Top 6 Strength and power tips for Optimal performance
Request Tuesday! The people have spoken, here are 6 tips to increase strength and power.
Strength and power Tip 1: Understand your sport
The sport that you’re are training for is important to understand. If you play a sport that allows you to get on and off the ice/field/court or are you in a a sport that allows you to actively rest depending on where the ball is on the field? Identify the amount of rest to action there is. In the Top 5 Sports performance myths we discussed going for distance runs. if you understand the demands of your sport you will know if going for distance runs will be effective to increasing performance.
Strength and power Tip 2: In or out of season
Training is a year long process. The intensity and focus may vary depending on where you are in the sports season cycle but the goal is sustainability. When training intensely in the off season, it’s then just as important to be able to sustain the results achieved through the highly active and intense regular game season. When training in the off season don’t necessarily worry about hitting record highs, rather focus on being able to sustain a high level and sustain that level through the in-season. Go into the season strong… Great! Are you finishing the season strong?
Strength and power Tip 3: Increase strength duration
If you train strength or power focus on 3-5 reps or about 15-20seconds of reps. If you’re able to do it for more reps or longer than 20seconds increase the weight until you cant.
Strength and power Tip 4: rest periods
Yes, Sweat, out of breath, the feeling of puke may be signs of challenging the muscles, body and results. However, think back to your purpose, is it a conditioning day , movement day or a strength and power day? To increase strength give 2.5mins-5mins breaks in between, no matter how advanced you are if increasing overall strength is the goal, rest between is crucial! If you’re doing it right, you’ll still be drenched in sweat and about to puke ;).
Strength and power Tip 5: Move the weight as an extension of your body
My star wars fans … Be one with the weight, have the capability to move with the weight as if it was attached to you. Being able to raise or move a weight, is great! In sport we don’t move in one direction and no movement in sport is always the same. That’s what makes sports great. Talent, strength strategy, if there is a weakness the opposition will exploit it. Think of the NFL combine, the guy that has the top numbers doesn’t necessarily dominate on the field. Don’t be that Guy/Girl, Once the regular movement is mastered, now move it under different circumstances.. think of planes of movement, strong in the sagittal (forward and back) then try it in the frontal (side to side) then what happens in the transverse (rotational).
Strength and power Tip 6: Train the planes
The Sagittal plane is one of the fitness worlds favorite movement areas. Squats, cleans, deadlifts snatches. Sports require movement. There are many Advanced but safe ways to work those exercises in the other planes of movement and if not there are other exercises that can be applied.
Written By:
Kirill Vaks
BA, CSCS, NFPT-SNS
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