Understanding Strength, Resistance, and Speed
Strength
Strength: The ability to generate tension. This may be external (load) or internal.
Types of Tension
- Static: There is no visible movement. Sustaining an external load with no movement. Although there is no movement, there is tension.
- Dynamic: Movement is visible. We see the shift of levers and moving bones. It is classified as:
- Concentric: When a muscle develops enough tension to overcome a resistance, so that it shortens and mobilizes a part of the body to overcome that resistance.
- Eccentric: When a given resistance is greater than the tension exerted by a given muscle, so that the muscle lengthens.
- Isokinetic: It is artificial, and in real life, there are no movements of this type. Here, the resistance is dynamic and variable, and the voltage varies according to the joint angle.
Classification of Strength (Depending on Intensity)
- Maximum Strength: The maximum degree of muscle tension a person can generate.
- Power Strength: A high percentage of strength with fast execution (up to 90%, but no more, because with no load, there is no failure rate).
- Resistance Strength: Relates to the duration of contractions. The load does not matter much; it must be 2 or 3 minutes, and the intensity is 30 to 50% of 1RM.
- Explosive Strength: There is a low load, but a lot of speed, going from 40 to 65% of 1RM, and it has much more strength and speed than power.
Classification of Strength (Depending on Speed Performance)
- Slow Strength: Maximum strength and resistance strength. The maximum is slow because of the position, and the resistance is slow because it has to be sustained.
- Fast Strength: When one wants to develop explosive strength and power strength.
Factors Limiting Strength
Muscle cross-section, muscle fiber type, muscle length, degree of motivation, degree of coordination, age, and sex.
Resistance
Resistance: The capacity to perform an exercise effectively, overcoming the feeling of tiredness.
- Endurance: The physical quality that allows one to persist in moderate and sustained efforts (more than 2 minutes).
- Anaerobic Resistance: The physical quality that allows one to persist in short, intense efforts (from 45 seconds to 2 minutes).
- Strength Resistance: Very important in activities that require overcoming high resistance.
- Speed Resistance: The ability to overcome fatigue with submaximal or maximal low loads.
Methods for Working with Resistance
Continuous, fractionated (interval training), and mixed.
Speed
Speed: The capability that allows fast movement without energy savings in running, swimming, or skating. It primarily depends on three factors:
- Reaction Rate: The time that passes from the production of a signal until the action occurs.
- Speed of Motor Action: The speed of specific movements, typical of each activity.
- Muscular Power: The possibility of a person accelerating their movements.
Anaerobic Resistance: The physical quality that allows one to persist in short, intense efforts (from 45 seconds to 2 minutes). Strength Resistance: Very important in activities that require overcoming high resistance. Speed Resistance: The ability to overcome fatigue with submaximal or maximal low loads. Methods for Working with Resistance: Continuous, fractionated (interval training), and mixed. Speed: The ability to move swiftly, allowing no power saving in running, swimming, or skating. It primarily depends on three factors: Reaction Rate (the time that passes from the production of a signal until the action occurs), Speed of Motor Action (the speed of specific movements, typical of each activity), and Muscular Power (the possibility of a person accelerating their movements).