Hi guys. I've gotten pretty into exercise science/theory ever since I got into lifting a very long time ago, so I figured I'd share and deepen my own understanding of an important topic I've obsessed about by practicing writing my thoughts on it. Would be curious to hear what ya'll think.
I used to be a big follower of Mark Rippetoe (hence my username, lol) but over time I started to feel like his model is overly biased toward absolute strength. Absolute strength obviously matters, but I think he underrates what movements like the power clean are actually training when he calls them mostly a “display of power.”
To me, the clean is better understood as an impulse movement.
Impulse is:
J = ∫F dt
Basically, impulse is the area under the force-time curve. In plain English, it is how much force you can apply, and for how long, during the short window where force actually matters.
That is why explosive strength is not just “how strong are you?” and it is also not just “how powerful are you?” It is more like: how much useful force can you apply in a very limited time frame?
Impulse can be improved in three basic ways:
For number 2, rate of force development is the ability to produce force quickly. This is what jumps, snatches, cleans, swings, throws, and similar movements train. Some of this is genetic, but it is still trainable. The athlete learns to contract and relax quickly, coordinate force rapidly, and apply force in a narrow time window.
For number 3, we can increase peak force. This is where absolute strength matters. Squats, pulls, presses, and other strength work increase the amount of force the athlete is capable of producing. Even if the time window stays short, having a higher force ceiling can still increase the total impulse.
So the point is not that absolute strength is useless. It clearly is not. The point is that absolute strength is only one part of explosive movement.
In summary, improving absolute strength can improve explosive strength by increasing the peak force available during an impulse movement. But explosive strength also depends on how quickly that force can be produced and whether it can be applied effectively within the limited time frame of the movement.
That is why I think lifts like cleans, snatches, jumps, throws, punches, and kicks are better thought of through the lens of impulse rather than just “strength” or “power.”
For reference, most of this info came from Dan Cleather's series on force.
I used to be a big follower of Mark Rippetoe (hence my username, lol) but over time I started to feel like his model is overly biased toward absolute strength. Absolute strength obviously matters, but I think he underrates what movements like the power clean are actually training when he calls them mostly a “display of power.”
To me, the clean is better understood as an impulse movement.
Impulse is:
J = ∫F dt
Basically, impulse is the area under the force-time curve. In plain English, it is how much force you can apply, and for how long, during the short window where force actually matters.
That is why explosive strength is not just “how strong are you?” and it is also not just “how powerful are you?” It is more like: how much useful force can you apply in a very limited time frame?
Impulse can be improved in three basic ways:
- Increase the time force is applied.
- Increase rate of force development.
- Increase peak force.
For number 2, rate of force development is the ability to produce force quickly. This is what jumps, snatches, cleans, swings, throws, and similar movements train. Some of this is genetic, but it is still trainable. The athlete learns to contract and relax quickly, coordinate force rapidly, and apply force in a narrow time window.
For number 3, we can increase peak force. This is where absolute strength matters. Squats, pulls, presses, and other strength work increase the amount of force the athlete is capable of producing. Even if the time window stays short, having a higher force ceiling can still increase the total impulse.
So the point is not that absolute strength is useless. It clearly is not. The point is that absolute strength is only one part of explosive movement.
In summary, improving absolute strength can improve explosive strength by increasing the peak force available during an impulse movement. But explosive strength also depends on how quickly that force can be produced and whether it can be applied effectively within the limited time frame of the movement.
That is why I think lifts like cleans, snatches, jumps, throws, punches, and kicks are better thought of through the lens of impulse rather than just “strength” or “power.”
For reference, most of this info came from Dan Cleather's series on force.
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