Which Comes First, Cardio or Weights_ - Alex Hutchinson [43]
Training for power is subtly different from training for strength. The simplest approach is to lift weights with lighter loads than you normally would, but focus on lifting them with a rapid, explosive motion. The American College of Sports Medicine suggests doing one to three sets of three to six repetitions, using a weight up to 60 percent of the heaviest you can lift for that exercise. But don’t just do the same exercises you’d use for strength training; focus instead on functional movements that require multiple joints, like box jumps, jump squats, and medicine-ball tosses. The goal, after all, is to develop an explosive jump, not an explosive hamstring curl.
The specific exercises you choose should be tailored to your goals. For athletes, that means choosing exercises that mimic the motions you’ll be using in your sport and doing them at realistic speeds. For example, baseball players are advised to swing the bat at least 100 times a day (three times a week) to increase bat speed, but using a “donut” to make the bat heavier is discouraged because it makes you practice swinging more slowly, according to a 2009 review in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. “Explosive” rotational exercises with a medicine ball have also been found to boost power and bat speed.
Even golf, seemingly a much more sedate sport, depends on power. A 2009 study by University of Toronto researcher Greg Wells found that vertical jump—a measure of leg power—was correlated with longer driving distances in elite golfers. It’s a lesson that many golfers still haven’t learned: “Traditionally, these guys focus on getting stronger and building bulk,” Wells says, “but then they slow down and can’t hit the ball as hard.”
Power isn’t just for athletes. When health experts stress the importance of maintaining “functional strength” for day-to-day activities as you get older, they’re often talking about power rather than strength. For example, it doesn’t require much sustained strength to hoist yourself up from a chair; you need to summon a rapid burst of force to push yourself up. Several recent studies have found that exercise plans incorporating power-building exercises, in which speedy motions with light weights are emphasized, are associated with better outcomes such as improved balance and stronger bones in older adults.
In spite of all that, there can be no power without strength, so don’t abandon regular strength training in search of power. But consider incorporating a little explosiveness in your routine, and you may notice the effects on the court and beyond.
Free weights or machines: what’s the difference, and which should I use?
The choice between free weights and machines depends on how much stability you want—and that’s determined by your goals and your level of experience. For beginners, the biggest advantage of weight machines is that they keep you from making mistakes. Each exercise station is designed to move in only one direction, guiding you through the motion with proper form. But that’s also their biggest weakness—because when you call on your muscles in the real world, you won’t have that support.
“Weight machines are very stable,” says David Behm, an exercise scientist at Memorial University of Newfoundland. “But if you’re on a muddy football field or running across a tennis court hitting a forehand on one leg, that’s very different.” The same is true for everyday challenges, such as getting out of a car for an older person. For that reason, free weights—dumbbells and barbells that aren’t connected to pulleys or contraptions—are thought to provide a more functional training stimulus. Because they’re less stable, you’re forced to balance your entire body while performing the exercise.
Consider a simple exercise such as the biceps curl. If you use a weight machine to perform the curl, you