Workout Routine for Gaining Tremendous Power

Follow the tremendous workout routine below after reading the following explanations to train for incredible power!

Power is the rate at which work is performed. Power is also defined as force multiplied by velocity. For example, moving a heavy weight very fast requires more power than moving that same weight slowly.

In athletics, both power and strength are visible qualities in all motions. Some sport coaches view strength as the ability to resist injury or fight for proper position on the field such as boxing out and rebounding in basketball. Power, on the other hand, may be viewed as speed of movement or quickness in running or jumping.

Fast vs Slow Lifting?

When selecting drills and exercises for power training, you need to observe the speed of the exercise. For example, a well-known strength exercise like the deadlift may take 2 – 4 seconds to complete with an average to heavy load. In comparison, the full clean portion of the clean and jerk (power exercise) can be completed in as little as 0.09 second, with similar load requirements. Deadlifts or squats are not slow lifts, but they are slower than power cleans or snatches. Because velocity is an important component of power, it makes sense to utilize exercises such as power cleans or snatches which are fast by design.

To get the most “bang for your buck,” workout routines should take into account the individuality of the subjects being trained. In relation to power, it is this author’s empirical observation that if the subjects being trained lack general strength, they should work to develop this first in order to gain the most benefit from subsequent power training.

If we look at the strength variables of two athletes, it will be easy to understand. For the sake of this illustration, both athletes are 6'2" tall and weigh 250lbs. Athlete #1 is a novice shot putter with little strength training experience. Athlete #1's weightlifting variables are as follows: bench press 185lbs., squat 250lbs., and power clean 185lbs. Due to this athlete’s lack of training experience, his strength is poor for someone his size. This athlete first needs to develop general strength in order to make gains in power. General strength will allow him to hold correct posture during throwing and to aid in injury prevention. Athlete #1 would greatly benefit from more traditional strength exercises such as squatting and pressing movements. Also, these exercises should be performed during a hypertrophy phase where the volume (sets multiplied by repetitions) of training is high (4 – 6 sets, 20 – 8 reps) and the intensity [percent of a 1 repetition max (1RM)] is low (45% – 70%). This type of training is designed to increase lean muscle mass in your workout routines.

Athlete #2 has many years of sport and strength training experience. His training methods and goals should therefore be planned accordingly. This athlete should focus on exercises, which are fast by design and stimulate the central nervous system to excite and recruit the working muscles quickly. Drills such as plyometric throwing with weighted medicine balls or Olympic style lifts should be the mainstay of the workout routine.

The thinking behind this type of training is that it is believed one of the main reasons we become more powerful is due to our central nervous system’s ability to coordinate our working muscles to perform a specific skill. Also, without getting into to too much detail, our muscles are comprised of both fast twitch motor units, and slow twitch units. For power, we want to recruit and train the fast twitch fibers in our workout routines.

Types of Exercises

Below is a list of five basic power drills, as well as a brief description. All are common, yet each exercise has many variations. It is my advice that you learn the basic drills first, and then move on to variations in your workout routine.

1. Power Clean
2. Power Snatch
3. Jump Squat
4. Box Jumping
5. Dumbbell Clean and Jerk

Power Clean

This exercise is a modification of the full clean motion of the competitive clean and jerk lift. The idea of the lift is to move the barbell from the floor to the shoulder in one explosive motion.

Power Snatch

This drill is similar to the power clean in many ways. Exceptions are that the grip is wider and the barbell is caught over the head. Again, the lift is executed in one quick motion.

Jump Squat

This drill is a variation of the traditional Olympic style squat. The athlete stands with the barbell on his shoulders and proceeds to perform a regular squat. When the athlete moves from the downward to upward position, he is taught to push hard against the ground in order to “jump.” The athlete then absorbs the jump in the next squat and repeats the next repetition. Special emphasis is placed on maintaining a firm grip on the bar and correct posture. Loads lifted are generally low, 15 – 35% of a squat 1RM.

Box Jumping

There are too many variations of this drill to list. You can think of a box jump like a power clean or snatch. It requires a lot of power to move a heavy weight from the floor to your shoulders or even overhead. It also requires a lot of power to move your bodyweight 3.5 – 5 feet from the floor to jump on a box. Start with the box height relatively low and increase the height once the athlete becomes comfortable with the exercise and has mastered the lower height jump.

Dumbbell Clean and Jerk

This drill is a variation of the Olympic clean and jerk, except with one dumbbell in each hand. The lift is started from the floor with each weight turned so they are parallel with the athlete's feet. As the athlete moves from the floor, special emphasis is placed on keeping the back flat and protected. When the dumbbells reach knee height or slightly above, the athlete “jumps” the dumbbells to the catch position on the shoulders. The athlete then quickly bends their knees and reverses that effort in order to jerk (quickly extend) the dumbbells overhead.

Order of Exercise

During daily workout routines, most power type exercises should be performed first. There are many logical reasons for this. Empirical observation shows that your nervous system is fresh and able to move your working muscles quickly in the beginning of a workout routine as compared to the end. Also, if an athlete has to perform an exercise like a back squat before a power clean, then the muscle of the back will most likely be too fatigued to hold correct posture during the more explosive power clean. This now becomes a potential safety problem. Therefore, if fatigue is present during power training, the athlete will struggle to complete the exercises safely let alone move with the desired power.

When to Train for Power

Strength and conditioning coaches often debate this subject. One thought is to train for power only during competition phases of training. Another is to train year round for power. It is my opinion that power training should be performed year round giving it a special emphasis during the in season competition phases. My reasoning is this. It takes many years to master complex power exercises like the snatch and power clean. Therefore, practice is needed. If athletes remove these exercises completely from their workout routines for weeks or months they effectively stop practicing them. Also, most high school aged athletes play multiple sports. Often their competition phase in one sport may run into a general conditioning phase in another. In this case, it would make sense to put a special emphasis on power training during the competition phase.

The following is a sample of a three-week workout routine. Remember, a general strength base should be established prior to serious power training.


Summary

1. When training for power, select exercises that are fast by design, such as Olympic lifts or plyometric jumps.

2. If general strength levels are poor, time should also be spent to develop this by performing strength exercises such as squats and presses.

3. Training for power should be performed year round giving it a special emphasis during competition periods.

About the Author

Roger Marandino, MS, CSCS,*D earned a master's degree in sport biomechanics from the University of Connecticut. He competed on the national level in the sport of drug-free power lifting, winning three national titles, and is a USWF Olympic Weightlifting Coach. Marandino was the strength coach of the year for the Ivy League in 1997.

"This article originally appeared in NSCA's Performance Training Journal, a publication of the National Strength and Conditioning Association. For a free subscription to the journal, browse to www.nsca-lift.org/perform."

Don't Forget Your Reports, FREE For a Limited-Time...

Fat Loss Supplements Exposed! Discover which supplements help burn fat & which ones are a waste of money.

The 10 Hidden Keys to Rapidly Burning Stubborn Fat! Quickly & Easily Bring Out Those Sexy Abs, Arms, & Thighs.

Body Building Supplements Exposed! Separate the Proven Muscle-Builders From the Hyped Up Losers...

Insider Weight Lifting Tips for Fast, Maximum Results! Exactly how to lift weights to get the results you want.

Return to Power & Athletic Training Routines