This posting is going to take a look at what part strength plays in your Speed and Agility Training course. Now let’s check out a few terms.
Absolute strength – the maximum amount of power that you’re capable of producing, your single rep max is your absolute strength
Starting Strength – a result of the number of muscle fibers you’re in a position to instantly contract
Think of it in this way, if you grab a heavy set of weights off the floor you will strain your back. However if you pick it up slowly this would not occur. Starting strength (in this example), merely measures the max weight that you are capable of grabbing off the floor with no injury.
Relative strength – your strength for each lb of body weight
Reactive Strength or Plyometric Strength – deals with your capability to soak up and utilize power while moving from an eccentric contraction to a concentric contraction.
What is the significance of these terms to your training plan?
The more your absolute strength, the more your starting strength. The more your starting strength, the quicker your acceleration, the quicker your increase of velocity, the more your explosiveness or your ability to achieve your top speed sooner. Ask yourself, “Is my Speed and Agility Training helping my absolute strength for those muscles that are significant in my sport of choice?”
Relative strength is crucial since the more your relative strength, the greater the strength you can create. This benefits you in a couple of ways; your nervous system is better conditioned and will also cross over into your agility, and you have less stuff to drag around. This also crosses over into speed.
A question to pose is whether your Speed and Agility Training improves your relative strength. Remember when working out for speed and agility your relative strength is more influential than your absolute strength. Note: you should not be concerned too much with reference to bulking up since a 10% boost in LEAN body mass translates into a 30% boost in power.
Last but not least, we look at reactive strength. This type of strength has a crucial role in agility, it allows you to swiftly adjust route and stun your opponent with amazing moves. It also helps you to jump higher while running (but not alot from a standstill position). It also has a function in running speed although there are actually better ways to exercise for that if running speed is what you want to achieve.
What is the take away home from this posting? In order to correctly work for speed and agility you must incorporate strength training workouts in your regime. You must also customize it for the sport you are in. There are no shortcuts although there are effective ways of reaching your goals (whatever they may be).
If this has bewildered you a lttle bit you should….
Here is a food for thought question for you. Why do sprinters (50, 100 meter dash, basketball players, quarterbacks etc) produce ripped abs without explicitly training for them? Of course you should understand that starting strength is different for different muscles groups and can be trained individually. Understanding what muscles play a role in the movements most critical in your athletic endeavour allows you to focus on them and create swift and effective results
If you liked this article, you can find more information, tips, and videos by going to: more Speed and Agility Training.
Tags: speed agility, speed and agility training, speed exercises, srtength training workouts