Strength Training For Better Athletic Performance

Strength training can focus on either muscular strength or muscular hypertrophy

Not all strength training is the same. While maximum strength and muscular hypertrophy training have a lot in common, like working with higher resistance, what sets them apart is the physiological mechanisms that they aim to improve. 

Muscular strength, or maximum strength, focuses on enhancing the neuromuscular connection between the muscles and their connecting nerves. In a nutshell, your aim is to send a signal through the nervous system and recruit as many muscle cells to perform a specific task. The heavier the resistance, the more muscle cells you’ll need to recruit. 

That is why muscular strength focuses more on adapting the nervous system to produce as big of a muscle contraction as possible. As a result, you’ll be stronger without the added muscle mass of muscular hypertrophy training. To achieve this, muscular strength training uses the heaviest weight possible with only a few repetitions.

Muscular hypertrophy focuses on enhancing muscle mass and shaping the body through heavy weight training with more repetitions. The aim here is to produce small tears inside the muscle which the body will eventually repair. As your body tends to overcompensate the damage occurred in the muscles, it makes them stronger than before. This is called supercompensation and it is the key to gaining muscle mass. Thus, making it the preferred training method bodybuilders looking to becoming the next Mr. Olympia. 

But how does muscular hypertrophy enhance strength?

Well, strength training increases the amount of protein inside your muscle fibers. The more contractable muscle you have the more force you’ll be able to produce. Pretty simple!

We’ve written more in-depth posts of both muscular strength and muscular hypertrophy training. Simply click the one you want to learn more about. You can even find some great training programs to try out. Hope you like ’em!

Your body adapts to the way you train it

Strength training follows a pretty easy formula – if you want to lift heavier weights, you need to lift heavy weights. Sounds simple, right? Well, the fact is that the way you train affects the way your body works. Strength, endurance, power… it all depends on the way you form your workout routines. 

To improve your strength and muscle mass you have to overload the muscle. In practice, this means that you have to increase the intensity or volume of your training. But what does volume even mean in this instance? 

Well, in strength training volume roughly means;

Strength training requires mental preparation

It is often said that the last few repetitions are the most important in strength training. And if you are wondering why, it’s because that’s where you also experience the most micro-tears in the muscle. As your body repairs this damage your muscles get bigger and stronger – and isn’t that what strength training is all about!?

To gain the full benefit of strength training you must be fully prepared both mentally and physically. You have to be fully committed to fight through those final repetitions in order to maintain progress in your performance. The key to success is the quality of your exercise. So, rest enough between sets and be ready to give the next set your 100% concentration. 

Since you need to be both physically and mentally prepared, we don’t suggest strength training the first thing in the morning. Let your body be fully rested and ready for the challenge! 

Importance of rest when training for strength

Since strength training requires such an enormous amount of energy for a single movement, it can’t be produced aerobically, or with oxygen. Therefore, strength training mostly uses Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and Creatine phosphate (CP) inside the muscles as the main source of energy. These are a part of anaerobic energy production, which occurs without oxygen. They also produce lactate, which is the main cause of poor muscle recruitment and fatigue during performance. 

However, strength training uses only a few repetitions in each set which means that you won’t ”feel the burn” like in longer sets. Instead, you are tiring the muscles in about three repetitions or less. For this reason, strength training needs relatively long rest periods of 2-4 minutes. This is pretty much the amount of time your muscles need to replenish their energy storages fully. Taking a few minutes in between sets will also help you concentrate and get your mind back into the game before the next set. This, on the other hand, helps you put more effort into the next step for better results. 

You have to also think about long-term recovery as well when training for strength. The more damage your muscles have suffered during strength training the more it takes to recover from it. Therefore, your muscles need more time to repair themselves after a huge workout. 

And while your energy storages may be full you can’t say the same about your nervous system. It may even take up to 72 hours to be fully rested and ready for the next big training session, not to mention the mental recovery which can take weeks. So, make sure that you give yourself enough time to be both physically and mentally prepared before the next big workout.

Note that strength training, especially muscular hypertrophy training, can be very straining for your muscles. Therefore you need to eat plenty of protein to maintain an anabolic state (growth & building up) for your muscles. 

Physiological effects of strength training

Training for strength focuses on enhancing the neuromuscular connection between both fast and slow muscle fibers as well as increasing muscular hypertrophy (muscle size). In plain English, this means that you will be able to signal more motor units (muscle and its connecting nerves) to produce a stronger contraction with better efficiency. Additionally, having more muscle mass for this contraction increases the amount of produced force significantly. However, the physiological effects don’t end here. Strength training also has a positive effect on improved anaerobic energy production, lowered risk of injury and reduced delayed onset muscle soreness, or DOMS, after a workout. 

