power

Exercise Combos for Explosive Power Build explosive power by combining a lift for strength with an explosive exercise. Great for athleticism and gains. Here's how to do it. The Contrast Method for Strength & Power The contrast method involves pairing a heavy lift with an unloaded (or lighter)...

Exercise Combos for Explosive Power Build explosive power by combining a lift for strength with an explosive exercise. Great for athleticism and gains. Here's how to do it. The Contrast Method for Strength & Power The contrast method involves pairing a heavy lift with an unloaded (or lighter)...

Golf may seem like a sport that revolves around finesse and precision, but it’s a power game at its core. From driving the ball off the tee to maintaining control through your golf swing, building strength in the right areas of your body can make all the difference. That’s where the weight room...

Most coaches recognize that any player who can power clean a big weight is probably going to be a terror on the field. The fact is, the power clean to bodyweight ratio is better at predicting vertical jump and 40 yard dash performance than any other method outside of actually jumping or running...

Most at-home workouts prioritize strength, muscle size, and weight loss, but they often overlook a crucial aspect: power training. Power exercises can add a dynamic edge to your routine, helping you achieve a well-rounded and resilient fitness level with the ability to be more explosive. While...

The word “power” as it relates to training has been thrown around so much that I believe most people have lost or conflated its meaning. Because of this, lifters everywhere make many disastrous mistakes when power training. The first order of business is to define “power.” Once you know what...

By Bret Contreras I thought up this exercise several years ago and included it in my glute eBook, but I never showed a video of them. I feel that biomechanically, this is one of the most similar ways to load the sprint pattern for horizontal power. Sure there are a whole-lotta muscles that are...

By Bret Contreras I came across this study last week and chalked it up as “interesting.” All research is useful, but often you have to simply file it away in it’s place until more research is conducted. The study was published ahead of print in The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research...

I’ve been enthralled by PAP ever since I heard about legendary Canadian Sprinter Ben Johnson squatting 600 lbs for 3 reps ten-minutes prior to his infamous 1988 Olympic 9.79-second world-record performance in the 100-meter sprint. Although Ben’s gold medal was later stripped due to a positive...

Over the past few weeks I’ve heard the “Magic 30%” number tossed around on two different occasions in terms of the training load that maximizes power production, so I figured it was time to write an article on this topic. The theory is that we should train athletes with explosive movements at...

The Problem You’re captured by hostile terrorists and held captive in a large jail cell with just a bunk bed in the corner, a barbell, and plenty of plates. The commander informs you that you’re free to lift weights during your captivity, but you can only perform ten barbell exercises. If...

Landing a knockout punch is the ultimate dream for anyone stepping into the boxing ring. There’s something deeply satisfying about the “pop” of a glove connecting with a heavy bag or the exhilarating rush of delivering a bone-crushing blow. But mastering the art of the haymaker, the powerful...

BIG UPS I get asked a lot of questions from trainees. Here are the four most frequent: How can I improve my bench? How can I lose fat while gaining muscle? How can I improve my vertical jump? Coach, why does it burn when I pee? Okay, I'm kidding about that last one, but the first few really...

There’s a chance you’ve walked into a gym and seen those weighted round balls in the corner more than likely gathering dust. That neglect ends now. These colorful weighted balls are med balls, and when incorporated into your daily workout routine med ball training exercises will supersize your...

Way back in 1995 or so, a fresh-faced Canadian strength coach named Charles Poliquin, wearing the native moose fur and antler hat that is emblematic of his countrymen, gave me an article (written on maple leaves) about something called "German Volume Training." I cast aside my initial...

5 Supersets for Brutal Strength & Explosive Power How to Get Strong and Explosive POWERFUL SUPERSETS = POWERFUL PHYSIQUE Being strong is great, but being strong AND powerful is even better. Training at high velocities using lighter loads will carry over seamlessly into lifting heavier loads...

I wondered if there were any exercises with the same multitasking elements. A few came to mind, but the one that stood out was the push-up. As I thought about all of the scenarios I've used some sort of push-up in, I began to appreciate its versatility. I also realized that even though the...

Building power in the gym means moving weight fast to recruit the most motor units possible. This typically involves a healthy dose of power cleans and perhaps a few variations of the other classic Olympic lifts, but I'm here to help you broaden your training horizons. When it comes to building...

How to Get Powerful Without Olympic Lifts Build Explosive Strength with Landmine Exercises There’s a new way to train for explosive strength: landmine exercises. Specifically, the ones suitable for ballistic performance. It doesn’t take much to build power. Just add a few of these moves to...

Athletically speaking, there’s very few things more visually appealing than watching an NBA star dunk a basketball or an NFL wide receiver elevate to catch a football, or an Olympic-caliber sprinter run a sub-10-second 100 meters. What do these feats have in common? These displays of power are...