Author - Alex Adams

Power is an important component of all sports performance. To read more on the subject click here. The combination of strength and speed results in power, all three of which can be trained and improved. Rather than exclusive characteristics of moment they are all somewhere on a continuum between absolute max strength and absolute max speed. Power expression maximises as much force produced as rapidly as possible. Separate from developing top end speed or top end strength, we can sit somewhere in the middle and maximise power outputs. The 5 exercises most useful for developing power for team sports are:

Loaded jumps

Jumps are a great way to train speed and power. In trying to leave the floor and get as high as possible we commit fully to accelerating our own mass for as long as possible. Only once we leave the floor do we stop applying this upward force. In essence, we are trying to teach our body to use our strength rapidly - thats what power training is and is known as training our rate of force development (RFD). If we don't apply enough force quickly enough, we don't leave the ground.

In order to produce both enough force AND enough speed, we can manipulate the amount of mass we have. By either holding weight (think barbell on back, dumbbells in hands etc) or having load applied to us as we move (think of an elastic band tethering us to the floor) we can change how much force is required and the consequent effect on speed/RFD.

Research implies that around 0-50% of our maximum force ability will give back the best return in power depending on how strong we are. Practically this means around half of our best barbell back squat will produce the highest power output in a barbell squat jump. Recommended loads are anything between 0% of back squat in athletes with no training history (McBride et al., 2008) and as high as 47-63% in stronger, more well trained athletes (Baker, 2001).

Clean pull

The clean and power clean exercises are a fantastic expression of an athletes power but they can take a while to learn and require a great deal of skill and mobility. The most useful part of this lift for non-weightlifters is the part known as ‘triple extension’ - where ankles, knees and hips extend forcefully upwards like during running and jumping. This part of the lift is during what’s called the ‘pull’. From the outside it may look a little like a very fast deadlift but is in essence another type of loaded jump. We try to accelerate fully away from the floor and we bring the barbell along for the ride.

The phases of the clean pull are slightly different to the deadlift. The first movement is really a means by which to reach the second position which then allows us to jump. We don't always need to do this part (the most technically complex bit for most people). We can lift the bar from a hang position or even from blocks, bypassing any real technical component. The highest power is expressed in the final stages of the pull just before we leave the ground (or at least make it to our toes).

The benefit of using a clean pull variation over a normal loaded jump is that we don't have weight directly on our backs meaning our spines receive slightly less compression. We can use the same or even more weight for a clean pull and still achieve fast and powerful reps. We can drop the weights safely in front of us (in a good gym you can!) so can focus entirely on the upwards drive and not worry about how we will land. Lastly, our posterior chain (i.e. the muscles down our back side) gets a bigger stimulus than when typically squat jumping as we are tipped forwards more during a clean pull. This emphasises our hip extension muscles which are used during acceleration.

Russian step up

You may have seen this and not known what it was. Essentially a dynamic step up where we aim to stamp the working leg down and spring up into a step up. This version of a step up requires the athlete to rapidly go from hip flexion (lifting the working leg) to immediately stamping aggressively into hip extension (pushing down on the step until the body is elevated and leg straightened). Using one leg in this manner is much more similar to running gait but we can perform the exercise for multiple repetitions in order to overload the system and create adaption.

The Russian step up forces the working leg to rapidly create enough force to overcome the athletes body weight and gravity. It allows for full acceleration upwards and like the jumps we can even leave the step.

Unilateral (single leg) lower body power exercises have great transfer to sports performance whilst also helping to make an athlete more symmetrical, reducing injury risk.

Push press

Developing upper body power is often more about learning to transfer the force produced in the lower body against the ground into and through the trunk and upper limbs than it is about producing power in the upper limbs. It can (and should) be done but if short on training time or resources I’d prioritise the transfer of power over the production of it. What does this mean in practical terms? It means use exercises that use the whole body but where the movement outcome is finished with the upper body, like the push press.

The push press starts in the legs, like an aggressive and quick short range squat. That movement then accelerates up through the trunk, shifting a load (barbell or dumbbell for example) up off the shoulders and into the air under the control of the arms. It is a bit like aiming to throw a weight that is really too heavy to get out of your hands.

The important parts are;

-    accelerating fully upwards - the ‘push’ (again this is triple extension in the lower body)

-    keeping the torso stiff and full of air

-    only beginning the upper body ‘press’ once the load has gained enough momentum to leave the shoulders

-    controlling the weight back down to the shoulders

The exercise itself can be performed with a bar, a dumbbell, two dumbbells, kettlebells, landmine bars (s) or even odd implements like a sandbag. It teaches great whole body coordination as well as using the stretch shortening cycle in the legs/hips.

Medicine ball throw (rotational)

In team and field sports we don't move in a straight line, nor do we move in one plane. We turn and twist and swing. This means we should include some training in these plains even if just to protect against injury.

The medicine ball rotational throw can be performed in a balanced square set stance, a favourable or unfavourable split stance (where we rotate away from a lead leg or over it respectively). We can throw against a wall or to a team mate, or just for distance and have to retrieve the ball. Which ever method we use our aim is to generate as much power as possible. Intention is key. The heavier the ball, the slower the throw will be so the more we move along the spectrum from speed to force.

Our body has passive structures within it that, along with muscle, help us transfer forces in the rotational plane. To make good use of these tissues we can rotate into and out of the throws rapidly - again using stretch reflex to produce more power.

It isn't enough to be strong. It isn't enough to be fast. As an athlete, you must be powerful.

References:

Baker, D., Nance, S., & Moore, M. (2001). The load that maximises the average mechanical power output during jump squats in power-trained athletes. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 15(1), 92-97.

Cormie, P., McBride, J. M., & McCaulley, G. O. (2008). Power-time, force-time, and velocity-time curve analysis during the jump squat: impact of load. Journal of applied biomechanics, 24(2), 112-120.