Being big and strong is useless if you can’t carry yourself across the finish line of a 5K in under 50 minutes. In any sport outside of Power Lifting its advantageous to be as light and strong as possible.

The Cost of Big Muscles
The next time you watch a Heavyweight Boxing match notice how quickly the fighters get tired. It requires large quantities of oxygen and calories to keep them moving. As you become bigger, your body’s ability to consume oxygen will not increase proportionally. This is why fast runners can’t carry excessive muscle mass.

Testing True Strength
True strength is best measured in a power to weight ratio, usually Watts per Kiligram. The easiest way to calculate this is to divide Watts by Kilogram or Pounds.  We use one of our Erg machines, either the Schwinn Airdyne, Concept2 Rower, or Concept2 SkiErg. We put one of our athletes on a machine for a set distance such as a 2K. At the end we look at their average Watts and divide that by their body weight.

Check the Numbers
If at the end of the 2K Row athlete A has a bodyweight of 185lbs and rowed at an average of 220 Watts he has a score of 1.19
220/185=1.19

If athlete B weighs 115lbs and rowed 180 Watts her score is 1.57
180/115=1.57

Athlete B has a lower total power output, but a significantly higher Power to Weight Ratio. This means that she utilizes a much lower percentage of her total power output to move her body than athlete A.

This is only one indicator of performance, there are other variables to consider when comparing athleticism such as technique, and ability to endure discomfort. So this isn’t a fool proof way of determining who is a better athlete, but it is an insightful tool.

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Cycling · power to weight · ratio · Rowing · Running · skiing · Speed · watts

Force = Mass x Acceleration
It doesn’t matter if you’re a swimmer, cyclist, rower, or runner. To become faster you need to develop more power not speed. 

The amount of force you apply to propel yourself forward determines your speed. Fast runners and slow runners take the same number of steps per hour. But fast runners move farther with each step, greater power output means faster mile times. 

Physics & Efficiency
Imagine for a moment we have two identical runners traveling at the same speed (6:00 mile pace). 
Both runner A & runner B are generating the same propulsion force per stride 3000N 

Runner A has a max propulsion output of 6000N
Runner B has a max propulsion output of 8000N

Runner A is exerting 50% of her max output while Runner B is only exerting 37.5% of her max output. 

This means runner B is traveling more efficiently, lowering her cost of physical and metabolic demands 

Power Training
Training for Power means creating a large force output for short periods of time (10 to 20 seconds) with full recovery between sets (1 to 3 minutes). The workouts are sport specific, but consist mostly of Squatting, Jumping, and Sprinting. The workload or number of sets is determined by the athletes output, if they get slow after the third of fourth round we stop. The athlete needs to end on a high note, both psychologically and physically. This type of training isn’t to break the athlete down. 

Examples: 
100 Meter Sprints Running or Rowing
BB Squats @ 50% of 1RM
15 Meter Prowler Push (Heavy)
Weighted Box Jumps (step down, never jump down)

Coaching
I have yet to see an athlete walk through my gym suffering from too much power. Everyone can benefit from it. Make sure you warm up and work up properly to avoid injury. Limit Power days between one and three times per week. 

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Power · Running · Speed