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The Case For Explosive Training-Part 2

By George Hearn

In part one of this article, we looked at some of the ways our bodies adapt and respond to the stresses we place on them playing sports. In part two, we will look a little more closely at how the muscles and joints function together, as well as other important characteristics of explosive training that make it especially applicable to potentially improving performance and reducing injuries during sports activities.

Many of the lifts associated with explosive training actually train your body to function as a unit. Let's examine what occurs when you perform a lift such as a snatch or a power clean. In order for these lifts to be performed correctly, you must maintain a stable torso to effectively and safely transfer the force from your lower extremities to your upper body.

Progressive, safe loading protocols can allow your body to be conditioned to transfer these forces in a way that allows for gradual adaptation. Does it make sense to have a linebacker sit in a leg press and train his legs with the spine supported externally and then ask him to go out on the football field and take on an offensive lineman or fullback? Or does it make more sense to incorporate exercises like powercleans or snatches which not only require powerful muscle contractions, but also require incredible torso stability and expose him to the shock of accepting the load at the top of the lift? All in a gradual, progressive manner. I think the answer is obvious.

We also need to examine the types of contraction patterns that take place in various muscle group complexes for specific components of sport actions. For example, proper running form requires powerful hip extension while maintaining the correct degree of extension in the lumbar spine. In our examples of the power clean and snatch, this is exactly what is required.

Many people confuse sport specific with motion specific. This can be applicable in some instances, but in this case we are talking about muscle-contraction specific. While the entire, gross pattern of these lifts may not appear at first glance to be specific to sprinting, when you break down what is happening at the hip it obviously requires the same type of muscle contraction and stabilization in the hip-pelvic-lumbar spine complex.

There is also the effect of neural adaptation. By training explosively, your muscles become more efficient in their contraction patterns. This basically refers to the fact that you can learn to contract what you have more effectively. This adaptation not only has the effect of potentially improving speed and quickness, but also can reduce the incidence of injuries produced by "being out of position".

Another benefit is that some people actually feel that they attain an improved "explosive mindset" from training in this manner. As with any other skill, the more repetitions you have that exercise your explosive force producing capabilities, the better you will become at expressing this type of athletic movement. I'm sure you have heard many times that much of quickness is "in your mind". This is just another example of that principle.

Lastly, let's revisit the idea that there is some inherent danger in performing ballistic exercise as a form of training. The fact is that most sports require very intense, ballistic muscle contractions. Objective measurements, using forceplates and other such devices, have shown the forces generated during normal running and jumping to be oftentimes higher than those generated during the performance of olympic lifts. Many sports, such as football, also require the body to absorb ballistic forces from other athletes. So, there is a little inconsistency in the argument that to train ballistically is dangerous while letting athletes compete in those sports that subject them to those sorts of forces on a regular basis. In light of what has been discussed thus far, the question I would ask is - How could you not train in an explosive manner? Of course it is important to keep in mind that the loads used should be appropriate and that proper technique is observed at all times. But, proper technique should be observed no matter what type of exercise/drill you are performing.

The bottom line is that, while we think the primary purpose of training is to increase performance, an equally important reason to train is to prevent injury. After all, it is very difficult to perform sitting on the bench! If you are playing a sport that requires you to exert, absorb or otherwise deal with explosive/ballistic forces, don't you think it makes sense to prepare yourself to do that in a gradual manner that will allow your body to adapt and excel at what you are asking it to do on the playing field? I'll leave it up to you to consider the evidence and decide for yourself.

About the Author:

George Hearn is a fitness and performance consultant in Nashville, TN, with a degree in Physical Therapy from Northwestern University and over 20 years clinical and training experience. He works with clients both locally and online. You can learn more about George at www.MaxximumPerformance.com