Empowered By Your Heart And Gaining Strength

"Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own."
-Kurt Vonnegut

Your body is truly your instrument to life, it is your TEMPLE. It is important to truly understand that it is not just what is on the outside, but what lives inside you. Your spirit, mind, and soul...YOUR HEART. All these components work together to shape the person that you are...you must have a relationship with your body and self-respect in order for you body to produce tremendous achievements. For example, I began playing basketball at an early age. I, of course, loved the sport, but I had a desire to play with everything I had inside me. I wanted to excel and give 100% every time I stepped on the court. These characteristics were never for the glory and rewards (don't get me wrong, it is always nice to be a top player or play on a team that was one of the best in the state)...but it was deeper for me. It was my spirit and my passion to get better, to never give up, and to set goals. I ALWAYS PLAYED WITH MY HEART. The reason I share this with you is because I feel that when you do things in your life with YOUR HEART, you will excel in everything that you is in front of you. Now understand that there may be things that you have to work harder at or be patient with, but I truly believe with HEART anything is POSSIBLE.

On today's blog, I want to touch on what exactly we are training to develop. First, it is important to understand the concept of strength. Strength is defined as the ability to overcome or counteract external resistance through muscular action (Zatsiorsky, 1995). Strength capabilities are typically categorized into one of five types, namely maximal strength, absolute strength, explosive strength, and speed strength (Siff, 2003a). I will discuss the last type of strength, which is strength endurance, in my next blog entry. I want to take the time to help you understand this type of strength, as well as giving you facts that support the reason this training may be close to the most important and most used.


1) Absolute Strength is the amount of force that one can exert under involuntary muscle simulation. An example of this would be electrical simulation and most will never undergo involuntary muscle stimulation.


2) Maximal Strength is the amount of force that one can exert under voluntary effort. A maximal strength quality would be a powerlifter trying to lift the greatest amount of weight. An example of this type of strength is heavy weight lifting, high tension isometrics, and high intense bodyweight movement like one arm chin-ups or one arm push-ups. Maximal strength training leads to powerful neural adaptations, improving both intramuscular and intermuscular coordination (Zatsiorsky, 1995).


3) Explosive Strength is the ability to express significant tension in minimal time. Explosive strength is considered the strength quality most characteristic of athletic activities (Verkhoshansky, 1977). This type of strength is developed with fast, powerful muscle actions. The mentality of this training is to train fast in order to be fast and to develop the ability to display significant tension in minimal time.

4) Speed Strength is the ability to quickly execute an unloaded movement against a relatively small external resistance. Exercises with heavy weights are not adequate when training to improve speed of movement (Siff, 2003a). This type of strength is usually developed without resistance or movements against small resistance. Normally, you would incorporate the strength of speed after you have performed a strength movement to activate the nervous system.

So remember strength can not be viewed into just one category. You must understand each type of strength and incorporate each one to your exercise plan to implement an overall conditioned body. I am a strong believer of being versatile when training and to challenge your body with a variety of exercises and intensities to achieve complete success in fitness. So keep striving and continue to push yourself to a limit you never thought was possible. TRAIN HARD!