What is power training? Why should you incorporate it into your fitness routine? How is it used in daily life and what is the importance of it?
We’re going to break it all down it today’s blog!
Yesterday I did a light jog on a treadmill while watching a show on my Ipad. I didn’t notice that my left shoe wasn’t tied properly and all of the sudden I tripped over my shoelace and was about to fall flat on the ground aka the moving treadmill belt. Fortunately, I was able to catch myself at the last minute and grab the handrails to prevent me from falling and breaking my face (pheew!). The moment my reflexes kicked in and I was able to produce enough force to bounce up and get my arms up quickly to grab the handles is what we call power!
Power Development for Sports and In Daily Life
Power production can be defined as driving maximum amount of force in the shortest amount of time possible
(force x velocity = power). If you ever play golf and want to drive the ball 300 yards down the fairway, pass a basketball quickly or swing a tennis racket like Serena, you will need to produce a lot of force speedily and be explosive.
But sports and recreational activities are not the only times when power is called into play… going back to my earlier example about catching myself to avoid a fall, I needed my muscles to be able to react quickly and generate a lot of force within seconds in order to pop off the ground and lift my arms fast enough to grab the treadmill handles. Sometimes we are using power in regular daily activities without realizing it. They may include things like jumping over a puddle while crossing the street, sprinting to make the elevator, slamming a hammer or chopping wood, grabbing your child quickly before he/she falls to the ground etc.
Importance of Power Training
With all that said, power development and being able to produce explosive movements is crucial when it comes to safety, injury prevention, agility, functional movement and athleticism and should be incorporated as a part your fitness routine. Not only will it help you improve your golf game, but also help you react quickly in sticky situations that require a lot of force i.e. pulling the door open fast to get out of a burning house.
So what are some exercises we can do to train our bodies to be more explosive and powerful? Check out a few of them below and try them next time you’re inside of the gym! And if you want to be more powerful, have questions regarding exercise and/or nutrition be sure to give us a shout at info@coreprinciples-sc.com.
Lower body Power – Hinge Jump
Upper Body Power – Chest Pass
Back Power – Medicine Ball Pullover Throw
– Coach Jojo
