Training for Strength & Power

Training for maximum strength involves training with low repetitions and a heavy weight requiring you to exert as much force as possible with no time limit. A good example of this is the bench press in Powerlifting where the predominant characteristic is maximal strength to enable the athlete to overcome a high force (bar and weights).

Power is your ability to exert force at great speeds or in more mathematical terms, Force x Velocity. Training for power requires you to repeatedly perform a dynamic, explosive movement with a resistance or weight (often your own body weight). Sprinters require both explosive power and speed to propel themselves out of the starting blocks and across the finish line. In some situations, strength becomes the dominant component e.g. the initial acceleration in a Track or Swimming race, and in others the speed becomes the dominant component e.g. the ground contact time in sprinting. Try to use resistance exercises that mimic your sporting movements to ensure direct transfer to your sport.

Muscular endurance refers to the ability of a muscle/ muscle group to sustain repeated contractions against resistance over time and so this type of training is mostly applicable to more endurance-based sports. This type of training will usually consist of low weights and high repetitions.

Speed and agility can be characterised by your ability to complete movements at a fast and economical rate. To develop these skills, you need to work at a high intensity for a short time, followed by a rest period, and repeat. For example, you could use a work to rest ratio of one to five; so, for every high intensity speed drill you do you get five times the amount of rest that it has taken you to complete it. It is also important to remember that these are high quality sessions rather than high volume so you must complete them when you feel fresh.

Agility is a combination of balance, strength, and skill. In sport, agility may be demonstrated through changes in direction and speed, and exceptional levels of balance. Many fast athletes struggle to transfer their speed in a straight line into multi-directional movement; hence it is important to practise different movement patterns that you may be unfamiliar with. Once these movement patterns have been learnt and executed well, you can increase the speed of the drill to make it more sport specific.