Force-Velocity Curve: Stop Training Like A Bodybuilder and Start Training Like an Athlete
The rise in access to information regarding health and fitness over the last several years can only be described as a good thing right? Yes, to a certain extent. If your an athlete, then it may be doing you more harm than good to pay too much heed to most of this information. What I'm referring to is the tendency for athletes involved in sport to mould their own training programme mirroring that of their favourite insta star or youtube sensation. The problem arises when they start training more like a bodybuilder focusing more on body composition and less on developing the necessary components that will contribute to athletic success. This latest addition to our blog is going to cover one major detail that very rarely gets discussed in relation to athletic development and sports performance, the Force-Velocity curve (below).
Figure 1. Depiction of the force-velocity curve (scienceforsport.com). The Force-Velocity curve depicts the relationship between force and velocity. Force (measured in Newtons) is the product of mass (weight) multiplied by acceleration (meters per second), newtons 3rd law of motion. So in simple terms, for me to back squat 100kg at a speed of 1m/s, I would need to produce 100N of force. While it's not overly important that you understand this right away, it certainly will help. Velocity is simply speed.
The Force-Velocity curve tells us that when the force required to lift weight is high, the contraction velocity of the muscles is going to be low. Inversely when force required is low then velocity will be high. From the figure above you can see that the absolute strength part of the curve resides in the top left hand corner. This is where an athlete will be lifting in the region of 90-100% of their 1RM. The bottom right hand corner of the graph is where absolute speed sits. This is where less than 30% of their 1RM is used and movement velocity becomes the sole focus of the exercise/training programme. The goal of a long term training programme should be to shift this curve, upwards and to the right. In essence, an athlete would be able to produce greater contraction velocities at the same absolute load (force), or produce higher muscle forces at the same velocity.
A lot of the time the question posed by many athletes or those already involved in a strength and conditioning programme is "should I be lifting heavy" or "how many sets and reps should I be lifting" or "will lifting heavy slow me down". As usual the answer to all these questions is never absolute. Should you lift heavy? Yes, strength underpins all other components of fitness and therefore has a place in your programme. How many sets and reps should you be doing? This question is a bit of an 'it depends' answer as it will depend on the individual and where you are in terms of your playing season, training experience etc. Will lifting heavy slow you down? No, if you maintain high velocities during your training, cue yourself to move as fast as possible, then getting slow as a result of your strength training programme will very rarely happen, only due to a poorly designed programme.
Although this article was never meant to be an in depth look at certain components of a training programme, it should have gone some way to opening your eyes as to the relevance of certain variables. The idea is to break this trend of training like a bodybuilder and focus more on what's important, being strong, being fast and reducing your risk of injury. The force-velocity curve should be something that all people involved in dealing with athletes of all ages should be aware of.
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