In recent years there have been an increasing number of articles, discussions, debates, arguments, etc. related to which method of strength training is best for athletes. This is always good since strength is a key component for the success of an athlete. However, it is also important to look at whether the discussions are really about the key factors involved not only in strength training, but the role of strength training in relation to athletic performance.
For example, in a recent debate the discussion revolved around powerlifting and Olympic weightlifting that appear to be the two main methods of developing strength for athletes. However, because they may be the most popular methods in use, it does not mean that they are the best methods. I say this because the use of either of these two methods has many flaws and discrepancies that are typically ignored when discussing their pros and cons.
According to the proponents of either these methods, powerlifting and weightlifting are the most popular because they focus on strength and power development. However, as we will see further on, there are other methods that are typically ignored that are superior. Perhaps even more important is to more closely examine each of these methods to see if they are really the best in the training of an athlete to improve performance.
Understand that to properly evaluate either of these methods, we must look at the end product: how much better the athletes perform in execution of their skills during gameplay. That either of these methods will produce greater strength or power is a given. They are both excellent methods to do this. But because an athlete becomes stronger or more powerful, it does not automatically mean that he is now a better athlete. It only means that he is more capable of lifting heavier weights in specific exercises.
This latter point cannot be overemphasized since it is the crux of the problem. The ultimate objective of all training should be to make the athlete a better performer during gameplay. This means that the athlete, because of increases in his strength, will now be able to execute the skills involved in his sport more effectively and efficiently. But you rarely see the end result being evaluated when discussing the different training programs. Somehow it is taken for granted that an increase in strength will automatically make a better athlete. This is not always true. In fact, there are many cases in which athletes have not been able to do as well, or have done more poorly, because of increased strength.
To better evaluate the arguments for or against either of these methods of developing strength for athletes is necessary to more closely examine what is typically said in defense of powerlifting and Olympic lifting. For example, the argument that Olympic style weightlifting and powerlifting are excellent training methods for developing power is true but only to a limited extent. Proponents may quote some formulas but they are not using the formulas from physics which we should all rely on for the whole truth, not derivations of formulas to suit their purposes with half truths.
To illustrate, the formula Fd =1/2mv2 in which F = force, d = distance over which the force is applied, and ½ mv2 (read as mv squared) is equal to kinetic energy. According to this formula the amount of kinetic energy is directly proportional to both the force exerted and the distance over which it is applied. In sports, force is usually derived mostly or entirely from muscular strength. Thus we can see good support for the need for muscular strength.
Since mass (m) is usually constant and distance (d) through which the force is applied is also constant, it follows that velocity increases with an increase in force. This conclusion is used quite often by the proponents of increased strength training. However, what they typically ignore is that F = v2 (velocity squared). This means that for each fourfold increase in force there is only a twofold increase in velocity. This means that there is a diminishing return for progressive increases in muscular strength.
As anyone who has been in the strength game for any appreciable amount of time should know, it takes an extremely long time to get even a very small increase in strength for the high-level athlete. This small increase in strength will not even register in relation to an increase in speed that will be noticeable on the field,court, water or snow.
If you disagree with this conclusion there is still more to consider. Proponents of Olympic style weightlifting, and often powerlifting, usually say that this type of lifting develops explosive strength. The equation for explosive strength is Se = Fmax/tmax where Se is explosive strength, Fmax is the maximum force produced and tmax is the amount of time needed to produce the force. This equation alone shoots down the value of powerlifting as a means to develop explosive strength. The key here is that the value of tmax must be smaller and smaller for the athlete to exhibit greater and greater explosive power. In powerlifting the strength exhibited takes much longer to execute than the time in which most sports activities are executed. In sports, most skills are executed (power phase) in well under one second. This is a far cry from that seen in powerlifting where the power phase can take one or more seconds.
In Olympic style weightlifting more explosive force is exhibited which indicates that it involves explosive strength to accomplish the two lifts. To substantiate its value the proponents typically bring out that the actions involved in the two lifts (snatch and clean and jerk) are very similar to those involved in jumping. Thus they may be of value in improving jumping, but they have no similarity to throwing, hitting and other activities. How can they then improve these abilities? There cannot be a direct transfer because the neuromuscular pathways are very different.
