Written by Michael J. Rudolph, Ph.D.
15 April 2019

19gainmuscle-increasepower

Gain Muscle by Increasing Power

5 Tips to Increase Strength and Build Size

 

 

Muscular power is the amount of weight lifted, multiplied by the velocity the weight is lifted. For example, lifting 315 pounds for one repetition in five seconds demonstrates greater muscular power than performing the same lift at a slower rate of six seconds. Therefore, improving both strength and the speed at which the weight is lifted generates greater power. The development of power can drastically elevate athletic performance by improving the ability to perform explosive activities such as throwing or jumping, while also enhancing the capability to accelerate or change direction. For bodybuilders greater power equates to greater muscular gains.

 1) Maximize Strength First, Then Focus on Power

      Strength is one of the fundamental components necessary for the production and development of power, as many studies clearly demonstrate that athletes with greater strength levels are better at generating muscle power1 while also being more responsive to power-based training methods such as explosive lift training.2 One major reason why stronger individuals are able to generate greater power than their weaker counterparts is because greater strength levels positively contribute to the initial phase of the movement, resulting in greater power output. Therefore, if maximal strength levels have not been obtained, simply increasing strength levels can stimulate greater power output. Supporting this notion was a study by Cormie et al.3 that showed the development of maximal strength in weaker subjects was the most effective training approach for increasing power output.

      While improving strength is a key component for maximizing power development, it is often difficult to determine when an adequate strength level has actually been achieved that warrants a shift in training emphasis that includes more specialized power development strategies. Several studies show that athletes who squat a minimum of two times their bodyweight can express higher power outputs while also demonstrating a greater response to power training4 than their weaker counterparts who only squat 1.4 to 1.7 times their bodyweight.

 2) Explosive Movements Improve Power Output

      While strength gained from heavy resistance training primarily increases the amount of force produced, explosive movements enhance the velocity at which that force can be created yet contribute very little to total force production. Therefore, a mixed training approach that incorporates high-intensity strength training along with explosive movements is highly recommended to maximize both force production and the rate of force development for an optimal route to maximal power output.5

 3) Optimal Weight for Power Development

      Using weights that are light can generate great velocity but does not require great force, while heavy weights require great force but diminish the ability to generate high velocity. Therefore, the amount of weight that maximizes both force and velocity is the optimal load that generates maximal power output5,10 and should be the most effective weight for power improvement. However, many studies have shown that training at the optimal load has the intrinsic limitation of only maximizing power output at or near the load that is being trained.11-12 Of course, this limitation is undesirable primarily because most athletes require the ability to produce power under many different loads. Therefore, for a comprehensive power range, incorporating explosive work with many different loads is absolutely necessary.

 4) Power Training Potentiates Muscle Activity for Greater Strength

      The exercises performed during a workout are usually done in a specific order that maximizes muscle performance. For instance, a standard workout progression goes from multi-joint exercises to single-joint movements that promote the greatest muscle activity, growth and strength. Interestingly, a recent study by Spreuwenberg et al.13 demonstrated that nine male subjects performing high-velocity power exercises before the squat movement significantly improved their squat performance when compared to the another group that performed squats before the power movement. This increase in strength can be primarily attributed to a process known as postactivation potentiation (PAP), which has been shown to dramatically improve strength by triggering greater levels of muscle contraction. Since PAP is a powerful technique that dramatically improves strength, triggering PAP with power movements before strength training can simultaneously advance strength and power gains.

 5) Power Training Boosts Testosterone, Muscle Mass and Strength

      While power training precisely focuses on improving power output, it also stimulates an anabolic environment that can vigorously boost strength while also inducing greater levels of muscle mass. In one study, Kraemer et al.14 showed that 28 junior elite male Olympic-style weightlifters performing the explosive snatch movement increased serum testosterone levels by 30 percent when comparing pre- and post-exercise testosterone levels. Moreover, another study by Otto et al.15 demonstrated that 30 healthy men performing six weeks of power training had significantly greater improvements in strength along with a modest increase in lean body mass, when compared to alternative weight-training methods.

      For most of Michael Rudolph’s career he has been engrossed in the exercise world as either an athlete (he played college football at Hofstra University), personal trainer or as a Research Scientist (he earned a B.Sc. in Exercise Science at Hofstra University and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Stony Brook University). After earning his Ph.D., Michael investigated the molecular biology of exercise as a fellow at Harvard Medical School and Columbia University for over eight years. That research contributed seminally to understanding the function of the incredibly important cellular energy sensor AMPK— leading to numerous publications in peer-reviewed journals including the journal Nature. Michael is currently a scientist working at the New York Structural Biology Center doing contract work for the Department of Defense on a project involving national security.

 

 

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