Month #7 - Week #27 - Power

June - Week #27 - Power

Welcome to the month of June! 

This month we’ll be specifically training the attribute of POWER. Besides the “Big Three” attributes of Strength, Aerobic Endurance and Flexibility, the importance of the attribute of POWER to our senior population is paramount! 

Science has taught us some interesting things regarding this often neglected attribute (neglected among the senior population anyway). As it turns out, POWER is not only an attribute that declines at a greater rate than strength, but is also the attribute that has the greatest effect on our performance of ADL’s (Activities of Daily Living).

Power, in regards to fitness, can be defined as “The ability to exert a maximal force in as short a time as possible, as in accelerating, jumping and throwing implements.**” While strength can determine how much force can be generated in order to move or lift an object, POWER is the ability to move that load quickly enough to make it functionally significant (Move fast enough to engage momentum against gravity or friction).

I have previously discussed the importance of strength training as we age. We now know that seniors experience a 1% to 2% decline of muscle mass per year and how this can (and usually does without intervention) result in bodies that are too frail to be able maintain an active lifestyle. When talking about POWER however we learn that our power actually decreases at a rate of over 3% per year!

The reason for this is simple. We have been able to classify several types of muscle fiber in the human body and have identified some as “fast twitch” and others as “slow twitch”. As the name implies, the fast twitch muscles are more responsible for power generation (force times speed). As it turns out, these “fast twitch” fibers are lost at a much greater rate than the others.

For our first of the month “Metric Monday”, we’ll be using some classic established tests such as the 30 second chair stand test and I’ll also be adding some light med ball tosses for distance (overhand, underhand and press from the chest) to determine some baselines for the month… I’m truly looking forward to seeing how well we progress with some time specifically set aside for this important attribute of fitness! 

We'll be utilizing several different modalities to engage our fast twitch capacities that will include speed training, plyometrics, resistance bands and a liberal use of isometric holds. Application” of the attribute of Power
In our daily and recreational lives we utilize power in many ways… Pushing, pulling, lifting, swinging and hitting. Our chores in the yard can depend on this attribute in many ways whether we’re pushing a lawn mower over a bump or yanking a stubborn weed, hammering a nail or lifting a bag of mulch into our trunk. The rule here is to stay active and simply “Do the Work”... From a recreational perspective, we can engage this attribute of power whenever we swing a club or paddle, throw a ball or a punch, sprint to a goal or jump for a basket… Common forms of recreation that utilize our attribute of power are:

• Baseball / Softball
• Golf
• Tennis
• Racquetball / Handball
• Soccer
• Basketball
• Bowling

I’m sure I’ve missed many… Please feel free to help me fill in the holes I’ve missed!

This should be an interesting month and I hope to see you training!

Daryll