Applying Power (in Life and in Sports)

More than half my life has been spent in Sports World.  And I can tell you, without reservation, that sports are indeed a metaphor for life.  Consider the concept of power.

Right now, I coach a power sport–dragon boating.  (Do an internet search on it if you aren’t familiar with it. . . . it’s pretty cool.)  Here’s a picture in case you want the general idea:

Dragon Boating

For our sport, we need to be sprinters, not marathoners.  We need to be strong and we need to have good technique; in that way, we can apply our power and move the boat.

All winter we train, lifting weights and practicing technique in an indoor paddle pool.  We coaches talk about the fundamentals of the stroke, starting at the bottom (this is called leg drive).  We are trying to show the proper way to translate the strength earned from weight training into power through the water.  Basically, the legs/lower body are way stronger than the arms, and so they supply the power to move the boat.  Even though it might seem counterintuitive, trying to paddle by pulling with the arms is nothing more than spinning your wheels.

Here’s a concrete example.  Members of my team are asked to do a fitness test on an erg (rowing machine).  We coaches need to measure each paddler’s strength, and therefore, their contribution to the boat.  Now, whether a paddler is racing or fitness testing, they are trying to generate a buttload of energy, or watts.  To do that, you need power (power = force x velocity).  Power makes watts.  (What are watts, exactly?  Long story short, it’s how we coaches can see if someone is literally pulling her weight.  For example, if you weigh 100 lbs and you get 100 watts, you have pulled your weight…… if you weigh 100 lbs but you get 75 watts, you are NOT pulling your weight……. and if you weigh 100 lbs and you get 175 watts, I want you on my team.)

Still with me?  I know, I don’t like math either.  But hang in there…… almost done.

OK, so think about times you’ve been on a bicycle.  Let’s say you were trying to go down a hill very fast.  If you were in the “granny gears” (the smaller rings), you probably just ended up “spinning your wheels.”  Your legs would be flying at a ridiculous cadence but you wouldn’t be going very fast.  BUT if you put the hammer down and shifted into the bigger gears, you could fly.  Your quads would be pushing hard, and your strength would translate into power and watts.

Same on the erg.  If you put the resistance damper on a lower setting (say, on 2) and yanked on the handle and pulled a really high stroke rate (that is, over 35 pulls per minute), you might not get such a good score.  But you’d sure be winded!  Now, try that erg with a decent amount of resistance (maybe 4 or 5 on the damper) and biiiiiiiiig hard pulls at a nice steady rate (a stroke rate of 25-30), and you’d rock out.

In both examples above (the bike and the erg), you need great, strong leg drive.  Velocity AND resistance matter.  Don’t be fooled by fast stroke rate alone.  A high stroke rate will FEEL like a big intense effort.  But in reality, you won’t have much resistance to create a lot of power.  Remember that power is velocity TIMES force.  Let me ‘splain.  No, there’s no time.  Let me sum up.  BIG GIANT LEG DRIVE MOVES THE BOAT BEST.  Make sense?  (I’m sorry if it doesn’t….. I’m trying to type this while watching the Olympics, and I keep getting distracted by Apolo Ohno……)

So how is all of this a metaphor for life?  Well, just like on the boat, using your “leg drive” (i.e. your stronger muscles, whether those be literal or metaphorical) and a proper technique will translate into more success.  Why put things into an easy gear and spin your wheels?  Why not rely on your strengths and make bigger strides?

Go forth and be powerful, everyone. . . .

SFLP: Part 5

For this part of the Simply Fit Lifestyle Program, I’d like to give you an easy, at-home strength training routine.  Of course, you need to make sure you are healthy enough for an exercise program.  You need to make sure that you have a doctor’s okay, especially if you have a heart condition, are pregnant, or are at risk in some way.  And you need to make sure that you understand that sometimes you can drop a dumbbell on your foot, pull a hammie, or otherwise hurt yourself.  Consider yourself waivered and informed. . . .

To do this routine, you will need a few pieces of inexpensive equipment:  dumbbells, ankle weights, and a stability ball.  It’s a quick and easy program that you can even do in front of the television.

I do not list an amount of weight to use because that will vary with each person.  I am suggesting that you do 3 sets of 10 repetitions of each exercise; therefore, you will want to choose a weight where you are able to complete the 10 reps and are glad you don’t have to do any more.

This routine suits the individual who is “just getting back into it.”  It is also a nice workout for those who have progressed past the beginner stage and are ready to mix it up a little.  It may be too easy for some, and too difficult for others.  But it’s free and it’s simple and it’s convenient to do at home when you are short on time.

I suggest trying this routine for four weeks.  Do the routine twice a week.  (I have Tuesday & Thursday listed, but do whatever two days suit your schedule…. just don’t do back-to-back days.)

Please feel free to ask questions in the Comment Box below!  Happy strength training!

Full Body Home Workout

Pick Things Up and Put Them Down

Did you know that . . .

1.  If you don’t strength train, you will lose an average of 5 pounds of muscle tissue (called disuse atrophy) per decade?

2.  You can increase muscle mass by 2-4 pounds and increase muscular strength by 40-60% after only 8-12 weeks of strength training?

3.  Loss of muscle tissue results in a decrease in your resting metabolic rate (the number of calories expended at rest)?

4.  The slowing of metabolic rate is associated with an increase in body fat?

5.  Strength training raises your resting metabolic rate by 7-8% after only a few weeks?

So even if you did strength training just twice a week, you would burn an average of 120 more calories AT REST (this is on top of whatever you earned from the workout) than a non-strength training person.  Even if you did nothing else, that would result in an average weight loss of 1 pound in a month.

Now get to it!