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AFM Magazine


Power

The truth about the beloved bench press, the squat and dead lift. Simple math tips the scales in favor of other drills
by: Patrick OShea
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UNDERSTANDING POWER CAPACITY AND HOW IT can be created is one of the primary keys to optimizing athletic performance. Power should not be confused with strength. Power is the capacity to do a given amount of work as rapidly as possible. By this definition, power includes the elements of strength and speed. It is dynamic strength coupled with movement speed. Speed is the ability to apply force rapidly when snatching, cleaning, throwing or sprinting.

One of the major advantages of being physically powerful is the ability to accelerate. An athlete who is powerful can get up to full speed faster than an athlete who is just strong. Being able to accelerate is not the same as simply being fast. Acceleration refers to the ability to change velocity quickly. Velocity is speed in a given direction. For instance, in cleaning a weight, the velocity of the bar is equal to its speed and the upward direction in which it moves.

One of the purposes of weight-lifting, perhaps the main one, is to train and condition the athlete to generate maximum muscular force at higher and higher movement and speed. This is dynamic power in action. Thus, in competition, when all other factors are equal, power is the deciding factor between winning and losing. Strength multiplied by speed equals power.

In metric terms, power is defined as work per unit of time measured in watts (1W =6.12 kp m/min and 1 kp + 9.60665 N). Power values for strength athletes are best expressed in watts of power per kilogram of body mass.

In the sport of power-lifting, the squat, bench press and dead lift have been designated as power lifts. Technically, this is incorrect and misleading, since they are not true power lifts. Only the Olympic-style lifts, such as the snatch, and the clean and jerk, rightfully qualify as power lifts. In power-lifting, muscle force is required, but power output, as measured in watts per kilogram of body weight, is low in comparison to that generated in Olympic-style lifting. This is clearly illustrated by comparing the power values for the world record lifts made by two former world champions, power-lifter Doyle Kenady and weightlifter Alex Pisarenko.

Kenady, with a body weight of 140 kilograms, executed a 405-kilogram dead lift. Approximately two seconds was required for him to lift the bar and weight 0.40 meters off the floor and stand erect. Pisarenko, with a body weight of 120 kilograms, executed a 265-kilogram clean. It took him 0.90 seconds to clean the weight and stand up. The bar and weight traveled 0.90 meters from the floor.

In comparing the power values of the world record lifts made by these former champions, we see that Pisarenko's 265-kilogram clean generated 21.64 watts per kilogram of body mass, and Kenady's 405-kilogram dead lift produced 5.57 watts per kilogram of body mass. As this example illustrates, the so-called power lifts are actually strength lifts. Conversely, the snatch and clean are true high-velocity power lifts.

This tells us that athletes need to concentrate more on snatching and cleaning and less on the bench press and dead lift (and body-building). Training with lifts, such as the compound lift, like the power clean to squat to push press, develops full-body athletic power, speed, mobility and flexibility as no other form of strength training can. And when combined with sports-specific technique training, optimal transfer of these variables occurs.

Peak power values for world-class weightlifters in lighter classes average about 30 watts. This means that lighter lifters have much higher strength-to-body-weight ratios compared with heavier lifters. Kilogram for kilogram they are stronger lifters. Strength coaches should know the power values for the athletes they train. Their values can serve as an accurate measurement of improvement.

Patrick O'Shea is professor emeritus of the Department of Exercise and Sports Science at Oregon State University and is currently director of the Oregon Center for Applied Athletic Strength Training in Corvallis, Ore. This article was reprinted with permission of the Strength and Conditioning Journal.






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