The debate between strength and speed has been ongoing for decades, just like strength vs. power.
Both are needed for the best athletic performance, yet they serve different purposes and require different training approaches.
Let’s check out what each of these entails in sports, how to train for them, and the devices that can help achieve peak performance in both strength and speed!
What Is Strength?
Strength is the ability of a muscle or group of muscles to exert force against resistance.
It’s foundational for nearly every athletic activity, whether you’re lifting weights, sprinting, or even jumping.
Strength is often measured through max lifts (1RMs) like the bench press, squat, and deadlift, although there are different types of strength that serve different purposes.
Benefits of Strength
- Injury Prevention: Strong muscles and connective tissues are less likely to get injured.
- Improved Performance: More strength can improve performance in different sports by allowing athletes to exert more force.
- Functional Fitness: Everyday activities become easier with increased strength.
How To Train For Strength
Training for strength typically involves resistance training, which can be broken down into several key components:
Resistance Training
- Free Weights: Dumbbells, barbells, and kettlebells are awesome tools for building strength (and my personal favorite way).
- Machines: These offer a controlled environment which might be ideal for beginners or for isolating specific muscles, as well as for pushing closer to failure more safely than with free weights.
- Bodyweight Exercises: Push-ups, pull-ups, and squats can be very effective, especially when equipment is limited. You can also use external weights to make bodyweight exercises more difficult.
Progressive Overload
Gradually increasing the resistance or weight used in exercises is the best way to continue progress.
This principle, known as progressive overload, ensures that muscles are consistently challenged in a manageable way.
Compound Movements
Exercises that involve multiple muscle groups, such as squats, deadlifts, and bench presses, are very effective for building overall strength.
Rest & Recovery
Muscles need time to repair and grow stronger.
Make sure you’re getting enough rest between workouts, and consider using active recovery techniques like walking, stretching, or foam rolling.
What Is Speed?
Speed is the ability to move quickly or move limbs rapidly to grab or throw.
It’s a key factor in sports where quick bursts of movement are required like sprinting, football, and basketball.
Benefits of Speed
- Better Performance: Faster athletes can outmaneuver opponents and react quickly to game situations.
- Efficiency: Speed can make movements more efficient, conserving energy for longer performance.
- Competitive Edge: Speed often separates elite athletes from their competitors.
How To Train For Speed
Training for speed involves specific drills and exercises aimed at improving both quickness and agility.
Sprint Training
- Short Sprints: 10- to 40-meter sprints can develop explosive speed.
- Interval Training: Alternating between high-intensity sprints and rest can improve speed endurance.
Plyometrics
Exercises like box jumps, bounding, and hurdle hops build explosive power, which translates to greater speed.
Strength Training
While mainly aimed at building muscle, strength training also plays a critical role in speed development.
Stronger muscles can produce more force, leading to faster movements.
Technique Drills
Proper running mechanics, including arm swing and stride length, can significantly impact speed.
Drills focusing on these aspects can be a game-changer.
How Are Strength & Speed Different?
While both are important for athletic performance, they serve different purposes and require distinct training methods:
- Strength: Involves the ability to exert force against resistance. It’s typically developed through resistance training and is needed for activities requiring power and endurance.
- Speed: Involves the ability to move quickly. It’s mainly developed through sprint training, plyometrics, and technique drills. Speed is needed for activities requiring quick bursts of movement.
Speed-Strength vs. Strength-Speed
The terms “speed-strength” and “strength-speed” often come up in athletic training, and while they may sound similar, they refer to different concepts.
Speed-Strength
Speed-strength is the ability to exert force rapidly – pretty similar to power!
It’s used in activities that require quick, explosive movements like sprinting and jumping.
Training for speed-strength often involves plyometrics and short sprints.
Strength-Speed
Strength-speed is the ability to exert force quickly but with a greater emphasis on the strength component.
It’s very important for activities that require both power and speed, such as shot putting and weightlifting.
Training for strength-speed often involves lifting heavy weights at high speeds.
Devices To Train Strength & Speed
We offer a range of equipment designed to help athletes and coaches train both strength and speed:
Enode
The Enode is a cutting-edge device that tracks and measures various aspects of athletic performance, including speed and strength.