hould older adults focus on power training? And how EMS can be the safest way to train for power.
“With great power comes great responsibility” – Uncle Ben from the movie Spiderman.
One of the cheesiest lines in cinema, but somehow, unforgettable. Also, not the first time that line was used. If you want to go down history lane here are the origins of that phrase.
What is power training?
Muscular power is work divided by time, or force x velocity. In other words, how quickly you can use your strength.
Power training vs strength training
Power training, also known as power exercises or powerlifting, is a type of resistance training that focuses on improving explosive movements and speed. It typically involves exercises that require rapid muscle contractions and high levels of force in a short amount of time, such as plyometrics (jumping, sprinting), Olympic lifts (cleans, snatches, kettlebell swings), and ballistic exercises (medicine ball throws). Power training is often used by athletes to improve performance in sports that require speed, power, and quick movements, such as sprinting, jumping, and throwing. More practical applications would be a golf swing, throwing a ball to your dog, or catching yourself if you trip or begin to fall.
Strength training, also known as resistance training or weightlifting, is a type of exercise that focuses on building and improving muscular strength. It involves lifting weights or using resistance, such as resistance bands or body weight, to target specific muscles or muscle groups. Strength training typically involves lifting heavier weights for fewer repetitions and sets, with the goal of increasing muscle mass, strength, and endurance. Strength training exercises may include weightlifting with dumbbells, barbells, or machines, as well as bodyweight exercises like push-ups, pull-ups, and squats. Other day-to-day activities would be picking up and carrying groceries or lifting up your kids or grandkids.
Why is it important to train for power?
We discussed how muscles follow the use-or-lose-it principle in our blog about glute activations for lower back pain. The “use-or-lose-it” idiom is catchy and easy to remember but it is not completely accurate. If you don’t use your bicep muscle it won’t disappear from your arm making it impossible to flex your elbow anymore. However, it will lose power, strength, neuromuscular activation, and endurance, in that order. The muscle will also lose size through the process of atrophy.
In order to maintain our type 2x muscle fibers responsible for power, we need to use them, and we need to use them often since they will be the first ones to go. You can read more about muscle fiber types here.
According to a research study by the European Review of Aging and Physical Activity, power has more benefits and transferability than strength training: “Power training offers more potential for improving muscle power and performance on activity based tests in older adults than strength training.”
What can we do to maintain and increase muscular power?
The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) recommends including multi-joint exercises at moderate intensities of 40-60% of your one repetition maximum, in other words moving a moderate weight as quickly as possible. The “weight” can also be your own body as in a jump or sprint.
The recommendation is not very precise because power training can encompass anything from standing up quickly from a chair to lifting an Olympic bar over your head. What exercises, how often, and how much, is going to depend a lot on your individual needs, goals, fitness ability, and so on.
What are the risks of power training?
We’ve mentioned jumping, throwing, sprinting, punching, swinging, and moving weight as quickly as possible…what could go wrong? You can get an idea by watching Piñata fails.
Jokes aside, there is always a risk for injury when training, especially with power training when you add force to speed. This is why, as personal trainers, we learn to include power exercises in the last phase of training after we’ve built a solid foundation of strength.
Even professional athletes typically only train for power during the off-season because the sport they play usually is enough to maintain those type 2x muscle fibers throughout the season. Most athletes are already at a high risk of getting injured while performing their sport, so any training in between needs to be low-risk.
