Defining Strength and Power

In the next few weeks, we will be discussing the process of “Building an Explosive Athlete.”  This will be a multiple article discussion covering various areas of building explosiveness.  However, before we start, we must first define what it means to be explosive, powerful and strong.  Many people use these terms loosely and carelessly.  We will try to define these terms to create a clear understanding of how they differ from and/or relate to each other.

We define strength to be the ability to exert force on an object using one’s muscles.  In other words, strength is how much weight you can move or lift.

On the other hand, power is defined as the rate at which work is performed.  Before we can go any further with this, we must define work.  Work is the amount of force being applied to an object and the displacement of that object or how far that object moves as the force acts on it.  Thus, power takes into account the amount of force on an object (or strength), how far the object moves, and the rate or how much time it takes to move that object.

Basically, strength involves your ability to lift or move an object.  While, power involves your ability to lift or move an object, as well as, how far and how fast you move or lift that object.  Explosiveness, is just another term used to describe the amount of power an athlete possesses.

Applying these terms to lifting weights, a strong athlete can squat 400 pounds.  A powerful athlete can squat 400 pounds in 3 seconds.  An even more powerful athlete can squat 400 pounds in 1 second.  Who would you rather have on your team?

Applying these definitions to sport, it seems evident that performance is linked closely to power, as opposed to strength.  For example, in football, would a lineman be more successful merely applying a force to his opponent (strength), or applying a force quickly, moving his opponent a certain distance (power)?  If the lineman does not apply his force quickly, he will lose.  If the lineman does not move his opponent, he will lose. Let’s look at another example.  In baseball, would a batter be more successful just swinging the bat or would he be more successful if he swung the bat fast?

Those examples seem pretty obvious, now let us examine how these concepts apply to running.  The force being applied in this example is the athlete’s foot pushing into the ground.  A strong push will result in a lot of force being applied to the ground.  A powerful push is a fast force which moves the athlete.  Therefore, in a race or competition, the athlete who can apply force to the ground the fastest which also moves him/her a greater distance wins every time.  It is not enough to just push into the ground.  You must push your foot into the ground fast and with enough force to move your body a great distance.

Performing better in sport is about being more powerful.  Power enhances your skills and tactics to enable you to perform them faster.  Strength is a component of power. The major difference between strength and power is speed!  You do not need to be fast to be strong, but you must be fast to be powerful.

This is why our “Record Board” only has categories such as vertical jump, broad jump, top speed, highest wattage for trunk rotation, etc.  All of these events have a speed and power component to it.  Other gyms and weight rooms have categories such as bench press, squat, deadlift, pull ups.  These events are strength based.  Strength does not matter in sport if you cannot use it powerfully.  At Tactical Strength, we develop powerful athletes!  Strength simply does not transfer as well to sport.  It is a paradigm shift.  Start thinking in terms of power when referring to athletes and performance.

Stay tuned for the series, “Building an Explosive Athlete.”  You can subscribe via EMAIL or RSS Feed to receive the latest news and updates on Tactical Strength.