The Importance of Staying Explosive as We Age: What that even means, and why it’s not just for elite athletes

Have you or someone you know torn or strained a calf or Achilles? Or “thrown out” your back trying to shovel snow? What about someone you know falling more frequently as they get older?

These are all examples of someone’s body taking or producing a lot of force in a small amount of time or having a quick reactionary movement. Another word for “explosive” is “power”. Power is the rate as which work is done or energy is transferred. In our case, it would be the rate at which a our brain can react to a stimulus and transfer energy to our muscles to generate force to lift something, to move, or to react to a stimulus (like a stumble or a fall).

Historically, the first thing that comes to mind when thinking “explosive” training would be jumping, throwing, sprinting, etc. It’s usually coming up when talking about specific sport training. Then the image that comes to mind is a basketball player dunking a basketball or a running back leaping over a pile of linemen. Aka, you picture an elite athlete. You immediately say to yourself “well, that’s not me.”

At Empowered, one of our mantras is that everyone that has a body is an athlete. We don’t just say this to say this.. we say it because it’s true in all aspects of life. Every single human has these muscle fibers, and they do so much more than help us dunk a basketball. We harp on strength training all the time in the clinic, but something I’ve been bringing up more and more is the need for maintaining power or explosivity as we age.

Strength: the maximum force a muscle can generate against resistance. (Think, carrying a couch with a friend)

Power: the ability to exert force rapidly, combining both force and velocity (Think, missing the last step on the flight of stairs and stumbling but catching yourself, or heaving a heavy trash bag into a dumpster)

The biggest difference between these two are the type of muscle fibers they use in order to work for our body. While both naturally decrease with age, power generally decreases more rapidly. On top of that, we generally stop training this much more than strength training. I hear probably once or twice a month “well I don’t do box jumps anymore” – from a 30 year old.

Why Explosive Power Isn’t Just for Elite Athletes:

1. It helps you move quicker and improves reaction times

2. It allows you to ski, play tennis, hike, and do the activities you love

3. It reduces risk for injury as you age

4. It reduces risk of fall and improves balance

5. It supports functional independence and mobility

Okay, I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking you’re still not going to do a box jump. Honestly, you don’t have to. Training power can look different for everyone. It isn’t just sprints and box jumps and burpees.

Different Examples of Keeping Power in Your Training:

• Med ball slams

• Faster tempo squats (and lighter)

• Deceleration drops or lunges

• Dumbbell snatches

• Push presses or jerks

• Increasing tempo sprints (or speed walking)

• Jumping – quick in place, for distance, for height

• Fast stair climbing bursts

These kinds of muscle fibers are a “use it or lose it” type – which is why if you are 50 and tear an Achilles because you went out and played tennis for the first time in 20 years.. no one would be overly surprised. But it isn’t because you’re old, it’s because your Achilles wasn’t trained at that capacity to handle it. We must stop using age as a cop out and understand that we are in complete control when it comes to what we are capable of doing as we age.

That being said, is there a safe way to incorporate these things, and does strength often come first? YES. Absolutely. Most people don’t start because they just don’t know where to, or how to incorporate these things safely and effectively.  We don’t expect you to! Would a car mechanic expect you to know how to fix your car? No way, and neither do we.

Having someone on your team and in your corner to incorporate these things at the right dosage and progression is incredibly important, and we’re here to do just that. If you’re ready to jump in, take control of your life, and give your body the freedom to do the things you want to - we’re here to help.