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