Most athletes don’t put much thought into strength vs. power training, and it shows in how they perform.
If you are an athlete who can squat 315lbs, but only has a vertical jump of 26 inches, you don’t have a strength problem. You’ve got a power problem. And to fix your power problem you’ve got to do like Super Mario and start jumping.
Why Jump?
Jumping is essential for athletes who are looking to build lower body power and become a nightmare to deal with on the court, field, or track.
Low rep, max effort vertical and horizontal jumping (aka broad jumping) are both used in my training programs for athletes. Power training is about output, not fatigue. That’s why reps stay low and recovery stays high. These jumps, when used correctly, will increase the explosive ability of an athlete.
I’ve seen many “jumping workouts” that were really just conditioning workouts in disguise. Training to increase your vertical should not leave you gasping for air.
My Strength Vs. Power Training Story
Some athletes have more natural power than others.
You can identify them as the 9th grader who can dunk or dominate in the high jump. They won the genetic lottery.
There are also athletes who do not possess as much natural power as the genetic freaks. But regardless of where you fall, all athletes should dedicate parts of their training to increasing the potential of their power.
I’ve seen strong athletes who could deadlift 405-600lbs, bench 275-350lbs, and squat 350-405lbs and still not be able to dunk or explode out of the blocks.
I’ve seen powerful athletes who could hammer dunk at 5’9 while weighing 135lbs soaking wet. But these same athletes could not squat 225lbs to the bucket if their life depended on it.
In 2016, I was the strong athlete whose weight room numbers did not translate to sprinting. I did walking lunges with 315lbs for 6 reps in September 2015 before my ulnar nerve transposition surgery. In December 2015, I then hip thrusted 669.5lbs for 1 rep.
I was moving real weight while only weighing 172lbs at that time. I looked like I had the answers but my performance only created more questions. At the first outdoor masters summer track meet of the 2016 season I ran a horrendous 12.64 and 25.03 in the 100m/200m dashes.
I by far had the strongest glutes at the meet. But having strong glutes did not help me at all on the track early in that season. I got smoked at the first meet of that season as my power tank was only a 1/4 full.
After that meet, I immediately changed my training program. By the end of the 2016 outdoor season, I had lowered my times to 11.78 and 24.16 in the 100m/200m dashes.
The strongest sprinter is not necessarily the fastest sprinter. You have to specifically train for power and speed in order to truly possess respectable power and speed. Being strong in the weight room is not enough without power training.
I was not training specifically for speed or power in 2015 or in the first half of 2016. My training program during that time was all about improving my physique for natural bodybuilding.
Strength vs. Power Training: You Need Elements Of Both
Being strong with limited power or powerful with limited strength is not where you want to be as an athlete. You will be leaving a ton of performance gains on the table.
How you train will determine what you get. If you are an athlete you need to have a program that has elements of strength and power training during the year. A sample program that blends strength and power training for an off-season athlete could look like this:
Sprint Dominant Program
Sunday: OFF
Monday: Sprinting and Upper Body Lifting
Tuesday: OFF
Wednesday: Jumping and Lower Body Lifting
Thursday: OFF
Friday: Sprinting
Saturday: Upper Body Lifting
Jump Dominant Program
Sunday: OFF
Monday: Jumping and Lower Body Lifting
Tuesday: OFF
Wednesday: Sprinting and Upper Body Lifting
Thursday: OFF
Friday: Jumping
Saturday: Upper Body Lifting
The Last Rep
If you’re only training for strength, you’re leaving power behind. Train for both or accept average performance.
You might not be able to attain the elite jumping power of Michael Jordan or the supreme strength of Mark Henry. But what you can do is increase your strength and power with hard work, consistency, and patience.
If you’re an athlete and want to jump higher, fill out my intake form and start building real power.
I’ll holla at you next time.
The People’s Trainer
Fitman
