What is the explosive power?
Explosive force is the ability to exert the greatest effort in the shortest possible time. In the process of performing explosive movements, the muscles contract very quickly, almost instantaneously. In this case, not only do they experience a load, but also a nervous system that provides a quick response of muscle fibers to a signal to reduce.
The explosive force often develops in parallel with the reactive ability of the muscles – the ability to quickly switch from eccentric contractions to concentric ones.
Concentric contractions occur when the muscles change the position of the body, overcoming the resistance, and eccentric – when the muscles are stretched, yielding to the action of gravity of the limb or load.
During the exercises for the development of explosive force only, there is no phase of stretching: muscles quickly pass from a relaxed state to an active state. If during the exercise the muscles do not just strain, but are stretched beforehand, it develops and reactivity.
Let’s take an example. If jumping on the hill is made from a relaxed state, for example, from the sitting position on the pedestal (the athlete sits, the muscles are relaxed), then only the explosive force develops. If, before the jump, the athlete makes a deep squat, stretching the muscles, the reactive ability also develops.
Why train explosive force
The ability to make the maximum effort for a minimum period of time is necessary in many sports disciplines:
- In the game sports: football, basketball, tennis.
- In martial arts, for example in boxing, where the combination of strength and speed of impact is of decisive importance.
- In the sprint. The ability of the muscles to make the fastest contraction increases the running speed.
- In weightlifting. Unlike powerlifting, where mostly pure strength is trained, in weightlifting, power is more important, which directly depends on the explosive force. Weightlifting exercises – jerk, jerk, taking on the chest – are performed with the fastest squat and exit, and the faster the athlete moves from squatting to boom weight, the better his performance.
Explosive force is useful for bodybuilding. In themselves, explosive loads have little effect on muscle growth, but they help overcome stagnation caused by adaptation of the body. To resume muscle growth, you need to provide the body with an unusual stress load. Such a load and become explosive exercises.
In addition, the correct performance of explosive exercises with a good workout and adequate workload reduces the risk of injury.
Exercises for the development of explosive power
Fall from the height with a subsequent jump
During the fall, the athlete accumulates kinetic energy, and when landing, an eccentric contraction of muscles occurs under the weight of the body, which then instantly replaces the concentric – jumping.
Jumping in the depths is a rather difficult exercise for unprepared people. Therefore, before you proceed to it, it is worthwhile mastering a few more simple:
- jumping on the steps;
- jumping from foot to foot;
- long jump;
- jumping over obstacles – low barriers (jump is performed with two legs at once);
- jumps in length with weights in hands.
Lifting the bar to the chest from the desk
When you hold the bar in straightened hands, there is an eccentric contraction of the muscles: they stretch under the weight of the bar. At the time of taking on the chest bars of the muscle abruptly move to a concentric contraction.
This jerky exercise can not be done slowly, so it is by default explosive. To perform it as quickly and sharply as possible and to pump precisely the explosive force, do not take a lot of weight, it is enough 50-60% of a single high.
A jerk from the desk
Like the last exercise, the jerk from the visas is performed as quickly as possible. Unlike the usual jerk in weightlifting, here between thrust and blasting there is a small pause that reduces inertia and provides a great load during the blasting. The working weight is 50-60% of the repetitive maximum.
Schwungs
Another jerky exercise that develops the explosive power of muscles. First you go to a shallow squat (eccentric contraction), and then straighten your legs with an explosive movement, while pushing the bar up. During the push, the main load falls on the shoulders. If you try to lift the bar due to the triceps, this reduces the effectiveness of the thrust.
Plyometric push-ups
There is a huge amount of plyometric push-ups – with jumps, claps, lifts after the stretching phase of the muscles. Here’s a good selection of push-ups for the development of explosive power – it looks incredible.
Börp
The basic motion of the Björp is a push-up with a subsequent jumping. There are a lot of variations of this exercise:
- Push-ups with hands on the medball and throwing this ball during the jump;
- with jumping on the curb instead of a jump;
- on one leg (and push-ups, and jump);
- with cotton during the jump;
- with a jump, during which the legs are pulled to the chest;
- with jumping over the curb after push-ups.
Depending on your level of preparation.
Jumping on the support
This exercise can be performed in different versions: jumps with an eccentric phase (as shown above) on the development of the reactive ability of muscles or without it.
