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Classifying Strength Qualities

Strength is one of the most popular components which athletes will look to develop in a performance plan. However, the exact strength qualities they require can be unclear, and researching can lead to further confusion. 

This article will aim to classify some of the main strength qualities and present examples for each. The strength quality in which an athlete seeks to develop dictates almost all training variables including frequency, reps, sets, tempo, intensity and even rest.


MAXIMAL STRENGTH

The peak force that the neuromuscular system is capable of exerting in a single maximal voluntary contraction, irrespective of the time element.
Maximal strength can be further divided into each type of muscular contraction.

CONCENTRIC STRENGTH

In a concentric contraction, the muscle shortens while producing tension. For example, when performing a bicep curl the bicep muscle contracts and shortens to close the angle at the elbow joint and curl the dumbbell towards the body. Concentric strength is an important quality for power development, acceleration & jumping, among many other movements.


ECCENTRIC STRENGTH

In an eccentric contraction the muscle lengthens while producing tension. An example here would be during the bicep curl where the athlete deliberately “brakes” or slowly controls the speed of movement as the dumbbell is lowered away from the body following the concentric curling movement. This is an important strength quality in injury prevention, in safely landing from a jump, and also in the development of agility, deceleration or change of direction speed where the athlete must “apply the brakes” to stop or slow their movement suddenly. Eccentric strength is also of great importance to avoid plateaus in training. Training only concentrically and explosively, as would often be the norm during an in-season phase for competitive athletes, will close the gap between eccentric and concentric strength (known as the strength deficit) and maximise the rate of force development for a set level of strength. However, when this gap becomes minimal, gains in strength and power will be minimal until eccentric strength is prioritised and advanced again.
Typically, the average athlete will be significantly stronger eccentrically than they are concentrically – this is why many individuals can lower themselves relatively easily under control from the top position of a chin-up but may not have the concentric strength to pull themselves back up.


ISOMETRIC STRENGTH

In an isometric contraction the muscles develop tension while their lengths remain unchanged. In this example, if the athlete decided to stop the curling movement when the elbow reached a specific joint angle – say 90 degrees – and hold that position for any period of time, the contraction would become an isometric. During many movements, for example maximal sprinting or change of direction, there is a very short moment between the eccentric and a concentric contraction where there is no movement occurring around the joint, yet the muscles involved are producing tension despite this lack of movement – This is an isometric contraction
Maximal strength is a hugely important quality in sports where resistance must be overcome. For example during acceleration, weightlifting, throwing & jumping. Sports such as football, rugby, tennis or basketball require high levels of maximal strength.


RELATIVE STRENGTH

The maximum force an athlete can generate per unit of bodyweight, irrespective of the time element.
This strength quality is hugely important to athletes who must achieve high levels of strength while it is beneficial or required in their sport to maintain a lower bodyweight, for example boxing or gymnastics. The type of training for this quality differs to the training for maximal strength as the aim is to primarily improve muscle fibre recruitment (neural drive), rather than muscle fibre size (hypertrophy).


ABSOLUTE STRENGTH

Similar to maximal strength, absolute strength represents the maximal force an athlete can generate irrespective of the time element, and also irrespective of bodyweight.
Unlike in the examples given above for relative strength, there are some sports where an increase in bodyweight may be an advantage rather than a disadvantage. For example, rugby, American football linemen, or some throwing athletes such as shot-putters, or hammer/discus throwers. These athletes can train using hypertrophy (increasing fibre size) methods to develop strength. Some athletes from other sports may also benefit from some degree of this training.


SPEED STRENGTH

The ability of the neuromuscular system to produce the greatest amount of force in the shortest possible time frame.
Speed-strength is a key quality in acceleration, sprinting, kicking, throwing and jumping and therefore is a hugely important quality in many sports. This quality can be subdivided into three other qualities: Starting strength, explosive strength and reactive strength. 

STARTING STRENGTH
The capacity to generate maximal force at the beginning of a muscular contraction.
Starting strength is important in sports where sudden bursts of speed or power are required. Examples include racket sports where the player must accelerate from a static low “base” position, combat sports (punching) and sprinting (block start).

EXPLOSIVE STRENGTH
The capacity to develop a vertical rise in force once movement has been initiated; the rate at which an athlete can develop peak force.
This quality is especially important in sprinting, and also in high resistance sports such as shot-putting or weightlifting.

