[u]Focus on muscle strength, not size[/u]
Derek Debono, Windsor Star
The end of July marks two annual events: the height of what is traditionally the hottest time of year and the start of 12-week training programs in preparation for running fall marathons. The most commonly asked question by runners at this time is whether they should begin a weight training program to strengthen their legs and, if so, what kind of training program would be most appropriate.
[b]Weight training is essential in improving performance in any sport.
Beginning a program becomes difficult when fellow runners and coaches discourage such training for fear of “becoming big and slow.” The confusion between appropriate training programs often leads to avoidance of valuable training altogether. Runners and coaches fail to understand the difference between maximum strength training and commonly used hypertrophy training.
The significant difference between the two is that maximum strength training involves lifting a heavy load with low repetitions. It’s designed to stimulate muscle activation so more of the muscle is used to lift the load. It’s the only type of strength training that activates the powerful fast twitch muscle fibres and is the foundation upon which power and speed training is based.
Hypertrophy training involves lifting a moderate load with high repetitions and sets. It’s designed to fatigue the muscle to the point where the brain recognizes it cannot withstand the stress put upon the muscle and builds the muscle fibres to a greater size.
Mistakes occur when there is greater emphasis on training to increase muscle size rather than maximum strength[/b].
Although increasing the cross sectional diameter of a muscle helps build strength, increasing muscle size in itself is rarely beneficial to athletic performance. In fact, some of the strongest athletes with the greatest muscle endurance are jockeys. They weigh between 110 and 115 pounds in a sport that requires them to control a 1,200 pound race horse travelling at speeds up to 60 km an hour. They do it by balancing in a crouched position using their arms and shoulders to control the head and neck of a horse that alone weighs more than 200 pounds.
A jockey must be incredibly strong without taking on the added size and weight of muscle. To get a better understanding of how strength training works, imagine the cross-sectional view of a muscle as a shopping bag filled with individual bags of spaghetti. The bag is the muscle. The individual bags of spaghetti are the muscle fibres. The contraction of each bundle of muscle fibre is controlled by a signal from the brain. The brain will only signal those muscle bundles it needs to use in order to move the load.
The problem for the runner occurs when the muscle is conditioned to move only the runner’s bodyweight a specific distance at a specific speed with each stride. The brain signals a minimal number of muscle bundles to get the job done.
When the runner wants to improve performance by increasing the speed of leg rotation and the power in their stride they can’t because the maximum number of muscle fibres needed for contraction are already engaged. Putting the body under greater stress through weight training for maximum strength conditions the brain to recruit more muscle fibres. The recruitment of these fibres is called upon during the run to generate greater contraction of more muscle fibres. This enables the runner to push off the ground with more power and cover a greater distance with each stride.
[b]An overlooked liability in hypertrophy training is the effect it has on reducing the mitochondria in the muscle cell.
It was once believed that muscle- bound athletes were slow because they were heavier. It was discovered that increasing muscle size decreases the number of mitochondria. This limits the amount of oxygen delivered to the muscle and the speed at which the muscle can contract.
The fear coaches and athletes have expressed about weight training is not without merit. Training to improve performance in sport, is highly specialized[/b].
Too often personal trainers and strength coaches are chosen for their experience as an athlete in a particular sport instead of for their technical knowledge. As a result, a person’s performance may not improve. It may even decline.
My question this week is: What is periodization training and when should it be used?
