What is power training?

What is power training?

It’s strength training done at speed. You lift as fast as you can, then lower slowly. Researchers describe it as lifting weights fast and lowering under control.

Strength is how heavy a box you can lift. Power is how fast you can lift it. Experts on ageing at the ICFSR put it as moving a load in the shortest time.

Your one-lift max is the heaviest weight you can lift once. Already do strength work? You can add fast sets to the same session.

Why does power matter more with age?

Because it fades first. A review found muscle power declines earlier and more steeply than strength. Low power also predicts trouble with everyday tasks.

That study compared 100 people of different ages, rather than following them for years. The gap was clear in men but not certain in women. Leg power was linked to how fast people rose from a chair and how high they could step.

Speed is the part that slips. In people aged 70 to 85, how fast they moved mattered more to their power than in middle age. So train speed on purpose.

Noticed you’re getting weaker? See blood tests for muscle loss.

Is power training better than strength training?

A little, for everyday tasks. A review of 20 trials in 566 healthy adults over 60 found a modest edge for power training. Tests included standing up from a chair and climbing stairs.

The evidence is low certainty. The trials were small, and most lasted 12 weeks.

For power itself, the gap is clearer. In adults over 50, fast lifting built more leg power than usual strength training did.

Problems were rare and similar in both groups, with no serious harms reported. But many trials didn’t report harms well, and less able people had more problems.

So keep your strength work and add fast sets. The ICFSR says mixing slow and fast lifting works best for everyday tasks. Start with our strength training guide for older adults.

How do I start power training at home?

That kitchen chair is your first power move. The ICFSR suggests rising quickly from a chair as a starting point. Pick a solid chair with no wheels that won’t slip.

Skip the jump if you have arthritis or poor balance. The ICFSR says jumping may not suit many frail older people with these.

Stop each set while you can still move fast. The ICFSR says to avoid lifting until you can’t in power sets. Add a balance move too, from our balance training guide.

How heavy and how often?

A rep is one lift. A set is a group of reps done in a row, then a rest.

Don’t go very light and very fast. The ICFSR warns this can injure knee cartilage (the cushion in the joint) or tendons (the cords joining muscle to bone) if your joints have wear you don’t know about.

Most trials used weight machines, so a gym is an easy place to start. Add weight in small steps, as in progressive overload for beginners.

When to speak to a GP

Stop if you feel sick, dizzy or lightheaded, very short of breath, clammy or sweaty, tight in the chest, or any pain. Call 111 or 999 if you need urgent care.

• You haven’t exercised for some time, or you have medical conditions or worries. The NHS says to speak to a GP first.
• You’re worried about your balance or how well you move, or you’ve had a fall. See a GP.
• You’ve had many falls, broken many bones, have painful broken bones in your spine, or other health problems make exercise hard. The ROS says to see a physio.
• You have painful arthritis in your knees. Jumping may not suit you, so ask your doctor or physio first.
• You have a hernia in your tummy or groin. The ICFSR says power training may make one worse, so ask your GP first.

Call 999 if someone has fallen and may have hurt their head, back, neck or hip, or can’t get up. Call 111 if someone has fallen and may be in pain, hurt or unwell.