Fitness: Power Training a Slam Dunk at Any Age

A couple of months ago, I got my first dunk in about 20 years. Nothing that impressive. Barely got it over the rim. It still counts. My son and daughter started playing basketball not too long ago. I would take them to open gym at the rec center and play some ball just to help them get a little practice in on the weekends. I found that I could just barely touch the rim. I felt like I weighed a thousand pounds when I tried to get off the ground and that all my joints were going to explode on impact when I landed. I had effectively lost all of the athleticism of my youth. I decided that was unacceptable and that I would see what I could do about it.

So, I started training less for muscle building and more for explosive power. A lot of different types of jumping exercises and medicine ball throws (plyometrics). Moving my body quickly, moving lighter weights quickly, and still moving heavy weights with the intent of speed. After maybe six to eight months (I don’t remember exactly), I got my first dunk. But along the way there were benefits that were more impactful than just dunking. I just felt lighter on my feet in general. I felt more agile. My reaction time felt a lot faster. I felt more athletic. I started to think that adding some of this type of training to all of my clients’ programs may provide some benefits even if they are not trying to dunk. It turns out there has been some current research on just that subject for older adults and kids alike.

The aging process leads to significant loss in muscle mass, neuromuscular efficiency, and therefore strength, diminished motor control, reflexes, and the ability to effectively perform the activities of daily living. Research published in the Journal of Aging and Physical Activity suggests that “muscle power is more closely associated with the performance of ADL [activities of daily life] than muscle strength is, so training for muscle power might lead to more beneficial results in functional performance.”

While strength training is still very important, power training involving high-velocity contractions that are reactionary might be a more optimal means of training older adults when the emphasis is on increasing the performance of ADL.

An article in the British journal Age and Ageing concluded: “Poor lower limb explosive power combined with asymmetry between limbs may be more predictive of future falls than more traditional measurements of strength in older women.” Programs specifically designed to improve these capabilities may help in improving balance-recovery mechanisms more than just traditionally programmed strength training.

A review in Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism also says that “Power training is being investigated because several studies have shown a stronger relationship between power and function than between strength and function. Early studies on power training suggest that neuromuscular power can be increased to a greater extent with high velocity or explosive training than strength training alone. In addition, there may be more positive effects on performance tasks measured in the laboratory.”

I don’t expect our 91-year-old client, Otto, to start dunking. But maybe just avoiding a fall while walking through the casino for his biweekly hours-long poker tournaments would be a great benefit. (He usually places at least top eight.)

My son started training in the gym with me after last summer. He turned 12 in September, so a change in hormones is probably right around the corner (or happening already). While strength training at this age may not have the hormonal landscape to provide benefits of significant hypertrophy, or muscle building, there are still many other benefits. Neuromuscular efficiency can be improved, increasing strength and power, and benefiting postural control.

Increasing power production can help in sport-specific movements while also helping to guard against overuse injuries that are increasing each year in youth sports. Power exercises in youth help increase agility and coordination and reactive movement. Other benefits may include cardiovascular efficiency, body composition, and bone mineral density, which also aids in injury prevention.

Establishing these routines in youth also helps to develop beneficial healthy habits for athletes and nonathletes alike. Exercise will help put kids on a path to health for the rest of their lives while guarding against depression and just helping kids feel good about themselves. I didn’t do any strength training or plyometric training in my youth other than just playing my sports, so I have no doubt that my son will be dunking way before I was able to.

No matter your age, there are many benefits to training for power. Some of these benefits may outweigh the benefits to strength training alone. If you would like to safely and effectively add some power exercises into your training, seek the supervision and expertise of one of the many fitness professionals on Seven Mile Beach.

If you see a 91-year-old man dunking down at your local basketball court, just know Otto trained hard for that. He just didn’t want to fall at the casino. Results not typical.