Live Q&A 5 2023: Sport-Specific Strength Training - is it necessary to improve reaction time & performance?
Do you need to do sport specific strength exercises to improve your reaction time and sports performance? There is a common misconception that strength training needs to be extremely sport-specific to the athlete’s sport. However, this cannot be farther from the truth!
PRS Podcast Listener Question:
“Fitness is a concept that can mean different things depending on the sport and/or goals. It is often used as a synonym for endurance in soccer, for example. But more broadly it can encompass strength, quickness, speed, and explosiveness as well.
My question is regarding how to train effectively to increase or maintain quickness. I think Barbell training addresses strength most directly. But as I get older and slower, how can I address quickness (or speed) as effectively as I do the strength aspect?”
In this episode we discuss the two elements that make up sports performance - strength and practice. We discuss why and how barbell strength training has direct transfer to increasing performance and quickness not just in sports but in everyday activities and the concept of “use it or lose it.”
To answer this question most directly without giving away the details of the episode you can:
Incorporate the olympic lifts in the younger sport highschool and collegiate athlete strength & conditioning program
Increase the power generation behind your sport execution by increasing the strength of your body producing the sport movements
Improve your reaction time by continuing to practice the sport in full and breaking it down into sport drills
Listen to the episode for a deeper understanding of these concepts!
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Email: podcast@progressiverehabandstrength.com
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Dr. Rori Alter, PT, PRSCC, SSC: [00:00:10] So this next question comes from our other favorite, our second, not our second favorite, our other favorite. 78 year old. 76. 76. Right now, I'd have to double check. So this is Dennis. We also did an inspirational interview with Dennis. He has been working with Alyssa for quite a while, had a heart transplant, picked up barbell training after his heart transplant. So if you haven't listened to his inspirational interview, we'll go ahead and link that in the show notes for you guys to listen to. But we were having a little debate before we we got on to this podcast recording. Um, I think in our inspirational interview, I feel like Doug taught, not Doug. Dennis talked about, Oh, they both start their names. We'll start with D's. Just I just realize that I believe Dennis did talk about playing some soccer before he picked up. I mean, we know that he was a runner, but before he had his heart transplant, I feel like he mentioned that he would play soccer at some of these like, business things that he went to and like, don't you remember, like the younger he said the younger guys came up to him and he's like, you just the him and this other older guy were like, You just have to keep moving, you know? I don't know. I feel like that was his and not Doug's interview.
Dr. Alyssa Haveson, PT, PRSCC, CSCS: [00:01:41] You know, I'm pulling up his my notes on him. You know, Dennis like once Rori started talking about this, I'm like, Well, how long were you playing soccer for? Because I know that you're a huge soccer fan. Yeah. And I know about all about the running, But now I'm questioning your. Questioning my soccer memory. I mean, I know that you're the biggest fan of soccer. So much so that I've had to tell you to pause the game while doing the A set while you're lifting. Um, but so anyways, I think that we were struggling to come to an agreement as to what exactly you're asking. You're asking this question. So if we are off, then tell us we're wrong. And that's what you were asking.
Dr. Rori Alter, PT, PRSCC, SSC: [00:02:27] But although this question is not the same question as Doug's, but it's kind of similar in that we're looking at like training versus strength training versus practice. So let's go ahead and read the question. So fitness is a concept that can mean different things depending on the sport and or goals. It is often used as a synonym for endurance and soccer, for example, But more broadly, it can encompass strength, quickness, speed and explosiveness as well. My question is regarding how to train effectively to increase or maintain quickness. I think barbell training addresses strength most directly, but as I get older and slower, how can I address quickness or speed as effectively as I did? The strength aspect? Love this question.
Dr. Alyssa Haveson, PT, PRSCC, CSCS: [00:03:21] So. You're correct, Dennis, that, you know, barbell training and what the training that you're doing more directly addresses strength. And we're not going to train speed while we're doing the barbell lifts.