SNAP- I GOT THE POWER
We already spoke about strength training as you get older in Part 1. This time, we’ll talk about the next piece of the puzzle when it comes to training for longevity & reversing the aging process: Why you should train power as you age & if you are an older adult.
Power is the ability to exert force in a quick manner, there is a time component. As you age, your power drops off…
Adults lose power about twice as fast as strength. Power is linked to an individual’s longevity. So, we’ve got to train it. That doesn’t mean a 47 year old dad of 3 is going to go through the same workout and NFL player would. But what it does mean it that we are going to build up the foundational strength to be able to perform exercises in a safe & effective manner to train power. First, we develop strength to be able to exert force, then we want to be able to exert that force quickly. THAT is power.
Move Fast
If you’re lower body is super strong, & even if it is not, moving at higher velocities needs to become of greater importance to you. It is important to note that whatever the exercise it is that I choose for my clients, or you choose for yourself, needs to be able to be done pain-free & safely, efficiently, & effectively. Ultimately, the path you choose to train power isn’t as important as actually moving at high velocities.
Jump
“As soon as you stop jumping, you start dying“
There are not many things that express your power than jumping. However, many people overlook the importance of LANDING & skip right to the more appealing jumping drills. The first order of business should be to establish good landing technique & positioning with the ability to ABSORB force. This helps develop some strength & enhance your body’s ability to put on the brakes when you need to react & stabilize to an external stimuli. Then, move on to jumping progressions to PRODUCE force. For ideas on how to progress through jumping drills, visit my article here.
A common misconception is that adults & older adults do not need to or should not jump. Well, the research on jumping for older adults has found that it is entirely safe. In fact, researchers advocate for it so much that the saying “as soon as you stop jumping, you start dying” was birthed.
Once you establish the comfort of training power, you can get away from moving strictly forward. Train the frontal & transverse planes by moving laterally & challenging rotational components.
Whether its making a play in a backyard volleyball game or reacting to catch something falling off your counter top, you should be able to move in the frontal plane (side-ways) & transverse plane (rotational) with fluidity. Training in these 2 other planes not only improves the “functionality” of your training, but it also trains some often neglected muscles.
There’s tons of ways to train power in these planes, such as jumping, hopping, & medicine ball variations. Medicine balls are a constant contestant in my programming for myself, my athletes, & my “regular Joes” because they are fun and intrinsically engaging. Having a bad day? Throw this ball hard. Who doesn’t love that?
Here’s some variations for all levels of athletes & gym goers:
- standing medball side throw
- medball chest pass variations
- rotational medball shotput throw
- medball slam variations
- Medball Medleys
And if you’re in your 20’s, 30’s, 40’s thinking you don’t need to worry about this right now, ask yourself this: “where will I be in 30 years from now if I don’t start training these qualities now? What will it cost me further down the road?”
Invest in yourself now.
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