REACTIVE STRENGTH
The ability to quickly switch from an eccentric contraction to a concentric contraction, also known as the SSC (stretch shortening cycle).
This quality is primarily trained by plyometrics and maximal sprinting and is a high priority in speed & power based sports. In sprinting, reactive strength is of particular importance at higher speeds where ground contact times must be minimised.


STRENGTH ENDURANCE

The athletes tolerance to fatigue in strength performances of longer duration.

Examples of sports which require a high level of strength endurance include rowing, swimming, cycling and other sports where a submaximal level of force must be maintained over a prolonged period of time.

Throughout a training plan, an athlete will of course work towards developing many of these strength qualities, prioritising some over others. As previously mentioned, many training variables are influenced by the type of strength quality being developed. Exercise selection, training splits and frequency, exercise components, order, reps, sets, tempo and rest are all dictated by the desired outcome. Of course many of these factors are also determined by an athletes movement capacity, training history and experience.

The following articles in this series will look at how these training variables can be manipulated to achieve a specific strength objective.

 

3 Push-Up Progressions

3 Push-Up Progressions

The push up is a staple in many resistance training plans, and for good reason. It is a large compound upper body exercise which also demands excellent trunk stability. It is also a very safe option for youth and inexperienced athletes – “failing” on a repetition just means you are left lying on the floor! The one downfall of this exercise is that the intensity (resistance) can not be as easily progressed/regressed as is the case with dumbbell or barbell exercises. But don’t let that put you off. Below, we’ve outlined 3 push up variations to keep athletes of all levels challenged!

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Indoor Conditioning Session

Indoor Conditioning Session

At the moment, thankfully, conditions are perfect for getting out for a steady run a few times each week. While this is great for helping to maintain aerobic capacity, it’s easy to miss out on the high intensity (anaerobic) conditioning that is so important in many sports. Below, we’ve outlined a session you can complete in a room of your house that requires just a few yards of paint tape to mark out a ladder on the floor!

read more
10 Core Exercises to Add to your Training

10 Core Exercises to Add to your Training

When many athletes think of anterior core training they think sit-ups or static planks. Of course both of these exercises can target the abdominal group effectively, but we think of core training a bit differently!
It’s important to understand that the primary function of the core is to stabilise the spine and pelvis, particularly while the limbs are in motion. However, neither of the above mentioned most common exercises replicate this function well. Find out some of our favourites..

read more

Indoor Conditioning Session

At the moment, thankfully, conditions are perfect for getting out for a steady run a few times each week. While this is great for helping to maintain aerobic capacity, it’s easy to miss out on the high intensity (anaerobic) conditioning that is so important in many sports. Below, we’ve outlined a session you can complete in a room of your house that requires just a few yards of paint tape to mark out a ladder on the floor!

10 Core Exercises to Add to your Training

When many athletes think of anterior core training they think sit-ups or static planks. Of course both of these exercises can target the abdominal group effectively, but we think of core training a bit differently!
It’s important to understand that the primary function of the core is to stabilise the spine and pelvis, particularly while the limbs are in motion. However, neither of the above mentioned most common exercises replicate this function well. Find out some of our favourites..

Blood Flow Restriction Training

Restriction to blood flow first emerged as a form of exercise training with Japanese bodybuilders in 1995, but is now more commonly referred to as Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) training.  Over the past 3-4 years, BFR training has exploded in popularity amongst strength coaches and physiotherapists alike. Early research identified the capability of BFR to stimulate hypertrophy and strength gains when combined with low-load resistance training but there was a distinct lack of research on how this was happening.  

Field Sport Conditioning

As teams across the country are forced to suspend all collective training, we thought we would help out with a sample session that can be completed individually and modified to suit!
This session includes work in all energy systems to maximise transfer to your sport.
Give it a go and pass it along to your team mates if you think they would benefit. Feel free to get in touch with any questions!

Repetition Tempo

Tempo is a training variable equal in importance to reps and sets. This programming tool allows coaches to target specific adaptations in an athletes programme and is a key component of a training plan. Essentially, in resistance training, tempo refers to the speed that an exercise is performed. The tempo that each rep is performed at will dictate the total time under tension (TUT) for any given set, and this component is one of the major keys to achieving the desired training response.

Maximal Aerobic Speed

In recent years Maximal Aerobic Speed has become popular among team sports in particular, primarily because it presents a simple and effective method of testing aerobic power. However, the real value of this method is that the data from testing can be used directly in the prescription of conditioning loads. This article aims to provide detailed instructions on how to effectively administer an MAS test, in a team setting, and examples of how to effectively use this data.

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