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Metabolic Stability Series: Building Power Beyond the Barbell

 

 

It is something that is just engrained in our minds when it comes to the weight room. If you are going to be SERIOUS about strength, you better do some serious training on the barbell. However, few every ask, is the best route for our clients and our training business?

 

I know such ideas could be heresy, but the reality is that fitness is a young industry and it is an every changing one as well. That means we should be okay asking questions asking what we are led to know is actually the best way to address our needs. Especially when it comes to the idea of developing power.

 

While some may believe power development is unnecessary for their clients, the truth is that the FIRST quality we lose as we age is power. Due to the loss of fast-twitch muscle fibers as we age, we see that loss of power causing more and more issues. The increased risk for falls is due to lack of power. We don’t often see people just standing around and then all of a sudden falling down. Usually people lack power to decelerate themselves and control what we typically think of as very mundane actions like stepping.

 

Power is what we use to pick our kids (imagine what would happen if you only deadlifted them?!). We know power is a way to build high intensity training too and power doesn’t have to mean very high impact. While running and jumping are known to exceed loads on our bodies of 8-10 times our bodyweight, many of our lifts for power don’t come CLOSE to such loads. So, while at first glance power training could look high risk, if followed with a good base of strength, stability, and mobility, it can be training that really enhances one’s quality of life.

 

How does the training of the barbell and power development both come into play in this month’s Metabolic Stability? As we see power training as a quality that people need, but also find that many programs are seeing growth of semi-private and group based training, we need better solutions.

 

While we may feel we aren’t being true to power training unless we use the barbell, the reality is the barbell as we know it was created around 1930. Yes, it was created by an equipment company (York Barbell) and with its evolution we’ve seen some pretty drastic changes to how we see training. One of the largest is the idea that bigger loads always create better results.

 

The World's Best Barbell

 


Interestingly enough, a 2012 study by Otto et al, (here) found that while barbell training improved barbell lifts more than kettlebells, there is something we can’t overlook! That is the results of the two were actually pretty close and it was done with 80% of their max on barbell lifts and only 16kg (35 pounds) with a kettlebell.


Muscle Activation During Functional Exercises

 

This shows you that even though the loading was even close to comparable, the acceleration and specific movement of the kettlebell can make even a light weight be quite powerful. Imagine what tools like kettlebells can offer when we challenge loading in the same light!

 

The point of showing you the power of tools other than the barbell in developing real world power is that these tools can be used in so many more ways and be more accessible to our clients. One of the great challenges of relying so heavily on the barbell is that the implement itself tends to make us very sagittal plane based and working from predominately only stable environments. Learning how to use kettlebells and Ultimate Sandbags allows us to really open up the playbook on functional training.

 

When using these tools we can incorporate other planes of motion, the need to produce and resist force at the same time, react to instability, give us feedback on our movement accuracy, and are often easier to have our clients gain success upon very quickly. One other interesting variable is the facility space that we can save.

 

Strength Coach, Troy Anderson, has calculated that barbell training takes TWICE the floor space to use than tools like kettlebells, Ultimate Sandbags, and more alternative tools. That means we can train more people, accomplish more goals, and give a better experience all at once.

 

Of course these tools all have their own techniques to teach. They aren’t complicated, but you have to know what to look for and how to use progression to create success. In this month’s Metabolic Stability we are going to teach you JUST how to accomplish this and see the great benefits that I am touting. Our goal is to show you how you can be the best coach and business person that you can become!

 

Recommended Products

 

  • First Place Competition Kettlebells

  • Ultimate Sandbags
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    Josh Henkin, CSCS is an international presenter and strength coach who has taught in over 13 countries worldwide and consulted with some of the top fitness and performance programs in the world.

     

    Save 25% on his online educational programs HERE with coupon code “save25” and see how we can transform our clients so quickly with the true science of functional fitness.

     

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