5 Moves to Increase Your Power
Power is often overlooked in a training routine as most people focus on weightlifting to increase strength. Here’s some easy exercises to increase this important fitness factor.
First, we need to define what power really means. On your bike or rowing machine it can be measured in watts, but what is it from a physiological standpoint? Simply put, power is force expressed with speed. Developing power requires you to move your body quickly and forcefully. This can be done in just two to three short sessions a week.
As the name suggests, power training should be done hard and fast. If you feel yourself slowing down while doing a power-based movement, then it’s time to stop the set, even if you’re not quite at your target number of reps. Stick with a low rep range (i.e., between one and six) for power movements. If you go beyond this, you’re starting to switch the emphasis to endurance. So rather than doing your usual three sets of 10 to 15 reps with strength training, consider doing more sets of fewer reps to build up your power capacity.
If you’re going to be heading out for a swim, run, or ride, make sure you do your power training first. Doing your strength or endurance work first can have a detrimental effect on your power training.
1. Sprinting
Sprinting works your neuromuscular system and develops durability in supporting structures like ligaments, tendons, and bones. You don’t need to go full Usain Bolt here — just run quickly for a few minutes once or twice a week. Make sure you’ve warmed up well beforehand (stretch and some light jogging will do) and that you sprint before doing any of the other exercises here, as it requires your central nervous system to be fresh.
Standing in a crouched position, run as fast as you can for 20 to 50 meters
Make sure you keep your torso long, get your feet up off the ground quickly, and drive your knees high as you swing your arms
Try to maintain 20% to 30% tension in your abs and keep your gaze fixed in front of you
Rest for two to four minutes, and repeat three to six times
2. Kettlebell Swing
If you were to only choose one power-developing exercise to do for the rest of your life, you couldn’t go wrong with the kettlebell swing. A more dynamic hinge than the deadlift, it requires you to generate power while also maintaining stability and, if you do a one-handed version, resisting rotation. It’s a good idea to start with a little less weight than you think you can handle at first, as the goal is to move swiftly, not slowly. Then build up to heavier bells as you master keeping good technique while expressing power.
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and a kettlebell on the ground slightly in front of you
Grip the bell with both hands and hike it between your legs like a football player would, but don’t release your grip (unless you’re looking for a lawsuit at the gym)
Reverse the motion in a hip hinge to propel the bell forward and up, squeezing your glutes and keeping your shoulder blades pinned back and down
When the bell gets above waist height, let the momentum float it up until it’s level with your chest
Maintaining your grip on the bell, let it start to fall back down, and use the momentum to repeat the “hike” phase
Repeat five or six times
Rest two to four minutes and repeat four to six times
3. Depth Jump
Box jumps are very effective, but depth jumps — stepping down from a lower box or bench and then exploding quickly up off the ground — are a great progression. Before you start any kind of explosive jumping, first get in a few weeks of skipping rope or doing smaller jumps in place to build up your load tolerance. Also, be sure to focus on sticking the landing. Make sure your knees don’t collapse inward and that you tense your abs upon impact and stay tall rather than folding. This way, you’re much less likely to get hurt.
Stand on a low bench or plyo box
Step down off it, and land with both feet with a slight knee bend
As soon as your feet touch the ground, leap powerfully into the air
Use an arm swing to generate more upward motion
Land on the balls of your feet, tap your heels to the floor
Repeat these steps four to six times
Rest two to four minutes and repeat four to six times
You can also finish the movement by jumping up into a higher box
4. Medicine Ball Slam
The deadlift and kettlebell swing involves opening up your hips in a powerful way. Another potent way to work the hinge pattern is to close the hips forcefully. And there’s no better way to do it than with a medicine/slam ball slam (yes, I know I used the word “slam” twice in this sentence). The beauty of this exercise is that it is very simple and is easy to do in a home gym with a readily available and pretty affordable tool.
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart with a medicine or slam ball between your feet
Pick the ball up with one hand on either side of it
Raise the ball overhead until both arms are fully extended
Clench your abs as you hinge at the hips until your torso is almost parallel to the floor
Use the momentum to slam the ball into the ground
Pick the ball back up and repeat four to six times
Rest two to four minutes and repeat four to six times
5. Broad Jump
A lot of plyometric exercises revolve around increasing your vertical jump. But a lot of strength and conditioning coaches know that if you’re powerful, you can leap high as well as far. Enter the easiest exercise to both test and develop your jumping in another direction: the broad jump.
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart
Bend your knees as you sit back with your hips
Swing both arms behind you and then forward as you leap as far as you can in front of you
Land gently on the balls of your feet and gently tap your feet on the ground, making sure your feet remain straight and your torso remains well-organized (i.e., don’t collapse like an accordion)
Rest for one to two minutes and repeat five to six times
Doing these exercises once a week will help you improve your peak power capacity. Performing them two or three times per week will compound these gains.
Power is different than strength and is often overlooked but these 5 movements will increase your overall power well. Feel free to reach out with questions or comments, and remember as always :
Working Together, WEvolve.