Supertraining – What is Strength? Part II
It is relevant to note that competitions involve very few attempts to reach a maximum, yet they are far more exhausting than strenuous workouts with many repetitions, since they involve extremely high levels of psychological and nervous stress. The high levels of nervous and emotional stress incurred by attempting a competitive maximum require many days or even weeks to reach full recovery, even though physical recuperation would appear to be complete, so that this type of loading is not recommended as a regular form of training.
In other words, any attempt to exceed limit weights requires an increase in nervous excitation and interferes with the athlete’s ability to adapt, if this type of training is used frequently. In attempting to understand the intensity of loading prescribed by the apparently extreme Bulgarian coaches who are reputed to stipulate frequent or daily use of maximum loads in training, one has to appreciate that training with training maxima (which do not maximally stress the nervous system) is very different from training with competitive maxima (which place great stress on nervous processes).
Figure 1.1 Different types of maximal strength. Absolute strength (or Fmm, maximum of maximum forces) is produced under involuntary conditions, whereas the other two maxima are the result of voluntary action. The strength deficit, the difference between absolute strength and maximal strength, is discussed later in this section.
Strength is a relative phenomenon depending on numerous factors, so it is essential that these conditions are accurately described when strength is being assessed. For instance, muscular strength varies with joint angle, joint orientation, speed of movement, muscle group and type of movement, so it is largely meaningless to speak of absolute strength without specifying the conditions under which it is generated. Sometimes, the term relative strength is introduced to compare the strength of subjects of different bodymass. In this context, relative strength is defined as the strength per unit bodymass produced by a given individual under specific conditions (e.g. executing a well-defined lift or combination of lifts, such as the squat, snatch or the weightlifting Total).
It is also useful to recognise that one may define isometric, concentric and eccentric strength maxima, since every sport requires distinct levels of each one of these types of maximum. The importance of these maxima is discussed later in the subsection entitled ‘Strength Deficit’. As a matter of interest, these maxima given in order of magnitude are: eccentric, isometric, concentric.
Later, several other important strength-related terms such as explosive strength, starting-strength, acceleration-strength and speed-strength are analysed in detail. In particular, this text discusses strength and musculoskeletal conditioning in terms of the following fundamentals:
• The physiology of muscle action
• The biomechanics of strength production
• Neuromuscular stimulation and control
• Adaptation to physical loading
• The various types of strength fitness
• The specificity of muscular and neuromuscular training
- Supertraining 6th Edition by Dr Mel Siff
Supertraining by Dr Mel Siff
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