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Strength Types
By Matt Wenning
M.S. Biomechanics Elite powerlifter/ Strength Coach
As most young kids in high school and in college, I thought I knew
the meaning of strength. Strength was how strong you are. Well that
is true if you’re talking about absolute strength, but what other
types of strength are there? Hopefully after reading this article,
you will begin to understand why training is a complex chess game,
but can be simple with basic laws of physiology, physics and a
creative mind, along with past research most of which is not from
the U.S.
When I was younger I would talk to the veterans of lifters around my
area to ask them questions. When I would ask them about strength,
answers would come in terms of reps, or just 1-RM strength. Strength
was a relative term thrown around the gym. If I lifted more than
you, then I was stronger, period. But is that statement true? Not
really. There are many forms of strength, which include
explosiveness, speed strength, strength speed, absolute strength,
concentric and eccentric strength, strength endurance, and I’m sure
there are others. My whole point to this is which strength are you
training? And is everyone the same in these areas?
I would look at some lifters at meets, athletes in the weight room,
and recreational lifters at the local gyms. Some would be very
explosive off the chest, but miss at lockout (lifter 1). Other
lifters would bring the weight down, and not even move off the chest
(lifter 2). Then again, some lifters would be able to do reps with
considerable weight, but not be able to max very much. And if that
weren’t enough, other lifters would be fairly quick in their
movements (lifter 3), but not able to rep for considerable amount of
time (lifter 4). And lastly, some lifters would be very strong, but
unable to complete lifts due to muscle imbalances, and weakness
(lifter 5).
So how do these lifters attempt to become stronger? Should all of
these lifters train the same? I will break down all of these lifters
and show you the path to fix these problems. Maybe you fall into one
of these categories or you are one of these sections, and you can
fix your strength dilemma. Hopefully my friends that I will use to
bring this point home will not be upset by me using their names to
show that I’ve been around every type of strength deficit.
(LIFTER 1) One lifter that comes to mind when talking about reversal
strength and missing in the middle or top is Jim (Pops as we call
him in the gym). Jim comes from the old school of reps to get
stronger as many old school lifters do. Now I wont pick on Jim too
much because he has still out pulled me at a meet, but back to Jim.
When you follow the repetition method to become strong without the
use accommodating resistance, you will get very strong at the bottom
of the lifts (where the weight is the heaviest due to reversal of
the weight and or static movement of the barbell (motionless such as
in a deadlift), but you will miss part of the lift in the middle and
the top due to the bar already being in a accelerated state from the
bottom. Then when you get to a maximal weight (greater than 92%),
you will slow down drastically in the middle and the top, because
they do not receive the work that the bottom of the movement does on
a consistent basis. This is the main problem with basing everything
off of reps, you will not get strong throughout the entire movement,
and you will create sticking points or just keep reinforcing
existing ones. SOLUTION: Train max effort days once per week with
varying bands, chains, and different points of the lift. Only lift
the full range in max effort every 3-5 weeks or so, while rotating
lockouts, board presses, floor presses etc. You will lengthen the
amount of time you’re putting maximal force into the bar, and get
used to changing leverages as the movement progresses. Dynamic or
speed days the lifter should always have varied resistance on the
bar to not miss part of the lift.
(LIFTER 2) Most beginners fall into this category and lack reversal
strength and or starting strength. Stretch reflex is primarily the
reason, along with the CNS. Stretch reflex lies in the tendons, not
necessarily the muscle. This type of tendon and muscle control comes
with time and experience. Think about a regular pet, the house cat.
Not much muscle, but can jump through the roof, how? I believe this
is the reason. This form of strength is developed from doing very
quick movements and reactive methods (dynamic bench days with
weights between 50-60%) and training with bands to learn to
manipulate stretch reflex. Training on a box will help this.
Remember in experienced athletes, stretch reflex can last up to 7-10
sec, as proved by Louie.
(LIFTER 3) Many old school lifters fall into this category as well.
One person I can think of is Tim. Tim can do up to 12 reps with 405
lbs strict and gearless, but 1-RM max only lies between 475-500 with
a shirt. This lifter has based much of his training on reps and
following the old pyramid style of periodization, which is a waste
for power development and absolute strength. His body is used to
burning out with light weights, but because of the pyramid style of
periodization, only utilizes heavy weights every 10-12 weeks, which
by that time comes around again in the mesocycle, has lost the
strength he developed, and only maintained endurance. SOLUTION: Have
max effort days once per week and rotate various exercises. This
will allow you to max all year long and get strong where you need
it, the big weights. Lets face the facts, no one really cares about
reps, I don’t see any meets requiring us to do reps.
(LIFTER 4) I’ve only met about 2 people in my entire time as a coach
and lifter that fell into this category. One person that comes to
mind is Shannon. Shannon is very explosive with lots of speed
strength, but hardly any power with pushing maximal weights. She
could move 365 on deadlift very quickly and very powerfully, but
take her up another 40lbs or so, which by most would seem feasible,
she would not be able to get the weight. SOLUTION: Max effort days
again will help. This will teach the body how to push hard and
sustain a maximal contraction for a longer period of time.
Assistance work choices will also have an effect on balance and
technique, which may help. Also using the proper percentages for
training dynamics (50-60%).
(LIFTER 5) Many lifters fall into this category, especially when
they have lifted on their own, or with inexperienced coaches. One
person that comes to mind is Joe. Joe is a very strong guy, one of
the strongest on Ball States team. But because his abdominals and
lower back are very weak, his technique puts him positions where he
has no leverage, and is not able to use his strength. SOLUTION: Pick
your assistance work wisely. Train with people that will point out
your weaknesses in your lift, not pat you on the back for grinding
something out that looked like shit. Remember key points in
assistance work. I’ve never seen anyone that didn’t need a stronger
back, hamstrings, glutes, or abdominals, and if we are talking
bench, back and triceps. Notice in this sentence I said absolutely
nothing about quads or chest.
The final and most important question is this. Do all of these
lifters need to train the same? Well, read up on the conjugate
method and tell me if that training protocol could fix every one of
these problems with time and proper exercises. The only things that
lifters should train differently are assistance work and max effort
choices.
For all the athletic coaches out there, how many types of strength
are you training? I’ve met few who train for speed, less who train
for absolute strength. Most athletes are quick and agile especially
at the higher levels, but never met one that was strong enough.
Matt Wenning
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