Proponents of powerlifting and Olympic style weightlifting argue that absolute strength is the foundation for all other strength abilities. This is a true statement as strength is related to almost all of the physical qualities and abilities. What is not brought out however, is that you do not need maxium strength and that other types of strength are also needed and must be trained independently. As should be obvious from the above, development of greater absolute strength can lead to a decrease in explosive strength because the time involved usually increases. The more weight one uses, the slower the movement becomes and the more time it takes to complete the lift. Thus it can be said that athletes need more strength but not to the point where it will detract from explosive power.
It is also more accurate to say that strength, not necessarily absolute strength, is the basis for improvement of other strength abilities. Understand that there are different kinds of strength, all of which play an important role in athletic moments. For example, in addition to absolute strength, which is typically concentric strength, there is also isometric and eccentric strength which can be absolute if measuring the maximum possible. There is also starting strength, acceleration strength, speed-strength, strength endurance, relative strength, limit strength and so on. Thus absolute strength is only one aspect of strength that the athlete needs. The exact amount and kinds of strength depend upon the sport, the level of sports mastery, fitness levels of the athlete and so. These factors are typically left out in the arguments presented.
Very often the definitions of the different kinds of strength are also inaccurate. For example, speed-strength is used synonymously with explosive strength. They are very similar but yet, quite different. Speed-strength the ability to quickly execute a movement using a relatively small external resistance as for example, a baseball or football, or an unloaded movement as for example, when executing a jump, gymnastics movement, or sprint. It is characterized or evaluated by speed of movement. This is quite different from a weightlifting movement in which great weights are used. The key distinguishing factor between speed-strength and explosive strength is that explosive strength relates more to the ability to produce significant tension (force) in a minimal amount of time, typically when using heavier weights. This is where the proponents of Olympic weightlifting typically draw erroneous conclusions.
When the proponents of powerlifting and Olympic weightlifting state that their method is the best for developing absolute strength or power it is misleading in that they omit important related factors. All athletes need strength and other physical abilities as the BASE upon which to do more specialized work. Strength or absolute strength, is not an end in itself. It is the foundation upon which you build other qualities. This in itself should tell you that merely gaining more strength will not necessarily improve athletic performance. In fact, the role of and effects of increased strength changes appreciably when you look at the training of a young athlete just coming out of puberty and the training of a high-level adult athlete in his mid-20s.
To properly understand where each of these factors belong and where and how each should be trained, it is necessary to distinguish between general physical preparation and specialized physical preparation. Development of absolute concentric and other types of strength such as eccentric and isometric is needed in the initial stages of training. In general, concentric strength should comprise anywhere from 70 to 80% of the total training time or number of lifts. Isometric and eccentric training should each compromise approximately 10 to 15% of the total number of lifts. They are equally if not more important in some situations. For example, all explosive moments are preceded by the eccentric contraction. The stronger the eccentric contraction, the stronger can be the explosive contraction. Thus in time, training for only greater absolute strength will limit you in relation to how much explosive strength can be developed.
The main purpose of general training or general physical preparation (GPP) as it is typically known, is to get the athlete fit or well conditioned in order to do more specialized and intense work in the following SPP (specialized physical preparation) phase. In GPP training you do many different exercises to train for better technique, strength, agility, strength endurance, flexibility and so on. Because this type of training is general it does not transfer to the sport, i.e., it does not have a direct effect on skill execution or game performance except in a general way as for example, developing greater endurance that may allow the athlete to perform for a longer period of time. For there to be transfer to the sport, it is necessary to do specialized training in which development of the physical quality is coupled with technique of the sports skill.
In specialized training the exercises have very specific and distinct criteria. Foremost is that the exercise duplicates the neuromuscular pathway seen in execution of the competitive skill. If we closely examine powerlifting and weightlifting it is easy to see that the neuromuscular pathways involved in these events do not duplicate what is seen in execution of most sports skills. In powerlifting and weightlifting most of the exercise skill is related to leg and hip extension in a vertical direction. Thus there is similarity to jumping. There is nothing related to throwing and hitting activities in relation to their neuromuscular base.
Thus it is impossible to have any kind of transfer of the strength or power developed in powerlifting or Olympic lifting to sports involving hitting, throwing, swimming, etc.. Because an athlete becomes stronger or more powerful, does not mean that this power will be transferred to the execution of his skill. For this to happen the execution must be very specific to the neuromuscular pathway.
