Chapter 1: Strength, Power and Muscular Endurance

Marathoner vs. Sprinter

As we dive into Periodization Training for Sports from Bompa and Buzzichelli, understanding training methods and the resulting adaptations is a foundational aspect of understanding periodization. Chapter 1, Strength, Power, and Muscular Endurance in sports, begins to do just that.  A few methods of training initially discussed are bodybuilding, high-intensity training, Olympic Weightlifting, power training throughout the year, and power lifting. The ‘old school’ style of these styles of training was not always periodized. As the field has progressed, periodization has become a crucial aspect to many successful programs.

Periodization is ‘the most scientifically justified method for optimizing strength and sport performance.’ 

Sport periodization must address the needs for sport performance. The general areas described for athletic development and performance are strength, speed, endurance, coordination, speed., and flexibility. A varying amount of each of these abilities is important for different sports. As a strength coach, it is imperative to understand what is important to different athletes entering the gym and appropriately pursue their development towards improving performance. For example, you would not train a baseball player, a speed and strength dominant athlete, by focusing on their endurance to the point of having negative impacts on speed and strength. Marathon runners would not ever focus solely on strength training in the annual plan. Understanding these fundamental concepts results in the opportunity to appropriately program for athlete’s individual needs.  There are some sports, marathon running for example, where the primary bio motor ability is clearly endurance that are easy to classify. However, most sports require a more balanced combination of biomotor skills and development. Even within sports, as shown by Bompa, there can be differing needs. A great example of this is that American Football lineman has a significantly larger need for strength than speed and wide receivers need more speed than strength. This results in different programming needs, even within the same team. Ultimately, balancing bio motor abilities and the intentional development (or lack of development) of specific abilities is important. Being able to balance the various needs of athletes throughout the course of the year so they are best prepared to perform when it matters most is what periodization is all about.           

There is an intrinsic difference between the needs of a 50m swimmer and a 1,500m swimmer.

Both of these athletes require a balance of strength and endurance. However, Bompa explains that the 50m swimmer needs speed and power endurance, to complete just a full lap of the pool. As a 1,500m swimmer, there is a much larger requirement for muscular endurance than speed and power. As a strength coach, managing sports that lie along the Strength-Endurance axis, it is crucial to understand the dominance and complimentary status of each of these components.  Like the Strength-Endurance axis, the Speed-Endurance axis has specific requirements as you move closer to one or the other. An athlete who runs the 200m dash requires extremely high levels of speed and the ability to maintain that speed over the course of their race. The same maintenance of speed is important to a cross-country runner. However, the relative speed focus and relative endurance focus are significantly different. The third primary axis is the Strength-Speed axis. Sports that lie near or on this axis are often referred to as power sports. Once again, appropriate understanding and management of the sport’s needs are critical to a successful program.  While many of these sports may start their off-season with a hypertrophy based strength program, at some point the program should shift from hypertrophy toward power to allow optimal performance in the speed-strength sport by promoting positive benefits.            

Water sports create a somewhat unique situation in strength training. As Bompa discusses, max strength and muscular endurance are extremely important to performance. Each event within the sport requires the ability to accelerate in the water and then continue to maintain that speed by continuing to apply force through a cyclic motion. Thus, primary training focuses within the sport are maximum strength and muscular endurance. These focuses are not necessarily detrimental to one another. However, at certain volumes within a program, one would interfere with the other.

It is imperative to appropriately balance the programs major contributors throughout the year to allow for successful adaptations and optimal performance.

Devin Cornelius

GibbonsSTRENGTH Assistant Coach

Sport Performance Coach at Athletic Lab

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