Whether you are training for a sport or want to get stronger in your lifting, lower body power is so important. Being able to move weight quickly is beneficial to not only strength, but your overall power and sports performance. The lower body, specifically the hamstrings, tend to have more fast twitch muscle fibres than muscles of the upper body. This isn’t the case for everyone however it is extremely common to see more fast twitch muscle fibres in the hamstrings than say, the deltoids (shoulders). This tends to be why you see so many sprinters with large hamstrings as they believe this will help increase their power in their running. It is also the case for some of the worlds strongest men, if they do not develop power in their lower body, then their strength will eventually plateau. In this article we are going to look at three movements which can be used to help increase the power in the lower body! Now lets break down some movements which will help build the power in your lower body…
Weighted Box Jump:
Equipment Needed: Bench, dumbbells, box
Preferably start from a seated start, can be standing if you don’t have the appropriate equipment, with a DB in each hand. Have a box about 30cm/50cm away from you and make sure your seat is below parallel for your height. From here add a slight hinge forward and lower yourself down to the bench. Then keeping the chest up, drive through your heels power off the bench until you are in the air. As you begin to jump aim to push your knees as high as you can and land on the box with a soft knee bend. We recommend using light weights and a low box to start with as the difference it makes to a normal jump is phenomenal!
Why is this movement important?
In the weighted box jumps, the goal should be to apply as much force as possible to either move a heavy weight to a short box or a light weight to a high box. The only way to produce force is to accelerate with a mass/object - F=ma! By jumping you are applying the most common form of acceleration, tie that in from a dead start from a seat, you are going to produce a lot of force! Depending on your goals will depend on your rep/set range, but with power the reps should be kept low without over fatigue!
Resistance Band Kettle Bell Swing:
There is several different variations of banded kettlebell swings, however the variation we are going to look at is a band resistance from the waist. Tie a reasonably thick resistance band to sturdy pole/attachment, ideally at waist height but can be from the floor. Then from here stand within the band pull up towards the hips, you should feel two bony processes (also known as your ASIS (Anterior Superior Illiac Spine)), place the band over them. Take a couple of steps forward until you feel some band tension, not too much tension that effects balance though! From here slightly hinge the hips back, before extending forward making sure to squeeze the glutes. This is will promote extension from the hips not the lower back. After you feel comfortable hinging with body weight, do exactly the same with a kettlebell in your hands!
Why is this important?
This places emphasis on the hip extension/glute squeeze when driving forwards at the top of the kettlebell. This is causing the glutes and hamstrings to contract hard whilst they are in their shortest position. This will improve the ability to extend the hip which is important in running and sprinting as it can help increase stride length, decrease the amount of rotation in the area and put less pressure through the lower back.
Weighted Sprints/Sled
Running with increased weight is one of the easiest completed and effective ways of increasing power through the lower body. All you need to do is find a way of increasing the mass before you complete the run. There are many different ways of doing this:
- Push/Pull a sled with weights on
- Have a friend add resistance from behind with a band/rope/harness
- Have a parachute attachment directly behind you
- Run whilst holding/carrying weights.
Whatever variation you choose, make sure that you are still able to run effectively and similarly to your normal running gait. There is no point loading up a bunch of weight for you to move if it means you can’t move effectively.
Why is this important?
As we mentioned earlier, basic physics dictates that F=ma (Force = Mass x Acceleration). If you are trying to increase your force production in your running then you wither need to increase the speed you going at (acceleration) or increase the mass (weight) you are shifting. Just remember that if you load up the weight, but you can’t move as quickly, then chances are you haven’t increased your force! Move quick, keep the legs moving and embrace it, it won’t be comfortable but it will benefit you in so many ways.
And that concludes our article on Three Movements To Increase Your Lower Body Power! We hope you gave them a try and enjoyed them. If you did, feel free to post down what weights and how you completed the exercises. Alternatively if you want to sign up to become one of hundreds who receive our free newsletter, articles and workouts as soon as they are released then fill in our newsletter below. Even better, do you want to try NRG’s services? Do you want to move pain free or improve your training? Then follow the button below!