Are you losing power?

Simple jumps--using your own bodyweight, even--are great for working on power!

After my last post, where I admitted falling while doing box jumps onto a weight bench, a friend called me to say, in essence, “What the heck are you doing jumping up on a bench, anyway?”

Fair question. It’s not like I’m working on my basketball skills. I don’t really need a better vertical jump.

But I was working on my power. Believe it or not, that’s something that each one of us ought to think about as we age.

You probably already know that, as you age, you tend to lose the size and strength of both muscle and bone.

You also lose the ability of your muscles to generate power.

Power is not the same as strength. Power takes speed into the equation. Not simply how much force you can generate. But how quickly you can generate that force.

Why does a 70-year-old need power, you ask.

For one thing, to right yourself quickly when you suddenly find yourself off balance.

In this very thorough article, author Julie Flaherty describes the work of Tufts researcher, Roger Fielding, who says that fast-twitch neurons in the spinal cord can’t seem to communicate fast enough to muscle cells. Which may explain, in part, why older people have weaker muscles and a loss of function. (There are other reasons, too, of course–like not training muscles and not eating appropriately to repair and rebuild muscle.)

Will my jumping exercises help? 

Time will tell. I hope that they will attenuate the tendency to weaken and slow down.

Meanwhile, I’ve learned a thing or two. I’ll do my jumps earlier in my routine. I’ll use a more appropriate box or bench. And I’ll make sure to get adequate recovery between sets.