Why You Should Train for Power
As we age, we lose power at almost twice the rate we lose strength. Power is your ability to express strength quickly; activities such as jumping, skipping, slamming, and throwing are all examples of power. But why is this so important? One of the most common issues in the aging population is falling. While bones may weaken with age, the ability to get your foot back under you or reach out quickly to catch a fall can prevent many broken bones and even deaths among elderly people. Strength training is also amazing for bone strengthening.
When was the last time you jumped? If it wasn’t this week or last, there’s some low-hanging fruit for you in your training. Most of us stop doing activities that train power after high school, trading them for things like walking, jogging, or even weightlifting. All of those are great forms of movement and should be continued, but by neglecting power training, we miss out on a critical component of training for longevity.
How You Should Train for Power
At the end of your warm-up, before weight training, you should do 2-3 sets of a lower body explosive movement such as a jump, hop, bound, or skip for 3-5 reps. Additionally, perform 2-3 sets of an upper body explosive movement such as a ball slam, ball throw, or plyo pushup for 3-5 reps twice a week. With a small commitment to power development, you can see huge increases in explosiveness. It’s important to note that these recommendations are for the general population; the volume and difficulty of variations would change for athletes.
In power-building exercises, it’s all about keeping the repetitions low and the effort very high. Try to jump as high as possible with each rep or throw as hard as you can, aiming to break the wall on the receiving end of a slam ball. This intent to move fast through power drills is what yields results.
By placing power drills after warming up and before strength training, we ensure that we are warmed up enough to avoid injury and still have enough energy to give high effort. If you do them after your strength work, you’ll likely not be able to produce the necessary force to move quickly.
Developing power doesn’t require rewriting your entire training routine. By setting aside 5-10 minutes to do several sets before strength training, you could unlock a cheat code for training for longevity. I’d argue it’s just as important for elderly populations as strength training.
If you’ve made it this far, I appreciate you taking the time to read my nerdy fitness posts. If you have any questions or just want to chat about training, email me directly at Dylan@IntegraFitnessNashville.com.
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