Performance Enhancement Strength Training

Muscle Fiber type & Performance  Slow twitch  More efficient using oxygen to generate fuel for continuous extended muscle contractions  Contract slowly, but continue for long periods of time  Fast twitch  Generates short bursts of strength or speed  Fatigue quickly

Muscle Fiber type & Performance  Fiber type may influence what type of sports an athlete is naturally good at.  Slow twitch  Aerobic exercise  Cycling, jogging, swimming, running  Fast twitch  Anaerobic  Sprinting, jumping, weigh training, and other explosive activities  Ratios of slow/fast twitch muscles vary by person.  General population – close to equal ration  Elite athletes – definite concentration of one type or another.

Types of strength training movements  Isometric  No movement  Performed against fixed resistance  Examples  Quad sets  Wall push-ups  Glute squeezes  Ball squeezes  Negatives  Doesn’t strengthen full ROM

Types of strength training movements  Isotonic  Joint moved through full range of motion against fixed weight. (velocity = variable)  Increases dynamic strength, muscle endurance and power  Ex:  Lowering weights  Releasing theraband  Bench press

Types of strength training movements  Isokinetic  Movement occurring at a constant, controlled speed (velocity=constant)  Resistance will vary throughout ROM  Machine is required  Examples  Cybex  Kincom

Types of strength training movements  Eccentric  Negative work  Muscle lengthened while weight is lowered  Produce great strength gains, but more muscle soreness  Ex: down movement of bicep curl

Types of strength training movements  Concentric  Positive work  Muscle shortens as weight is lifted  Ex: up movement of bicep curl

Types of strength training movements  Closed chain exercises  Distal segment is fixed  Allows strength gains of several muscle groups  Ex: body  Weight shifting  Standing activities  Wall push-ups  Lifting weights  Negatives  Difficult to see muscle compensation

Types of strength training movements  Open chain exercise  Distal end of the moving segment moves freely  Good at targeting one set of muscles, not good for functional movement  Ex:  knee extensions  SAQ/LAQ  Ankle circles  Heel slides  Negatives  Doesn’t help proprioception

Types of strength training movements  Plyometrics  Muscles are repeatedly and rapidly stretched (loaded) and then contracted  The aim is to improve muscle power  Maximize stretch reflex  Rate is more important than the magnitude of the stretch  Ex: jumps, bounds, skips, hops, medicine ball throw

Types of strength training movements  Plyometrics cont.  Stretch reflex – stretch the muscle from its resting length immediately before the concentric contraction  The greater the stretch, the greater the load (power generated) the muscle can lift.

Methods of resistance training  Free weights  Variety of exercise selection  Athlete in control of range of motion  Builds coordination  Recruits stabilizing muscles to control movement

Methods of resistance training  Weight machines  Simple to use  Relatively safe  Don’t require a lot of coordination  Limited to targeting one muscle group  Body may not anatomically match the movement of the machine.

Methods of resistance training  Exercise tubing  Similar advantages to free weights  High variety of exercise selection  May not be able to generate enough force to increase strength gains as free weights

Methods of resistance training  Body weight exercises  Does not require any equipment  Exercises can be very functional and sport specific  Difficult for experienced athletes to achieve high level of intensity without high number of repetitions

Strength conditioning principles  General guidelines  Safety first  Allow proper rest between exercises  Balanced training program to prevent injury and overuse  Use a spotter  Repetition: performing the particular exercise one time  Set: grouping of a specific exercise into a number of repetitions  Resistance: the opposing force to a muscle contraction  Strength & size: high resistance / low repetitions  Muscular endurance: low resistance / high repetitions  Power: rapid movements