Anaerobic Training

Anaerobic POWER

• Explosive activities (e.g. sprinting, jumping, weight-lifting, etc) utilise the anaerobic system as their primary source of energy. An athlete that trains for anaerobic improvement will see an increase in fast-twitch muscle fibres.

• Resistance training builds power through recruiting and enlarging muscle fibres. Power is the rate at which force is produced over time.

• Mathematically, power is:

POWER = FORCE x DISTANCE

TIME

• Therefore, power can be manipulated (increased or decreased) by changing any of the 3 variables and keeping the other 2 constant :

  • Increasing the force of the movement, while the time it is performed in and the distance it is performed over, stays the same

  • Decreasing the time it takes to complete the movement while keeping the amount of force and distance the same

  • Covering more distance while using the same force over the same amount of time

• Resistance and weight training can be used to develop this explosive power as exercises and movements are completed quickly. Strength at speed = power

• Strength is a major contributor to the amount of force that can be produced in this equation. When strength is the major factor of producing power it is known as "strength dominated power"

• There are two important distinctions to be made between starting strength and explosive strength in terms of power development

• Starting strength:

  • Starting strength is the ability to 'turn on' as many muscle fibres as possible in the performance of a movement

  • Starting strength is very important in sports such as powerlifting where there is a large amount of inertia to be overcome in order to produce movement. In this case, the inertia is the weighted bar as it sits on the floor. Momentum must be generated before the stored reserves of ATP are used up, as we have enough to allow for roughly a second or so of explosive movement before ATP must be re-synthesized.

• Explosive strength:

  • Explosive strength is the ability to extend the 'turned on' period of explosive movement for a longer period of time

  • The explosive strength phase is the application of force at a rapid rate, seen as the acceleration of the body or object. The muscle fibres contract quickly as creatine phosphate works rapidly and repeatedly, then proceeding to resynthesize more ATP

  • Explosive strength is required in activities such as shot-put, javelin and high jump

• While starting strength is VITAL in the development of power, ignoring explosiveness results in an ability to exert large amounts of force but not make the movement "powerful" and using few fast-twitch muscle fibres

Developing Power through resistance/weight training

Power (strength at speed) is a function (result) of speed and strength; therefore, the greater the strength or the greater the speed, the more power we can develop. Resistance-training programs designed to enhance power levels must incorporate elements of both maximum strength and explosive power development. Exercises must be performed as explosively and quickly as possible in order to increase the rate of force development (RFD) and stimulate the fast-twitch muscle fibres.

Faster players are capable of applying greater levels of force to the ground in less time compared with slower players. The result is greater power and faster acceleration. Resistance training programs designed to develop explosive power include ballistic, speed-strength, strength-speed and maximal-strength methods. Remeber, maximum strength development should be performed before explosive power.

Plyometrics

Plyometrics refers to jumps training or ‘plyos’, and is an example of ballistic training. Plyometrics is designed to improve the athlete’s ability to apply more explosive force, and is an excellent method of converting gains in strength to explosive power and speed; therefore, it is most effective when it follows a maximal strength training phase. By improving the athlete’s maximum strength and force-producing capacity, greater opportunity exists to convert it into sport-specific power.

Plyometric training utilises the stretch-shortening cycle (the action of muscle lengthening immediately followed by muscle shortening), resulting in enhanced power during the explosive concentric muscular contraction. Examples of plyometric movements include hopping and jumping. For example, during double leg hops, the quadriceps preloads stored energy during the stretching (eccentric landing) phase, before explosively releasing the stored energy as the quadricep rapidly contracts during the concentric jump phase.

Plyometric exercises are a great way of mimicking the types of movement performed during sports such as sprinting, jumping, tennis, Rugby League, AFL, soccer, basketball, volleyball and boxing. Plyometric training is used regularly to prepare both professional and amateur adult athletes, while younger athletes can benefit from low volumes of low-intensity plyometric training.

Correct program design and supervision are crucial in order to avoid injury. Pre-adolescent boys and girls should not perform plyometric exercises because of the increased likelihood of injury. There are many forms of plyometric training that include both lower and upper body exercises.

The choice of exercises should closely mimic the requirements of the sport. For example, sprinters, jumpers and soccer players often integrate lower body plyometric exercises into their training, while Rugby League, Rugby Union, baseball, tennis and volleyball athletes may utilise both lower and upper body plyometric exercises during training. Plyometric exercise programs should progress in intensity from low to medium to high in order to prevent injury.

Plyometric Training Guidelines

Plyo training should follow these guidelines in order to maximise the effectiveness of the program. These are just guides, and should be adopted to suit whichever sport or activity is required.

• Mode: Specific to the sport – for example, jumpers perform plyometric jump exercises while throwers perform plyometric throwing exercises.

• Frequency: Two to three sessions per week, with at least 48–73 hours between sessions.

• Intensity: Can include low-, moderate- and high-intensity drills.

• Volume: Refers to the number of repetitions (or ground contacts for lower body exercises) per session:

  • beginner: 60–80 ground contacts/reps

  • intermediate: 80–100 ground contacts/reps

  • advanced: 100–120 ground contacts/reps

• Rest: Plyometric training should be performed with maximal effort and speed, so rest should be sufficient to allow complete recovery. A work-to-rest ratio of at least 1:10 is recommended. For example, if a set of plyometric jumps takes 10 seconds, at least 100 seconds of rest should be taken.