Have you ever had a problem getting out of bed the next day after a good workout? Your body aches as you can barely lift a finger let alone going out to train some more. Yeah, we’ve all been there. 

The reason for this is that working out with really heavy resistance shocks the balance, or homeostasis, of the body causing small tears inside the muscle. This is not only normal during a workout but also a vital factor in strength training. You see, your body overcompensates this damage and makes the muscle even stronger than it was before. This is known as supercompensation and it makes your muscle fibers grow in size which results in a stronger contraction during physical performance. However, the actual amount of muscle fibers doesn’t increase.

Consistent strength training ensures that you keep getting stronger and free of injuries in the long run. What’s even better, strength training reduces the amount of soreness which lets you train harder, longer and more often.

Strength training improves muscular efficiency

Training for strength can also have a positive effect on your ability to tolerate lactate and resist fatigue. The mechanism behind this is that the stronger your muscles are, the less effort you need to produce a submaximal (below your maximum) movement.

Additionally, training for strength can increase the amount of Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP), Creatine Phosphate (CP), free Creatine and Glycogen inside the muscles. These are the energy resources used in anaerobic energy production. Of course, as you train your strength and use these energy storages your body adapts to using them more efficiently. 

Pay special attention to injury prevention

Strength training has a strong link to injury prevention. The stronger your muscles are the more support they can give to your bones, joints and ligaments. With added strength, you’ll also experience reduced ground reaction forces you face in your sport. Therefore, keeping your joints aligned and in good posture throughout your performance. 

However, you should make sure that the strength and elasticity between agonist and antagonist muscles are balanced. If these factors are off, your risk of injury is significantly heightened. As you may already know, strength training can oftentimes create a stiffer muscle. To prevent this you need to utilize the whole range of the motion to keep your muscle from becoming stiff. The more elasticity your muscle has, the less likely you are to tearing the muscle if it stretches. So, make sure you incorporate stretching into your training routine to make sure you have a long and healthy career. However, never stretch immediately after heavy strength training to avoid injuries

Last but not least, you have to be fully warmed up when doing strength training. This not only activates the muscles for performance but also reduces friction inside them. Getting your sweat on before heavy lifting will make sure that you perform at the optimal level and not get injured in the process.

Suitability for developing athletes

Versatile exercise is extremely valuable for a growing athlete. It provides the basis for strength which paves the way for more sports-specific training methods. And, as you grow taller and heavier you have to take care that your body is strong enough to sustain itself against the wear-and-tear of rigorous training. You can’t just pick up heavy weights and expect great results without the risk of injuries. That is why every athlete must try to maintain a good level of strength at all times, especially in the core. So, do some endurance training and lighter strength exercises to build a solid foundation before moving on to more challenging tasks.

It is important to note that strength training can be very straining for your muscles, ligaments and joints which is why you should always seek professional guidance before you start training. This will help you periodize your training program as well as make sure your technique is in order. In the long run, you’ll experience fewer injuries and overuse injuries due to a well-balanced exercise routine. And as always, remember to warm up properly and give your body enough time rest to offset the damage that strength training has on your body.

We know resting can often sound counterintuitive to an athlete. But trust us – it works!

Strength training in physical education

Strength training is often regarded as unsafe for adolescents. However, there’s no real science to back up this claim. So no, it will not stunt your growth or cause injuries on your joints and muscles – if done properly. In fact, resistance training is perfectly safe and can improve both your strength and coordination.

However, we do not recommend going overboard with the amount of weight used. You must notice possible risk factors when working out and focus on the right technique. The teacher or coach should also know the basics of nutrition guidance and help the pupils create a balanced training program.

To further enhance safety during lessons, make sure that pupils’ core strength is good enough to maintain posture throughout the exercise. Often times it may even be smart to assist a growing athlete as they do their strength training. In practice, this sort of training only works with physically developed or highly athletic kids.

So, trying out your one-repetition maximums straight away is a big no-no. Just pick weights that you can lift around 12 times and make sure your joint alignments are in order. That way you can still gain the benefit of strength training without the fear of injuries.

Final thoughts

Strength is one of the most sought-after fitness components that an athlete can have. Not only does it improve your physical performance and anaerobic metabolism, but it also strengthens your bones, joints and ligaments. This means that you are able to withstand the forces against you during intense sports resulting in a significantly decreased risk of injury. So, there’s absolutely no reason to skip strength training sessions even if you are an endurance athlete.

With smart training, proper nutrition and rest you can make sure that you keep developing as an athlete. Balance these three factors and be ready to rise to the top of your field.

Did you learn anything about strength training? Let us know in the comments below!