Saturday, December 18, 2021

The Importance of Power Training : Muscle Building

The Importance of Power Training : Muscle Building
Muscle Building :

Power training is also imperative for those looking for increased muscle size. Either performing strength and power work at lower rep ranges at the start of each session or building in cycles of strength training will work. Improving pure strength and power will improve the performance of sets in the hypertrophy range thus aiding muscle growth.

Also, power training by its very nature requires work to be done by the 'fast-twitch' fibres of the working muscle. These fibres have much greater potential for growth and so stimulation of the nervous patterns that control them will be of great benefit to those seeking muscle growth. It is clear therefore that no matter what the goal is, power training should play a key role. It is my belief that power exercises should be an ever-present element in any training program and not ignored for long periods of time as in traditional periodisation models.


Clearly different sports will place less or more importance on power in improving performance and within each sport this the need will change throughout the training year. For some, a set or two at the start of each strength and conditioning session will suffice to maintain fast muscle-firing patterns, whereas for other sports it will be a major priority thus taking up a large proportion of training time.

For instance a triathlete may focus on strength and power through resistance training during the off-season from November to December time before converting these new capabilities as they begin to return to higher volumes of swimming, cycling and running. However, they should maintain a low volume of power training even during the competitive season. Under no circumstances should power training be ignored for optimal physical performance regardless of age, gender or goal.

Even a 75 year old lady looking to simply improve quality of life needs the ability to get up and down easily and react to unstable situations which could lead to injury. This is based trained through power-based movements which develop or at least maintain fast muscle-recruitment! The exercises will change, the degree of difficulty will change but the fact remains that every human being needs the ability to generate power effectively both in daily life and in sport.
 



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