In the first case, the jump is performed from a low squat, in the second – from a sitting position. When the athlete sits on the pedestal, the muscles of the legs are in a relaxed state, and then abruptly move to the concentric phase – the jump.
Instead of a pedestal you can use different elevations depending on your preparedness. For jumping up stair steps, low obstacles. When you master the jumps with your own weight, you can complicate the exercise: jump with dumbbells or kettlebells in hands.
Jumping out of the “pistol”
A more complicated variant of jumping when the load is completely transferred to one leg.
Jumping with a change of legs
This option is simpler, which is suitable for beginners. The faster you jump out of the lunge, the better.
Throwing the ball
One of the basic exercises in crossfire is throwing away a stuffed ball. Muscles stretch in the squat, and then sharply straighten out during the throw. The weight and height of the throw-ball toss depends on your ability.
In general, almost any exercise with its own weight or free weights can be turned into an explosive, increasing the speed of the concentric phase. For example, during a squat with a barbell, you can make a sharp climb after a slow squat.
Now let’s look at how the training for developing explosive strength is built.
How to choose a workout
Warm up
Before training it is necessary to warm up. Performing an explosive effort without warm-up can be unless the masochist, who dreams of dislocations and sprains. If your training will last 45 minutes, then ten of them should be devoted to warm-up and stretching. Particular attention is given to the muscle groups, which will have the main load.
Choice of exercises
While your muscles are not used to explosive loads, choose exercises with your own weight. The jumps in length, jumping on a hill are good. In the first case, you will easily track your progress, in the second – to regulate the complexity as you become accustomed.
First you can use a ladder or a step-platform, then go to the curb, and then increase the complexity either at the expense of height, for example, pancakes, or by weighting with dumbbells or weights.
Also for beginners are suitable Björp in all their diversity, jumping with the change of legs, jogging push-ups, throwing the ball.
Number of repetitions and approaches
The training will consist of 3-6 exercises. For example, it can be a set of burrs, jumps on the box and throwing the ball.
With regard to the number of approaches and repetitions, it all depends on the exercises chosen and your training:
- If you perform light exercises, such as jumping from a lunge with a change of legs or jumping on a box without weighting, perform 2-4 sets of 8-10 repetitions.
- If you choose heavier exercises, for example a jerk from a hitch, jumping on a curb with weights, complicated plyometric push-ups, perform 3-7 approaches for 2-3 repetitions.
A good option for trained athletes is circular training. One circle consists of three explosive exercises, which are performed one after another with a break of 10 seconds.
Here is an approximate scheme: the output by force – 10 seconds rest – jumping on the curb – 10 seconds rest – throwing the ball – 90 seconds rest – the next circle.
When choosing the number of circles and exercises, be guided by your feelings. On average, four laps of 3-5 repetitions of each exercise will be enough.
Rest between approaches
Break between sets should be no more than 30 seconds. Explosive exercises do not fatigue the muscles, so this time will be enough. Before the next exercise, you can rest for 1-2 minutes.
Number of workouts per week
If you only work out the explosive force, the other indicators will begin to decline. Moreover, explosive movements load not only and not so much the muscles as the nervous system. Therefore, they should be performed no more than 1-2 times a week after the main workout.
If your goal is to become stronger or to pump up muscles, it is especially important to correctly combine explosive and strength exercises. The combination of strength and strength training increases the level of testosterone, which plays an important role in muscle growth and fat reduction. Thus, the execution of explosive complexes after strength training will positively affect the figure.
Safety precautions
And the last thing that should be mentioned is the prevention of injuries. Here are some tips to help you avoid damage during blasting.
- Warm-up is required. If you are conducting explosive training separately from the power train, spend on the warm-up and stretching for at least 10-15 minutes.
- If your training includes jumping, choose a soft surface, such as the ground or rubber coating in the hall. This will partially reduce the strain on the joints.
- Do not be distracted while exercising. Watch the position of the body. Any departure from the correct procedure may result in injury.
- Choose the right weight. Prepared people can do exercises for explosive strength from 50-60% of a single maximum. That is, if you can do one squat with a weight of 60 kilograms, then for explosive execution of this exercise, choose a weight of 35 kilograms. For jumping with weighting, the weight in 30% of a single maximum is appropriate.
Have you tried explosive exercises? Share your training experiences in the comments.
