Dr.Ashish Phulkar

STRENGTH

It is a psycho-physical ability that definesperformance and created by muscle tensionenabling to overcome relatively highresistance. The force is produced by themuscles which create movement and win overresistance with the help of the joints andsystem of bones.

In the thickening of the muscles the period oftension plays a crucial role while the measureof tension depends on the number ofstimulated motor units and relates to themagnitude of force exerted. (Harsanyi, 2001)

Introduction

Strength training is the functional application

of Newton's second law of physics, which

defines force as the product of a mass and

its acceleration (Force = MA)

strength is the ability to accelerate a mass

from a state of rest, which results in the

production of muscular force

From a physiological perspective, strength is

the ability to activate muscle motor neurons and

their attached muscle fibers (together called a

motor unit) to generate the force necessary to

achieve a specific outcome.

To achieve a strength-based goal, it is

important to first define the specific type of

strength required for success and then design

an exercise program to develop that strength.

The magnitude and rate of force production

are determined by the efficiency at which all

of the involved muscle motor units are

recruited.

Both intramuscular coordination (the ability to

recruit all of the motor units within a specific

muscle) and intermuscular coordination (the

ability to have a number of different muscles

working together to generate a force) are

required to achieve optimal levels of

strength.

Five Factors That Determine

Strength No matter how hard you train, you may face

limitations when it comes to developing musclestrength. Two people following the same dietand training schedule may never achieve thesame level of strength. To understand why thisoccurs, it's helpful to know how strength isaffected by external factors, over which you mayhave no control.

Genetics

Training

Gender

Age

Adrenaline

Genetics

Although genetics can be overcome with hardwork and determination, there is no denying thatheredity plays at least some part in your athleticstrength and ability.

You may inherit your grandfather's leaping skillson the basketball court, or your mother's strongathletic thighs, and this can give you a distinctadvantage over someone else who has no athleticskills in the family tree.

Atlas Sports Genetics even offers a test thatscreens for the ACTN3 gene, which is linked to thealpha-actinin-3 muscle protein associated withhigh-speed, powerful muscle contractions

Training

Training is an important factor in developing

strength and endurance in any sport or physical

challenge.

If you don't continue to work the muscles on a

regular basis, you may lose the strength you built.

Returning to a sport or physical activity after an

extended absence, you may notice that you feel

weak and tired much sooner. Typically, with a little

perseverance, you can regain that strength.

Gender

Although there are exceptions, gender also plays a factor in strength.

Certainly there are many females who are measurably stronger than some men, but generally speaking, the male physique is genetically predisposed to having more muscle tissue.

A higher quantity of muscle can affect strength, and it may even supersede muscle quality, notes Chad Tackett, president of Global Health and Fitness.

Age

Age also has some influence over your level of

strength. As your body ages, muscle mass

begins to decrease.

Leading an active lifestyle can preserve your

muscle tissue and physical strength well into

your golden years, but it cannot cure the natural

muscle deterioration that comes with aging.

Even with regular training, you may lose muscle

strength as you get older

Adrenaline

As part of the body's innate fight or flight

response, adrenaline is a hormone secreted by

the adrenal glands during high-stress situations.

Adrenaline jump-starts the heart rate and

contracts blood vessels throughout the body to

increase blood flow to the muscles. Although the

effects may be temporary, adrenaline can give

your body a boost to power through a workout. In

rare cases, it has been known to give an

individual incredible strength and stamina.

Why Strength ?

Strength training: Get stronger, leaner,

healthier

Strength training is an important part of an

overall fitness program

With a regular strength training program, you

can reduce your body fat, increase your lean

muscle mass and burn calories more efficiently.

Use it or lose it…….. Muscle mass naturally diminishes with age. "If

you don't do anything to replace the lean

muscle you lose, you'll increase the percentage

of fat in your body,"

says Edward Laskowski, M.D., a physical

medicine and rehabilitation specialist at Mayo

Clinic, Rochester, Minn., and co-director of the

Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Center. “

But strength training can help you preserve and

enhance your muscle mass — at any age."

Strength training also helps

you: Develop strong bones. By stressing your bones,

strength training increases bone density and reduces the risk of osteoporosis.

Control your weight. As you gain muscle, your body gains a bigger "engine" to burn calories more efficiently — which can result in weight loss. The more toned your muscles, the easier it is to control your weight.

Reduce your risk of injury. Building muscle helps protect your joints from injury. It also contributes to better balance, which can help you maintain independence as you age.

