundation of strength you have built into explosive power. Let us know if you would like more information on how to become fast and explosive to take your performance to the next level.
