health
Power Up! Could Force Be the Secret to Supercharging Your Fitness?
Mobility, cardio, and strength are important, but power – generating force quickly – is the workout element that will help you stay active for longer, say health and fitness experts.
TL;DR
- Power is the ability to generate force quickly and is essential for activities like jumping, pushing up, and breaking a fall.
- While strength training builds muscle mass, power training improves the speed and efficiency of the brain-muscle connection.
- As people age, muscle mass and power decline, but power can be trained to maintain physical function.
- Power training involves moving lighter weights or bodyweight as quickly as possible, using exercises like plyometrics, medicine ball throws, and weighted jumps.
- For older adults, power training can start with simple movements and focus on improving the nervous system's ability to activate remaining muscle.
- Key principles for power training include finding benchmarks, setting goals, timing sessions correctly (early in a workout), keeping sessions short, and not needing a separate session.
- It's important to start with lighter weights, focus on good form, and understand that powerlifting does not train power, while Olympic weightlifting does.
- Power training can help break through strength training plateaus by increasing neuromuscular system efficiency.
- Sports like tennis, football, and boxing can also develop beginner-level power through short bursts of acceleration and explosive movements.