Before answering your question, here is a segment from my 2nd book (Theory and Application of Modern Strength and Power Methods) dealing with this topic:
''Dynamic effort method
This method relies on lifting sub-maximal loads with a high degree of acceleration.
The dynamic effort method allows for maximal motor unit recruitment through an increase in intramuscular coordination and increased motor unit activation via a potentiation of the central nervous system. There is also some evidence that explosive (high acceleration) exercise increases the rate of fast-twitch fiber innervation, leading to an inverted motor recruitment pattern.
Normal motor recruitment pattern: The slow-twitch fibers are recruited first and as the intensity of the movement and the demand on the muscle increases, the fast twitch fibers enter into the action. This is known as the ?size principle.? According to the size principle, the smallest, most oxidative (ST) fibers are recruited first and the most powerful fibers (FT) are recruited last.
Inverted recruitment pattern: During explosive exercises (especially those of a ballistic nature) the activation threshold of all the motor units is brought to the same level. This means that the signal to activate the motor units occurs at the same time for all types of fibers. However, since the nerve impulse takes less time to innervate the fast-twitch fibers than the slow-twitch fibers (60ms vs. 140ms), these FT fibers enter into action first, hence the reverse order of activation/recruitment. This form of recruitment is also found in maximal/supra-maximal eccentric training and EMS training.
Dynamic effort methods offer a lot to most athletes who need explosive strength and speed.
We will discuss three different applications of the dynamic effort method:
I. Olympic lift variations
II. Regular lifts with a maximum power load (45-65%)
III. Ballistic lifts (10-25%)
Olympic lift variations
The Olympic lifts include the competitive lifts (snatch, clean & jerk) as well as their derivatives. When talking about Olympic lifts we should use a three-word term:
First word: position of the catch/reception of the barbell (muscle; power; squat; split)
Muscle = catch with no bending of the knees
Power = catch with a slight bending of the knees (less than 90 degrees)
Squat = catch with an important bending of the knees
Second word: general type of lift (snatch; clean; jerk) Snatch = lifting the bar from the starting position straight to overhead
Clean = lifting the bar from the starting position to the shoulders/clavicles
Jerk = lifting the bar from the shoulders to overhead
Third word: starting position (floor; hang; blocks)
Floor = the bar starts on the floor
Hang = the bar starts above or below the knees, with the lifter holding it there
Blocks = the bar starts on blocks leaving it above or below the knees
Note: An athlete who doesn?t plan on competing in Olympic lifting should stick with the easier variations of these lifts:
Muscle snatch from the hang
Muscle snatch from the blocks
Power snatch from the hang
Power snatch from the blocks
Muscle clean from the hang
Muscle clean from the blocks
Power clean from the hang
Power clean from the blocks
Muscle jerk from the clavicles
Power jerk from the clavicles
Split jerk from the clavicles
The Olympic lifts are explosive by nature. This means that to complete the lift you must produce a lot of acceleration. Because of this, it is possible to use a relatively heavy load and still produce a high level of power. The Olympic lifts are a rather unique animal. For one thing, few training exercises have such a mystique surrounding them as the Olympic lifts. But these lifts are nothing mysterious and their method of action is not a secret. We know that the Olympic lifts work and we know why they work.
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The Olympic lifts have a very large power output. The body improves what it is trained to do, train to produce a lot of power and you?ll get better at producing power! The following table by Dr. Mike Stone illustrates the superiority of the Olympic lifts when compared to ?regular? strength exercises in terms of peak power production:
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The Olympic lifts require that you synchronize several muscle actions to produce one fluid, powerful motion. While the specific technique of the Olympic lifts cannot improve your skills in sport movements, these lifts can develop your general capacity to solve complex motor tasks. This means that becoming efficient in the Olympic lifts will improve the efficacy of the nervous system to create well-timed motor patterns, and this general capacity can be transferred to sports.
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The Olympic lifts develop strength and power in muscles that are key in most sports: quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, glutes, lower back, traps, and arms.
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The Olympic lifts teach an athlete to receive an outside force and how to absorb it. This is critical for optimum sport performance and can also help reduce the risk of on-field injuries due to external forces.
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The Olympic lifts are fun to do! Once learned properly they are among the most enjoyable and fulfilling strength exercises you can do. There is something special about hoisting a heavy weight from the floor to over your head in one powerful motion!
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The Olympic lifts are a great way to develop CNS efficacy and to train the CNS to recruit high threshold muscle fibers, which are normally hard to stimulate. When an Olympic lifting program is combined with ?regular? strength training or bodybuilding training, the CNS stimulating effect of the Olympic lifts magnifies the gains brought on by the other two types of training.
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Of special interest to women, the Olympic lifts are not exercises in which you feel a localized pump. As a result, women will not have the impression of bulking up. Obviously this is just a subjective and psychological benefit, but if it keeps them interested in training, it?s all good!
