How Power Relates to Strength

I came across this passage in the Easy Strength book, and sharing it here will be a good opportunity for us to go over power, and how exactly it’s different, but related to strength.

The following quote is from researcher and professor Vladimir Zatsiorsky:

“It is impossible for athletes to generate a large force in a fast movement if they cannot develop similar or even greater force values in a slow motion. But don't overemphasize the role of maximal strength in power production [either]. To be a strong athlete does not mean to be a power athlete. It is true that all elite power athletes are very strong people. On the other hand, not all strong individuals can execute movement powerfully when combining large force and high velocity.”

In other words, you can’t be powerful without having requisite strength and technique.

Here’s how power is defined:

Power (watts) = work (joules) / time (seconds)

This equation states power is the rate of doing work.

Imagine you’re deadlifting at the the gym. The first lift, you just bend over a pick it up slowly. You have the strength to do it, but there’s no urgency to the lift. On your next attempt, you brace hard, take a deep breath and turn on every inch of your body. You drive your feet down and the bar is moving 5 times as fast as your previous lift. That’s power, and you can try to add power to most of your lifts in the gym. Adding intention and speed to push ups, ring rows, bench presses and squats will likely make them feel easier since you’re recruiting more muscle fibers.

Why is thinking about power important? In a seminar a couple years ago I learned that after the age of 40, power declines nearly 2% every year and strength declines 1%.

That means you lose power twice as fast than strength as you age.

Then best way to not lose it is to use it frequently. Do those medicine ball throws hard, move the barbell quickly and be snappy on your kettlebell swings. Not only will your technique and abilities likely improve, but you’ll also be exposing your body to rapid, explosive movements more regularly, and maintaining your power with your strength.

In closing, here’s one more quote from Easy Strength, from Thomas Kurz:

“Slow squats with huge weights will increase the athlete's maximal strength but they will not develop explosive strength. For someone with insufficient maximal strength slow squats may increase explosive strength but then the weight will not be huge.”

Justin Miner

@justinminergain