Build explosive power

Your capacity to produce force translates into greater strength, more speed and an overall ability to perform more efficiently. What athlete wouldn’t want that?

Performance coach Adam Stephenson of Athletes Training Center (Omaha, Neb.) schools you with explosive training 411 below.   

How can explosive training be valuable for endurance athletes?
Stephenson: For a cross country runner, for instance, you have to produce power with every stride for a long duration. If you’re more efficient with each stride, you’re going to be better in the long run because you won’t be expending as much energy.

Is explosive power more important for the upper or lower body?
It’s equally important for both. The body works as a system. You use your hips to transfer force from your legs to your upper body. Likewise, when you’re jumping, arms are important because if they aren’t in sync with the lower body, you’re not going to jump as high or as naturally.

When during a workout is most valuable to train explosively?
At the beginning — that’s when you’re freshest and can produce the most force.  

What’s one misconception about explosive training?
That it’s got to be done using weight or something extreme. To even begin explosive training, you have to master the basics before you can even get to advance levels using weight.

What's your approach for an athlete new to explosive training?
I’d want make sure he can balance on one leg. If he can, I’d have him jump off of a box onto a single leg, jump onto a box on a single leg, then jump over a hurdle on a single leg. That’s a three-exercise bodyweight progression.

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