Regular lifts with a maximum power load (40 -65%)
The Olympic lifts are not the only exercises that can produce a lot of power. By using an optimal load and maximal acceleration with regular exercises such as the bench press and squat, you can get the same power enhancement benefits as with the Olympic lifts.
Over the past few years there has been a significant effort from the scientific crowd to establish just where that optimal percentage is situated. The varying types of study designs and different fitness level of the test subjects led to somewhat conflicting results.
For example Siegel et al. (2002) found that the greatest power output was between 50 and 70% of 1RM for the squat and between 40 and 60% for the bench press.
Baker et al. (2001) found that power output was maximized with loads of 55-59% in the squat (a bit lower than the Siegel study), but power output was still very high in the 47-63% range. They also found that the load maximizing power output in the bench press was 46 to 62% with an average peak occurring at 55%.
These two recent studies offer a somewhat conflicting conclusion compared to the earlier investigations in regard to peak power, which supposedly occurred at around 30% of 1RM.
It is because of this discrepancy, as well as the success of the Westside Barbell lifters (who are using 40-60% to develop power), that I decided to conduct a little study on peak power. Using the Fitrodyne unit by Tendo Sport, I decided to establish the ?power curve? and ?velocity curve? for strength lifts. In doing so I tested several athletes (hockey players, football players, powerlifters, a sprinter, and an Olympic lifter) on the bench press using loads ranging from 10% up to 100% of their maximum. Velocity as well as power output was recorded at each percentage.
General findings
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Peak power occurs at 45-55% on average.
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Submaximal power (90-100% of max power) is produced with loads ranging from 40 to 65% of maximum.
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Maximum velocity is reached with the lightest tested load (10%); it is quite possible that it could be even higher with lighter loads.
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Submaximal velocity (90-100% of max velocity) is produced with loads ranging from 10 to 25% of maximum.
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There is an inverse proportional relationship between velocity and load; the higher the load, the slower the bar speed.
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The power curve is parabolic; at the highest velocities, the load is too low and at the heaviest loads the velocity is too low to lead to a large power output.
From this curve we can conclude that to train for maximum power when using regular strength lifts we should use a load ranging from 40 to 65% of one?s concentric maximum, lifting the bar as fast as possible.
Ballistic lifts (10-25%)
Ballistic refers to an actual projection of the source of resistance. The source of resistance itself can either be from an outside source (e.g. medicine ball) or from the athlete?s bodyweight. The intensity of these exercises varies from very low (simple bounding drills) to very high (loaded absorption drills, high impact plyos). These exercises are the ones in which the acceleration factor is the greatest in relation to total force production. These exercises have a great impact on the nervous system because of the high accelerative demands. While low intensity ballistic exercises (bounding drills, basic jump training, light medicine ball throws, etc.) are not very stressful (and thus can be used quite often, mostly as a good specific warm-up tool), high intensity ballistic exercises (depth jumps, weighted jumps, heavy medicine ball throws, loaded absorption drills) should only be used infrequently (once or twice a week) for a limited period of time (4-6 weeks). The latter exercises (high intensity) do carry a great potential for power improvement, but they are very stressful on the nervous system and the tendons. It is also important to understand that the training effect of the high intensity ballistic exercises is delayed, meaning that the improvements in the capacity to produce power are best seen 2-3 weeks after the last stimulation.
In the power curve presented earlier, we see that speed is maximized with this method. This training method can be used to train speed of movement, but has little benefit for improving strength. When training in this zone (10-25%) it is preferable to project the load or body into the air, because with regular lifting the deceleration phase will be much longer, which will have a negative effect on speed. Exercises such as jump squats, bench throws, and medicine ball throws are best suited for this training zone.
[quote]RustBeltGym wrote:
Coach,
Are there any specific benchmarks or tests that you use to determine when a person needs to start implementing dedicated power work as opposed to focusing on just getting “stronger.” e.g. to determine if the person still does not yet have the strength base to make the power training maximally effective[/quote]
I think that it’s more of a subjective/qualitative analysis. It is prettty obvious when someone is strong but slow or fast but weak. The best approach is always to put more emphasis on what is the weakest link in the chain.
If someone is superstrong, but has zero explosiveness then explosive training should be increased. If someone is explosive but relatively weak (normally this is a genetic thing and these guys have the greatest overall athletic potential) then strength work should pre-dominate.
[quote]RustBeltGym wrote:
And for developing strength-speed, what would you rate as your top choices for this goal? I see a lot of back and forth about Olynpic lifts and their variations with some coaches loving them and others avoiding them, so I’d be interested in when you might decide to leave these out *if at all) and what you’d use in their place.
Thanks, coach!
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The stuff I posted in this regard should help.
Specifically in regard to the olympic lifts, if someone has a good olympic lifting coach OR has good technique, these lifts are hard to beat to build power.
However, without proper coaching, if the technique is learned wrong not only will they not be effective but they can be dangerous.
