Staying strong and youthful as we age isn’t a luxury—it’s essential. Strength training is excellent, but incorporating power training into your workouts is the cherry on top of your ice cream sundae.
Power training focuses on explosive movements that improve reaction time and help maintain or improve your overall strength. It isn’t only for the young or athletes who play on Sunday, but for you and me, too. Power training can be modified to suit any fitness level, giving you every reason to tap into its benefits.
Here, I’ll cover everything you need to know so you can get it on.
What Is Power Training?
Power training involves moving fast, combining force and acceleration (P = F x A). If strength training is the foundation of your engine, power training is the turbocharger that lets you use that strength quickly.
Unlike traditional strength training, power training focuses on lighter loads and faster movement. Think of plyo push-ups, med ball slams, or kettlebell swings. It’s about tapping into your fast-twitch muscle fibers, which provide the juice to move fast.
3 Types of Power Training
There is no one-size-fits-all regarding power training. The beauty is that you have options to fit your training style, equipment access, and fitness level. Here are three I like to use.
Plyometric Training: Plyometric exercises involve rapid muscle contractions, often with your hands or feet leaving the ground, such as high knee skips, squat jumps, and plyo push-ups. These moves push your muscles to react quickly and train your body to generate force in seconds.
Medicine Ball: Ah, the medicine ball—a classic and underrated tool for power. Med ball slams, rotational throws, and overhead tosses let you train power without fuss. You’re building coordination, speed, and strength while having some fun.
Low-Impact: For those looking to ease joint strain, there are low-impact options such as kettlebell swings, med ball slams, or high-knee skips. These moves reduce impact while building power.
Why Power Training Is Critical
Aging is inevitable, but losing your strength and power doesn’t have to be.
The hard truth is that power declines faster than strength as you age. Studies show that after 50, if untrained, strength can decline by about 1.5% per year, but power can decrease at twice that rate—up to 3% per year.
Power training is crucial because it maintains the ability to generate force fast, which is vital for everything from catching yourself during a slip to lifting a heavy bag off the ground. Keeping those fast-twitch fibers in tip-top shape will make you look good and catch the glass before it smashes.
Did I mention it also burns a ton of calories?
Power Training Benefits
Besides being a change of pace, here are a few more reasons why power training rocks.
Enhanced Strength and Muscle Growth: Power training targets your fast-twitch muscle fibers, which have the greatest potential for strength and size development. A European Review of Aging and Physical Activity study found that power training offers greater potential to improve muscle power and performance in older adults than strength training alone.
Improved Cardiovascular Health: Explosive movements require your heart to pump harder and faster, boosting your cardiovascular system. Power training improves your resting heart rate, thereby improving overall cardiovascular health.
Better Burn: Power exercises torch calories, and thanks to excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC), you’ll continue burning calories long after you’re done.
Enhanced Balance: Power isn’t just about producing force; it improves coordination and balance. These exercises often require multi-directional movement, helping you build stronger joints and greater body awareness.
Programming Power Training
Here’s how to program power training for maximum benefits:
Sets and Reps
The goal here is quality over quantity, so keep your reps between 4 and 15 except when training for time, and perform 2-4 sets. When your speed or form decreases, stop the set—you’re no longer training power; you’re training endurance instead.
Rest Periods
Your fast-twitch muscle fibers require longer recovery time. Even if you feel ready after 30 seconds, it’s essential to rest for 60 to 180 seconds between sets. This rest period allows your body to recharge its energy stores, preparing you for the next set.
When to Train It
It is best trained early, right after your warm-up. The muscles are fresh, and your nervous system is primed and ready. Performing power exercises before strength training also activates your fast-twitch fibers, helping you lift heavier.
Frequency
2-3 times a week is enough for most of us to see benefits. If you’re new to it, start with 1-2 weekly sessions and gradually increase as you get stronger.
5 Power Exercises
Here are five low-impact, high-intensity exercises that deliver the benefits without the joint wear and tear.
Med Ball Chest Pass
This exercise is perfect for building upper-body power with minimal joint stress. It targets the chest, shoulders, and triceps while improving core strength.
Sets and Reps: 2-4 sets of 6-10 reps.
Med Ball Slam
It is a full-body move that brings out your inner athlete while strengthening your core, shoulders, and lats. It’s a joint-friendly way to boost power and let off some steam.
Sets and Reps: 2-4 sets of 6-12 reps.
Kettlebell Swings
Kettlebell swings enhance hip drive, boost cardiovascular conditioning, and train lower body power without the joint impact of jumping.
Sets and Reps: 2-4 sets of 10-15 reps.
Rotational Med Ball Throw
This exercise trains your obliques and improves your ability to transfer force from your lower to upper body.
Sets and Reps: 2-4 sets of 6-8 reps per side.
High Knee Skips
This low-impact move enhances lower-body power, coordination, and cardiovascular fitness. It’s easy on the joints but still packs a punch.
Sets and Reps: 2-4 sets of 20-30 seconds per set.
Wrapping Up
There’s a lot of conflicting advice about exercise floating around the internet, but when it comes to training power and its benefits, not so much. Adding one or two of these exercises will make you feel like Superman and give you an extra pep in your step.
Work With Me Online
Whether you’re just starting or you’re tired of piecing together random YouTube workouts, my online coaching will help you succeed with:
Customized workouts you can do at home
Mobility routines to reduce stiffness and move better
Expert guidance and progress tracking that fits your lifestyle
Real accountability
Click here to get started today.
Leave a Reply