If we look closely at most of the training programs of athletes in the US is obvious that they revolve mostly around general physical preparation. They are not specific in relation to the skills involved in a different sports. This is easily proven when you take a look at the lack of attention focused on the technique involved in the different sports such as running, throwing and hitting. For the most part, there is none. Because of this there are few if any specialized strength exercises that duplicate the neuromuscular pathways seen in these different sports skills. Simply developing greater strength does not have an effect on skill execution except in the very young pre-and post-pubescent athlete who does not have any appreciable levels of strength.
Arguments for Olympic lifting in which proponents argue that it is a better approach for training athletes due to biomechanical specificity and speed of movement, does not hold up under scrutiny. The only specificity that may be involved is related to jumping. The speed of movement is related to the use of heavyweights which develops explosive strength but not speed-strength which is needed in most sports. When speed-strength and explosive strength are used synonymously, it is then necessary to differentiate the speed of movement involved in different sports. There is a world of difference in this respect.
To improve speed of movement and explosive power, many powerlifters and weightlifters now do plyometrics. Most well-trained Olympic weightlifters have been doing this for many years starting with the Russians back in the 1980s. This indicates that they are now realizing or finding out that training only for greater absolute strength is not making the athlete more explosive. This is how they now support powerlifting as an effective method of training athletes; because it also involves plyometrics.
But even here it is important to understand that mixing maximum weight training with plyometrics can be dangerous if not done correctly. This is especially true if the athlete is not executing many different movements that require explosive power. I distinguish explosive power from general power which is seen in powerlifting mainly because the movements are so slow. Most of the power is derived from the heavy weights being used, not because of the speed of execution.
There are still other factors to be considered when discussing the merits of absolute strength training using powerlifting or Olympic weightlifting. Most visible is the increase in muscle mass that usually accompanies an increase in absolute strength. This is why we see the strongest men in the world often being some of the largest. But for many athletes this increase in muscle bulk is a negative. The increased muscle bulk can slow down speed of movement especially in the team and dual sport athletes as found in volleyball, basketball, baseball, middle-distance running, tennis, lacrosse and football, with the possible exception of linemen who it appears, teams want to be bigger but not necessarily faster.
Also usually ignored is the effect of absolute strength on coordination. An increase in strength is usually a positive factor for improved coordination. But there is a limit. Excessive strength can lead to inhibited coordination which in turn leads to poorer execution of the game skills. Keep in mind that the bottom line is improved skill execution. This is the ultimate goal of all athletic training.
Another factor that is continually brought out is that absolute strength will help prevent injury. To a limited extent this is true. In general, the stronger the muscles the more resistant the body or specific joints will be to forces that are encountered. But as mentioned earlier, excessive strength can lead to a disruption in technique which can then lead to injury. I believe this is a major factor involved in many injuries that we see occurring today on all levels of performance.
For example, in reading about a professional baseball player who is presently undergoing rehab it brought out how he was overjoyed with the ability to lift one pound weights. Prior to this he was exceptionally strong. He was capable of doing a 350 pound bench press. The player in question was a first baseman who is never required to throw further than the distance to third base. Most often his throws are to second base, a relatively short distance.
Thus it should be obvious that he never needed this amount of strength for his performance. Perhaps even more importantly, doing a 350 pound bench is sufficient to interfere with his technique execution. Excessive development of the pecs leads to more tightness in the shoulder which definitely interferes with his throwing mechanics. In all likelihood he created an imbalance with some of the smaller muscles of the shoulder joint. His elbow, that he was rehabbing after a Tommy John surgery, was probably very strong for the bench press but could not handle the stress of rotation which it had to undergo in the throwing motion. Once again we see the need for specificity.
In conclusion, it should now be obvious that powerlifting and Olympic weightlifting are not the ideal methods for improving an athlete’s strength levels. Becoming a better powerlifter or a better weightlifter does not equate to becoming a better athlete except in these sports. If you are training an athlete you must train the athlete in a manner which best improves him or her in the particular sport. Because of this the methods used will vary somewhat depending upon the requirements of the sport.
Regardless of the sport, all athletes require an optimal amount of strength that will allow them to execute the skills of the sport most effectively. Notice the key word here is optimal, not maximal since maximum strength can be a negative in many sports or for specific athletes. Also for the strength to be transferred to the sport, as seen in improved skill performance, the strength must be combined with technique. In this way it has an immediate effect on performance. Thus rather than continuing to discuss which method is best in relation to developing absolute strength, we should switch the debate to the optimal methods for improving athletic performance and the roles played by strength and technique.
For more information on this topic see Build a Better Athlete.
greAT POST THANKS !