Boost your stamina. As you get stronger, you won't fatigue as easily.

Strength training also helps

you….

Manage chronic conditions. Strength

training can reduce the signs and symptoms

of many chronic conditions, including arthritis,

back pain, depression, diabetes, obesity and

osteoporosis.

Sharpen your focus. Some research

suggests that regular strength training helps

improve attention for older adults.

Types

of

Strengths

Types of Strength

AGILE STRENGTH

STRENGTH ENDURANCE

EXPLOSIVE STRENGTH

MAXIMUM STRENGTH

RELATIVE STRENGTH

SPEED STRENGTH

STARTING STRENGTH

FUNCTIONAL STRENGTH

AGILE STRENGTH

The ability to decelerate, control and generate

muscle force in a multiplanar environment.

Traditional strength training focuses on

producing a shortening muscle action to move

a load through a single plane of motion;

however, many tasks require the ability to

move a mass through gravity in multiple

planes of motion.

Examples: Picking up and carrying a young

child, laundry basket or duffle bag

AGILE STRENGTH…………………….

BENEFITS

Generate the force required to move objects from one location to the next.

Improve resiliency of muscle and connective tissue to reduce the risk of injuries such as sprains or muscle pulls.

Enhance performance of specific sports or activities of daily living (ADLs).

TRAINING STRATEGY

Exercise selection: Multiplanar movements using a variety of free weights (dumbbells, medicine balls, sandbags, etc.) or cable machines

Intensity: Low-to-moderate, approximately 50-75% of the estimate 1 repetition maximum (1RM) for a particular exercise

Reps: 12-15+

Tempo: Variable speeds: slow to fast

Sets: 2-5+

Rest interval: 30-90 seconds

STRENGTH ENDURANCE

The ability to maintain muscular contractions

or a consistent level of muscle force for

extended periods of time.

Relies upon aerobic efficiency to supply

oxygen and nutrients to the working muscles

while removing metabolic waste.

Examples: An endurance event like a 10K,

marathon or triathlon; doing yard work or

other vigorous household chores; high

volume bodybuilding-type training

BENEFITS Maintain good postural stabilization for an extended

period of time.

Improve the aerobic capacity of working muscles.

Enhance ability to perform many functional tasks and ADLs.

TRAINING STRATEGY Exercise selection: Compound and single-joint

movements using a variety of equipment; body-weight exercises

Intensity: Low-to-moderate, approximately 40-80% of 1RM

Reps: 10+

Tempo: Consistent: slow to moderate

Sets: 2-5+

Rest interval: 30-60 seconds

EXPLOSIVE STRENGTH

Produce a maximal amount of force in a minimalamount of time; muscle lengthening followed byrapid acceleration through the shortening phase.Focus is on the speed of movement through arange of motion (ROM).

Explosive strength is based on the ability of the contractile element to rapidly generate tension, while power enhances the ability of elastic tissue to minimize the transition time from lengthening to shortening during the stretch-shorten cycle.

Examples: Throwing a shot-put, Olympic lifts such as the snatch and clean-and-jerk; quickly moving out of the way of danger

BENEFITS

Improve the speed of motor unit recruitment and enhance intramuscular coordination.

Reduce reaction time.

Improve the resiliency of muscle and connective tissue.

Activate type II muscle fibers.

TRAINING STRATEGY

Exercise selection: Compound and single-joint movements using a variety of free weights

Intensity: 40-75% 1RM

Reps: 1-6

Tempo: Fast as possible

Sets: 2-5+

Rest interval: 30-90 seconds

MAXIMUM STRENGTH

The highest level of muscle force that can be

produced, maximum strength is the ability of a

muscle or specific group of muscles to recruit

and engage all motor units to generate maximal

tension against an external resistance.

Requires high levels of neuromuscular efficiency

to enhance both intra- and intermuscular

coordination.

Examples: Powerlifting, squat, deadlift and

bench press and strongman competitions

BENEFITS

Activate type II (fast twitch) muscle fibers capable of

generating high levels of force.

Increase levels of muscle-building hormones.

Increase bone density and strength.

Improve performance in many sports and ADLs.

TRAINING STRATEGY

Exercise Selection: Compound and single-joint

movements using free weights or selectorized machines

Intensity: 90-100% 1RM

Reps: 1-4

Tempo: Slow-to-fast (even though the lifter is attempting

to use maximum speed the weight is moving slowly)

Sets: 3-4+

Rest interval: 2-4 minutes

RELATIVE STRENGTH Amount of force generated per unit of bodyweight.

