SuperPOWERed Part 2: HOW to train for explosive power at any age
So HOW do we safely train for power? If you haven’t already, please check out Part 1 of this series on WHY we want to…
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So HOW do we safely train for power? If you haven’t already, please check out Part 1 of this series on WHY we want to…
I think we can all agree that seeing elite level sprinters like Usain Bolt or Flo Jo run is truly poetry in motion. Their seemingly effortless strides down the track is possibly the most beautiful expression of power that I’ve ever seen. Sprinting is the closest thing we can do to flying. OSI co-founder and avid sprinter, Tim Anderson sums it up well: “ It’s ‘soaring’ on two feet. It’s poetic power and it’s exhilarating”.
The way someone sprints is also very telling of how well their body is wiring and firing together along with their general mobility. It’s a culmination of everything working harmoniously together and right up there with throwing as the ultimate expression of pulsing power.
Many strong people look very awkward and cumbersome when they run because they don’t spend time sprinting, so the nervous system essentially becomes lazy and wants to protect the body from injury, so the tissues become stiff from the static lifting many people do. They lack the athletic, full range of motion of the hips and shoulder that sprinting provides.
Franz Snideman, my good friend, and elite sprint coach says, “sprinting is the one activity that recruits all of our body systems in one primal pattern that is hard wired in our DNA on the highest level for survival”.
Starting full on into a sprinting program is probably a bad decision for anyone who hasn’t been sprinting regularly throughout their lifetime, but we have some simple progressions you can work into this amazing skill at almost any age or ability level. At OS, we consider sprinting to be the top of the food chain for “reflexive strength” training once a person is slowly conditioned to it.
Now again, we can fast track this skill into something that we can reclaim or add as a new skill at virtually any age, and that starts with one of our favorite OS gait pattern skills..marching! The skill of marching may seem a little simple or underwhelming, but when practiced regularly with focus and intention, it's a superpowered skill that delivers so many benefits from fat loss, hormone production (growth hormone and testosterone) to max end explosive speed.
*Precision Pulsing- is this an exercise that I have a high level of proficiency, and can it be done in a rhythmic fashion? This will naturally happen as all of the other elements of the POWER acronym are done well.
*Organized- Plan your training, slowly increase repetitions and carefully progress the level of difficulty. As a good rule of thumb do not add more than 5% to intensity/difficulty or total volume of load between sessions.
*Work- remember to keep the work load generally on the lighter side (under 50% of max for beginners with anything loaded) and repetitions/time (under 30 sec of work or 10 reps ALWAYS). Training sessions can take as little as a few minutes to around 30 minutes max. Less is more.
*Explosiveness- all reps should be explosive, when in doubt stop and rest or lower the weight. A great rule of thumb here is to train the skill at 80% effort -be smooth and efficient, especially for beginners. Advanced athletes will be able to train closer to 100% of full speed, power, or throwing distance, but still do a fair amount of work at closer to 80%. In throwing we call these “range throws” and this makes up at least half of our training effort and time. The mental effort is always 100% focused on speed/power. Shoot video or have someone watch you. Is it truly explosive? Do you compensate in any way? When in doubt, rest longer, use less weight, and use the simplest version of a movement pattern.
*Return and Relax- Remember “what goes up, must come down even better” to train the “brakes” of the body by focusing on quiet “ninja foot landings” and good overall body control between jumps and sprints.The same goes for the kettlebell swing or anything thrown. We must be aware of what our feet are doing to help or harm our power production. The “R” is also a great one to help you focus on staying smooth and controlled as the kettlebell returns to the hips after a powerful swing.
So now that you have a bit more of an understanding and hopefully a new appreciation for the value of power training, are you ready to dive deeper into your own superpowered potential with a clean crisp new program developed just for this?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Coach John Odden dives a little deeper into each of the 'ONE THING' drills he mentions above and provides you with: