Our resident fitness expert, Mike Russell is back, this time to walk and talk us through Power Athletes (those who train for strength) and Speed Athletes (those who train for, well… speed). Get ready for lessons in how to pick the right exercises for you and your goals,
Hey all, Mike here! Sport and training brings people of all shapes, sizes and fitness levels together and depending on your goal or role, you’ll want to incorporate different types of exercise to your regimen.
In this series, we're going to take a dive into the differences (and similarities between training for SPEED and training for POWER.
It can be easy to get caught up in the physical attributes associated with speed or power. Take rugby as an example: when you think of speed athletes, they’re often the fast, nimble, leaner players on the wing. Your power rugby player on the other hand you might picture someone deep in the scrum playing for strength rather than speed. But there’s much more to it than just body shape or propensity for muscle building.
As a function, our power players need to generate maximum force but usually over a very short period of time. Our speed players on the other hand will generate a lower force output but for an extended period of time.
Training structure plays a huge role in how you get stronger, fitter or faster and over the coming weeks, we’re going to take a look at the similarities between the two types of training, the major differences and how to get the most out of what you’re putting in.
Different sports require us to use speed and power in different ways however most of us could use a little bit of both and as we all know, variety is the spice of life!
Stay tuned for a focus on speed and power training with some helpful video tutorials to guide you along the way. Keep in mind that this is all generalised advice and if you’re clear on your individual goals, or unsure of specific techniques, always consult your local fitness professional!
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