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Strength & Bodyweight

January 10, 2011
by Stephen R. Santangelo

http://www.primalfitness-systems.com/articles/archives/2011/exercises/strength-and-bodyweight.html

There are 2 types of strength which are an absolute necessity regarding athletic development; absolute and relative.

Absolute strength is the maximum weight that a person can lift for one repetition.

Relative strength in the maximum amount of weight an athlete can lift relative to bodyweight.

Athletes who need to move their body from point A to point B as fast as possible (AFAP) or who use an implement to move their body from point A to point B, such as cyclists or rowers, must develop relative strength to a high degree.

Strength athletes who need to move as much weight as possible from point A to point B, such as power lifters and Olympic weightlifters must develop absolute strength as their priority. 

Then, you have those who need to develop a fairly equal amount of strength in both categories such as football linemen and rugby players.

Strength based athletes usually carry more muscle mass and a higher percentage of body fat than those athletes who depend solely on relative strength such as sprinters, distance runners, triathletes, javelin throwers and gymnasts.

In some respects it’s unfortunate that nearly all strength & conditioning coaches emphasis absolute strength as the primary goal for development. An increase in absolute strength is of no benefit if the weight gain and strength gain offset an increase in athletic performance.

Just because strength increases in the weight room, it is no indication it will transfer well to sport.

It is wise to choose strength exercises which will increase performance first and muscle size and max poundage second for all non strength based athletes. The opposite is true for strength athletes who must have absolute strength and size to increase performance.

Next time you hit the gym use your time wisely for maximum gains.