Is power training for everyone

Currently, inline with our seasonal training calendar, we are currently focussing on power and conditioning and it got me thinking "is power training something for everyone?"

In my experience, I think the notion of power training has had a bad rap and be seen as something only relevant for seasoned athletes or those guys that lift ridiculously heavy weights above their heads. Well firstly, let's define power - In general terms, it is "the ability to act with force" and relative to exercise "undecelerated movement" which means that there has to be a release of energy. The best examples of this are jumping and throwing where gravity is the force that slows the energy or returns it back to ground.

Power training doesn't have to be involving weights: running, intervals, plyometrics, functional exercise, kettlebells and drills can all be ways of conditioning the body in an explosive and power driven fashion.

I would argue that power training is something that everyone can benefit hugely from and there are a number of reasons for this. Firstly, I should make quite clear that this should be done specific to the individual, their experience and ability level.

Reason 1 - The only way to truly measure the physical maximum potential of the body is to see how quick it can move, how much force it can create or how high it can jump. Besides, last one into the sea smells.

Reason 2 - As much as it isn't my own motivation, for many, being healthy is measured by looking and feeling good. Fast twitch muscle fibers, which are used in the above types of exercise are glycolytic meaning that they break down sugar for energy. Sugar is one of the biggest contributors to fat storage and so if you want to burn the pounds and look and feel great, then injecting this type of training into your weekly regime will help hugely. Be wary though, doing it all the time will go the opposite way as your body needs at least 48 hours to recover from this type of training. Overtraining will put huge stress on the entire body system and overtime result in injury and fatigue.

Reason 3 - It is fantastic for general function of the body, posture and performance. We may not all want to be athletes but knowing that when your body functions properly, you're better placed to avoid injury, burn more calories and benefit more from pretty much everything including digestion, metabolism and day to day tasks, good function becomes pretty relevant for us all. Function in terms of movement is simply the way that you do it. Asking two people to pick up a ball from ground level will probably create two entirely different patterns. Training your body to operate through safe and effective pathways makes a huge difference in engaging the right muscles at the right time.

Power isn't something to fear but to be excited about!

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