Power Training Isn't Just About Moving Fast

First, some context.

I posted an IG story on April 2nd showing an example of power training from a dead stop¹. It was of me deadlifting 175# as fast as possible while managing pressure efficiently, which becomes more challenging as you incorporate speed + timing. I explained it's why I took a little longer to setup with each rep compared to the common tap + go. I followed with an unpopular opinion that "I think too many women tap + go losing all kinds of pressure (and intent) in the process. Think fast + organized. Not fast + chaotic."

And holy moly! That opened up a lot of conversations in my DMs.

Some agreed, some took offense and some wanted to learn more about what I meant.

What Most Power Training Advice Says

Most explanations of power training start in a similar place:

Power = force x velocity

It's not just about how much force you can produce (aka being strong). It's your strength expressed quickly. Because you can be strong but move like a slug, or fast but not able to produce much force. Both miss the point.

You'll also hear this described as: Rate of force development (RFD) = how fast you build force.

So if we zoom out for a second and look at what the literature says about power training, the recommendations are pretty consistent:

Load

Power is most often trained using lighter to moderate loads, generally around 30-70% of your 1RM. This range tends to allow for higher movement velocities while still requiring meaningful force production. While heavier loads can help develop power, as load increases velocity decreases; thus, the emphasis shifts more towards max strength.

Intent + Velocity

A key component of power training is the intent to move quickly. Even when the load itself doesn't appear to move very fast, the goal is to apply force as quickly as possible. This is one of the main distinctions between power and strength work. Going back to my IG story, one person didn't think I was moving very fast. I mean, I felt like Road Runner moving 72% of my most recent (245#) 1RM....so whatevs 🤘🏼

Rep Range + Volume

Power training is typically performed with lower reps, around 3-5. Total volume is also kept relatively low, often around 15-25 total reps for a given exercise. This is because the qualities being trained (speed/timing/force production) tend to decline quickly as you fatigue.

Rest Periods

Longer rest periods of 2-3 minutes between sets are recommended. The goal is to make sure that each set can be performed with a high level of output.

Exercise Selection, Placement + Common Mistakes

Power can be trained through a variety of methods. The most common are moving external loads with speed, plyometrics² such as jumps, bounds and hops, and ballistic movements such as kettle bell swings and medicine ball throws. Each of these emphasizes the ability to produce force quickly even though they may differ in how force is applied and absorbed.

Power exercises are typically done early in a training session after a warmup and before heavier strength work. This is because fatigue can reduce the ability to produce force quickly, which directly impacts the stimulus and adaptations being trained.

Across both research and practice, there are a few common mistakes that tend to pop up:

• Using loads that are too heavy (slows velocity + shifts more toward strength work)

• Doing too many reps (fatigue kills output)

• Treating power training like conditioning vs. high quality effort

How Can You Apply This Practically?

From a programming standpoint power training doesn't necessarily require a complete overhaul of your current routine. You can:

1. Start with adding a small amount of plyometric work after your warmup. For a beginner, this is often fewer than 100 contacts in a session but, of course, it depends on the exercise and your training history.

2. Include one velocity based movement, i.e., countermovement trap bar jumps before your heavy strength work also referred to as velocity based training (VBT). I use an app that records my velocity.

3. Have a dedicated power-focused day separate from strength work.

   
   

And while all of this is useful information, it doesn't explain why things (might) fall apart when you apply it. This is where RFD becomes useful. Not because it's the cause, but because it reveals how well your force production holds up under time constraints.

What RFD Actually Looks Like

RFD lives on a spectrum. Early RFD (~0-100ms) = how fast you initiate force and is influenced more by neural factors (motor unit recruitment/firing rate/coordination). Late RFD (~100-250ms) = how well you continue to build force, and is influenced more by max strength, muscle size and tendon stiffness. It's measured by the slope of the force-time curve. A steeper slope means faster force production.

Examples: If you only have ~100ms (sprinting) you never reach max force, so early RFD becomes critical. If you have more time, like in a countermovement jump (~200+ ms) you can build more force. Both early and late RFD contribute here but you're limited less by that initial window.

In practice, this is where time constraints start to matter. Because RFD reflects how quickly you can produce force. And force doesn't just magically appear. Your system has to organize first: create pressure, establish a position, and coordinate how different segments contribute. All of that influences how quickly force can be expressed, within a small window of time, especially as velocity increases.

Organized vs. Chaotic

This is where my "think fast + organized, not fast + chaotic," circles back around. Tap + go reps can look explosive but actually be sloppy and unorganized because internally things are falling apart.

This reflects how mechanical (stiffness/alignment) and neural (timing/MU recruitment) factors can influence how quickly force can be produced.

So, when I'm training power, I'm focused on how quickly I can create pressure, apply force, and coordinate it, while maintaining it all as my speed increases. Because I can be sloppy and fast like the best of them 🫶🏽

If the only way you can move fast is by losing your position and catching an uncontrolled rebound....well that's not intentional power.

The main goal with power training is straightforward = Produce force quickly, and maintain that output across a small number of high-quality reps.

Fast without control isn't power. Fast + chaotic will always have a ceiling. Whereas, fast + organized is what actually carries over to performance.

So there you have it! My simplified breakdown of force production under time constraints. I hope it gave you a different lens to consider.

References:

Haff, G.G., & Triplett, N.T. (2016). Essentials of strength training and conditioning (4th ed.). National Strength and Conditioning Association.

Gavin L. Moir. (2016). Strength and conditioning: A biomechanical approach.

Zatsiorsky, V.M., & Kraemer, W.J. (2006). Science and practice of strength training (2nd ed.)

¹Power can be expressed in different ways, from a dead stop (as in this example) or through SSC. In both cases the goal is the same, produce force quickly under time constraints.

²Plyometrics are rapid stretch-shortening cycle movements used to develop power. They train your ability to absorb force, store it and release it quickly without losing structure or timing. Not all power training is plyometric, but all plyometrics are a form of power training.