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"Power: Why Everyone Needs It"

By Bruce Kelly

When most people think of power in terms of fitness they think it doesn't apply to them but only to athletes or those with athletic aspirations.

Nothing could be further from the truth. First of all, let's establish a working definition of power. Simply put, power is force times speed or the ability to produce force quickly. The fact is that power plays a vital though frequently overlooked role in our everyday activities. What do you think prevents you from falling when you stumble or trip? When you are coming down stairs or stepping off of a curb you ability to decelerate (produce power) is what prevents you from falling down the stairs or off of the sidewalk. If you suddenly have to stop your car that calls for quick reactions and power. These are just a few examples of the everyday application of power which aren't as dramatic as a Ryan Howard home run or a Tiger Woods drive but are done by everyone on a nearly daily basis.

So what's a person to do? You recognize the need for this critical trait of power but how do I develop it. First of all, you have to assess where you currently are physically. If you are not very fit or haven't exercised in a while get clearance from your doctor to start an exercise regimen. Then the next step should be to hire a qualified fitness professional to assess your current fitness level and by that I mean not just your aerobic fitness, body composition, and weight but also your current strength, functional mobility, and core strength.

For many people they will need to develop a foundation of strength and functional mobility before they can think of embarking on developing power. If we remember back to our initial power equation, force was one of the components. Force is primarily a function of strength so it is hard to work on power if you don't have some strength to apply. A fast movement with no force/strength behind it is like spinning your wheels: you are going nowhere fast.

So if you are not an athlete or you are older or have some orthopaedic issues how do you go about developing power? Again, having a fitness professional/coach work with you is key as they can prescribe a good, safe, progressive program for you that will develop power without increasing your chance of injury. Applying a professional athlete's program to the rest of us is a recipe for disaster and injury.

Here are some ideas for power movements/exercises for those getting started. For lower body power work, you could use low box work (4" box) where you work on toe taps or foot exchanges. Or you could do simple 2 ft hops either in place or over a line or tape. The amplitude and speed would be a function of your current capabilities. The emphasis should be on quality of movement not quantity of time or repetitions of the movement. For those that are fitter/more capable, rope jumping is a great power development exercise that works on footwork, dynamic balance, coordination, and power.

For upper body power development, it is hard to beat medicine balls. Fighters have known for years what the rest of the world is slowly catching on to: what a fun and functional tool medicine balls can be to enhance core strength and power.

The list of medicine ball exercises is virtually limitless: rotations, chops, passes, throws, puts, tosses and the list goes on and on for as long as you'd like. The exercises can be adapted to the ability level of a person according to their needs and physical ability.

In all of the above ideas on power training, I can't emphasize enough the value of a well qualified fitness professional to get proper programming and instruction. I have used these methods with people in their 70's and 80's as well as kids so they can be used safely with proper knowledge and supervision. In the wrong hands, though, they are likely to lead to pain and injury. Exercise is like medicine in that it has to be prescribed properly by someone who knows what they are doing.

I hope the article convinced you of the necessity of incorporating some power training into your fitness or workout routine. They could be integrated into the workout after the dynamic warmup and all it takes is 5 minutes and then on to the rest of your workout.

About the Author:

Bruce Kelly, MS, CSCS, NSCA-CPT, NASM-PES has written articles for sportspecific.com, completetrackandfield.com as well as local publications. He has been a fitness professional/performance enhancement coach for nearly 20 years. He owns a Fitness Together training studio franchise in Media, Pa. His website is www.ftswarthmore.com.