Can be increased by using all of the various types ofstrength training to improve the magnitude of forceproduction while maintaining or reducing total bodymass.

If neuromuscular efficiency and muscle forceproduction increase while maintaining a consistentbody mass, relative strength will increase.

Example: Two women each weigh 154 pounds.The first can do 4 pull-ups and dead lift 200 pounds,while the second can do 8 pull-ups and deadlight220 pounds. Therefore, the second woman iscapable of producing more force per pound of bodyweight.

Consider this example:

Badar weighs 125 pounds and can

lift 130 pounds during a weight

training exercise.

Abdullah weighs 160 pounds and

can lift 150 pounds on the same

exercise.

Abdullah is stronger in the absolute sense, but Badar is stronger in the

relative sense because he exerts more strength per pound of body weight.

formula for calculating relative muscular strength:

Relative Muscular Strength = Weight lifted (lb.)

Body weight (lb.)

Badar 130 lbs ÷ 125 lbs = 1.04

Abdullah 150 lbs ÷ 160 lbs = 0.93

BENEFITS……..

Improve performance in many sports or

ADLs.

Maximize motor unit recruitment.

Improve neuromuscular efficiency.

TRAINING STRATEGY……..

Relative strength results from using all

different types of strength training methods to

be capable of generating greater levels of

force at a consistent body weight.

Absolute muscular Strength

The maximum force you are able to develop

regardless of size, age, or weight.

Absolute muscular strength is the first type

of muscular strength.

A person able to lift 100 pounds is stronger in

absolute muscular strength than a person able

to lift only 80 pounds.

SPEED STRENGTH

The maximal force capable of being produced

during a high-speed movement; trained with

either bodyweight or a minimal amount of

resistance, allowing the movement to be

executed as fast as possible.

Examples: Throwing a baseball, swinging a

golf club, running a sprint

BENEFITS

Minimize reaction times.

Enhance athletic performance.

Reduce time of the stretch-shorten cycle.

TRAINING STRATEGY

Exercise selection: Compound movements using a variety of free weights; unloaded body-weight movements

Intensity: 30-50% 1RM

Reps: 1-6

Tempo: Fast, explosive

Sets: 2-6+

Rest interval: 30 seconds - 2 minutes

STARTING STRENGTH

Produce force at the beginning of a movementwithout momentum or a pre-stretch to loadmechanical energy; start moving from astationary position

An isometric contraction creates tension, whichallows the surrounding elastic fascia andconnective tissue to lengthen and storemechanical energy for a rapid rate of forceproduction.

Examples: A track start, a football linemen in hisstance before the ball is snapped, getting upfrom a seated position

BENEFITS

Improve the ability of muscle and connective tissue to increase the rate of force production.

Reduce starting time for sports that require an athlete to move from a stationary position.

Enhance the ability to transition from seated to standing.

TRAINING STRATEGY

Exercise selection: Compound and single-joint movements using a variety of types of resistance to focus on force production in the initial ROM from a stationary position.

Intensity: 50-90% 1RM

Reps: 1-6

Tempo: Fast, explosive

Sets: 2-6+

Rest interval: 45 seconds - 3 minutes

FUNCTIONAL STRENGTH

Functional strength has a use or purpose

beyond the training itself, whether for sport,

fighting or life in general. It is characterized by

all-round strength, not just one type, and

generally goes hand-in-hand with good fitness

and conditioning.

Functional strength training therefore includes

all the types of strength training identified

above: maximal, explosive and endurance.

Functional training is defined as movements orexercises that improve a person’s ability to

complete their daily activities or to achieve a specificgoal.

A quality program focuses on weak areas and sets specific goals for the client. It is important to understand

how to progress someone from simple smaller targeted movements to more complex multi joint

movements. Training someone functionally can range from having a tennis player lunge to a chop

or a body builder do a slow curl for bigger biceps; its all about the goal. Keep in mind performing

complex movements before the client is ready will do more harm than good.

Proponents of functional strength oftenincorporate objects from life, such as tyres,sledgehammers and sandbags, to highlightthe functionality of the training.

Trainees are encouraged to use whatever isaround them or build up their own gym athome. Using one’s own bodyweight asresistance is a key part of functional strengthtraining – what could be more convenient oruseful?

Functional strength training is often used totrain fighters, soldiers and law enforcementofficers.

Methods of Strength

Training Simple Method or System

Combination Method or System

Super set system

Pyramid Method

Plyometrics

Circuit Training