Show Most sports require strength, power, and muscular endurance. Image Credit: Edwin Tan /E+/GettyImages Strength and power are sometimes used interchangeably, but though they're similar, there are distinctions when you say someone is strong vs. powerful. Understanding the difference between strength and power can help you select exercises and strategies to achieve your fitness goals. While excelling in some sports requires a greater proportion of one type of muscular ability, most sports require all three. Your ability to move weight, move it with speed and continue moving it for extended periods of time will help you be a better all-around athlete.
Strength, power and endurance are all forms of muscular ability. Strength is the ability to move heavy weight, power is the ability to move weight with speed, and endurance is the ability to perform many repetitions. Strength Is Force Against ResistanceMuscular strength is defined as the ability of your nervous and muscular systems to produce enough force in your connective tissues and muscles to move an external force, such as weight or your body against gravity. Strength and power are often confused, but the main difference is speed, according to ExRx.net. Unlike power, strength requires no quick movements to produce force and is instead expressed by slower, controlled movements. For example, a strong person may take 3 to 5 seconds to stand up during a barbell squat, but a powerful person can stand back up in 1 second. The most common sports where strength is required include weightlifting, football, wrestling, boxing, track and field and rowing. Strength can be measured based on the amount of weight lifted for a single rep. This is referred to as a one-rep max, or 1RM. Upper-body and lower-body strength are measured separately. Strength tests include the bench press for upper body, the squat for lower body and the deadlift for lower back and leg assessments. Relative strength is a measure of strength based on body size, expressed by a ratio of weight lifted to body weight. For example, if two people lifted the same weight, the person who weighs less has greater relative strength. Power Is Speed Plus StrengthAdding a dose of speed to strength can make you feel like superhero performing superhuman feats. But simply being strong doesn't always translate to being powerful. According to Sports Fitness Advisor, you can be exceptionally strong, but if you cannot contract your muscles quickly, then you're not powerful. The muscular power definition is explosiveness, the ability to move weight with speed, according to the American Council on Exercise (ACE). For example, a strong lower body can do a heavy squat slowly, but it can't necessarily generate the power to do the same lift with speed. The definition of power is producing the greatest amount of force in the shortest possible time. With the exception of powerlifting, most power exercises — vertical jumps, lateral hops, kettlebell swings and more — are performed repetitively to improve speed, stamina and reflexes. Common power sports include Olympic weightlifting, track and field, boxing, football and ice hockey. Endurance Is Strength Over TimeTo explain the relationship between muscular strength and endurance, think of it like this: Muscular endurance is the ability of a muscle or muscle group to exert sub-maximal force against resistance for an extended period of time. Often, the resistance is the body itself. The measurement of muscular endurance is based on the number of reps performed. But endurance is specific to the assessment. That means the ability to perform upper-body exercises many times is separate from the ability to perform lower-body or ab exercises many times. Tests for muscular endurance include push-ups, pull-ups and dips for the upper body and sit-ups for the abs. Lower-body endurance can be assessed with squats. Endurance sports include distance cycling and running, track and field, swimming, skiing and rowing. Sets and Reps Based on GoalsTraining is specific to your goals, per the ACE. The number of sets, reps and speed will vary between strength, power and endurance training. Building strength requires progressive overload (gradually increasing the amount of resistance) at a higher weight and lower reps, performed with control. Aim for 2 to 6 sets of 1 to 5 reps with a lifting intensity of 85 to 100 percent of your 1RM, according to the National Academy of Sports Medicine. Take longer rest periods between sets — 2 to 5 minutes — to give your muscles a chance to recover and prepare for the next set. Power training is similar to strength training, but the speed is increased and there's less rest between sets. You'll perform explosive movements geared to specific skill development. You may also use supersets or circuits, which are a series of 2 to 5 muscular strength and power moves performed back-to-back. A general goal is 3 to 5 sets of 1 to 3 reps at 80 to 85 percent of your 1RM. Endurance training is based on progressively increasing the time you do an exercise. Workouts consist of lower weights and higher reps, typically 3 sets of 15 to 25 reps at 20 to 70 percent of your 1RM. Shorter rest periods between sets — 30 to 60 seconds — increase fatigue levels for the next set and help improve your endurance over time. Train Strength, Power and EnduranceStrength training alone can only get you so far in maximizing your athletic abilities. While you can build strength without higher power training, you're less likely to gain power with only strength training. So if you're doing activities that require quick bursts of energy (sprinting, HIIT, etc.), you should combine muscular strength and power training. In a June 2007 study in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, researchers found that subjects who performed 12 weeks of power and strength training had greater improvements in jump height and more power output in jump squats than those who just did strength training. But training is also sport-specific, not one-size-fits-all. Your individual training program should reflect the weight and rep demands of your sport or fitness goals. It can be helpful to consult a coach or personal trainer to get help assessing your strength, power and endurance. They can also help you set reasonable goals and provide you with a training plan for reaching them. Muscular hypertrophy refers to an increase in muscle mass. This usually manifests as an increase in muscle size and strength. Typically, muscle hypertrophy occurs as a result of strength training, which is why it is normally associated with weight lifting. There are two types of muscle hypertrophy: myofibrillar and sarcoplasmic. Some people may adapt their training to target different types of muscle growth. For example, some people will train to prioritize either muscle size or muscle strength. This article will discuss what hypertrophy is and how to train for muscle hypertrophy.
