Strength Training: A Cornerstone of Physiqology Personal Training

The essence of all personal training is grounded in improvements in strength. What form that strength ultimately takes is a function of the goal of the client. There are several technical terms to define different types of strength. While it is not the job of the client to know these terms, some basic vocabulary is helpful to aid in communication.

Types of Strength and Their Personal Training Modes

Most people, when they think of strength training, immediately think of weight training. Though strength is certainly acquired through weight training, strength training can make use of many modes of exercise. Moreover, every personal training session – regardless of the goal – may be thought of as a strength training session.

The Strength Continuum

As stated above, strength takes many forms, and these forms may be written in a continuum from left to right as follows:

Power  /  Maximal Strength / Relative Strength / Strength Endurance

Power is the ability to produce the maximum amount of force in the shortest amount of time. Power’s expression is a function of what is called the rate of force production.

Power is most applicable in sports where expression of strength over a short period of time – ten seconds or less – is a hallmark of the sport’s performance. Track and field events such as 100m sprinting, throwing and jumping events, as well as baseball and American football are best examples of power sports.

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