Muscular hypertrophy, or muscle growth, refers to an increase in muscle mass. There are two types of muscular hypertrophy: myofibrillar, which is an increase in myofibrils, and sarcoplasmic, which is an increase in muscle glycogen storage. Skeletal muscles connect to the bones by tendons and are responsible for movement. Bundles of muscle fibers, known as myocytes, make up the skeletal muscles. Each myocyte contains myofibrils that allow the muscles to contract. Myofibrillar hypertrophy refers to when the number of myofibrils increases. This causes muscles to increase in strength and density. The muscles also contain sarcoplasmic fluid. This fluid is an energy resource that surrounds the myofibrils in the muscles. It contains adenosine triphosphate, glycogen, creatine phosphate, and water. During a workout, more fluid moves to the muscles to provide energy. Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy refers to the increase in volume of this fluid. It can make muscles appear larger, but it does not increase strength. Strength training can help people build muscle, both from myofibrillar and sarcoplasmic hypertrophy. This involves training against resistance that gradually increases over time. The strain this places on muscles causes damage to muscle fibers, which the body repairs. Repeatedly challenging the muscles in this way causes them to adapt by growing in size and strength. People can train to promote muscle growth by focusing on strength training, doing a variety of exercises, and getting good quality sleep. However, some conditions can disrupt muscular hypertrophy. For example, myofibrillar myopathy is a type of muscular dystrophy that typically causes muscle weakness during mid-adulthood. The symptoms usually start in the hands and feet before moving to the center of the body. Strength training is an important way of building muscle size and strength. The goal of strength training is to induce muscle hypertrophy from straining the muscles to cause damage. Strength training typically includes performing movements against resistance, including:
Different types of strength training are suitable for different fitness goals, and people can choose to focus on specific muscle groups. For example, bodybuilders who train for muscle size typically perform moderate intensity exercises with short rest intervals. On the other hand, powerlifters training for strength perform high intensity exercises with longer rests between sets. Learn more about how long it takes to build muscle here. Global recommendations for physical activity include strength training at least twice per week. Some people may benefit from more regular training, but it is essential to get sufficient rest to allow the muscles to recover and grow. One 2016 review found that training the major muscle groups twice per week is enough to build muscle. There was a lack of evidence to suggest that training three times per week would lead to greater improvements than training twice per week. Resting between sets of exercise is also important for muscle recovery. A 2017 review suggests that rest intervals of more than 2 minutes are necessary to maximize strength gains in resistance trained individuals. Building muscle will require consistent strength training over several weeks. Increasing the resistance gradually over time will help muscles grow. There are no shortcuts for building muscle. It takes consistent training and following a healthful lifestyle for several weeks or months. However, there are some things a person can do to support the process. Following a consistent routine that includes all the major muscle groups is essential for building muscle. Compound movements, such as squats, are effective for building muscle. It is also necessary to progressively increase the resistance over time. Staying on the same weight for too long will not challenge the muscles and will prevent hypertrophy. If possible, hiring a personal trainer is a good option for people starting out with strength training. A personal trainer can help someone develop personalized exercise routines and practice good form to prevent injuries. Diet is another important consideration. People who want to build muscle should aim to eat a healthful diet rich in macronutrients. Protein is an important part of the diet for building muscle. That said, the exact amount of protein necessary for muscle growth is still unclear. Research suggests that getting more than 1.62 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day is unlikely to produce additional benefits. Myostatin-related muscular hypertrophy is a rare condition that causes high muscle mass. People with this condition have up to twice as much muscle mass. They typically also have low body fat. A genetic defect in the MSTN gene causes this condition. It disrupts the production of myostatin, which usually controls muscle growth. By reducing myostatin, the condition causes uncontrolled muscle growth. Myostatin-related muscular hypertrophy is unlikely to cause any serious medical conditions. Muscular hypertrophy involves increasing muscle size, typically through strength training. Putting strain on the muscles through working out causes the body to repair them, resulting in an increase in muscle fibers. Having more muscle fibers will lead to greater strength and muscle size. Strength training can involve a variety of exercises against some form of resistance. Increasing the resistance over time will lead to muscle hypertrophy. Muscular hypertrophy can take time to produce noticeable changes in muscle size or strength. In addition to strength training, people should also incorporate healthful habits — such as eating a balanced diet and getting plenty of sleep — to optimize muscle gain and strength. |