# @athleticlab on Instagram

- **Type:** Video
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/B-ATnrAHr_K
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/15481401-athleticlab-instagram
- **Posted:** 2020-03-21T17:54:17.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Athletic Lab (@athleticlab) — https://gondola.cc/athleticlab

## Caption

Most of the time we think of increasing resistance as the primary means of achieving the progressive overload that is necessary for positive adaptations. This strategy works great for weaker athletes where simply getting stronger can improve practically every physical quality. It also works well for physical qualities that are limited by the magnitude of force an athlete can produce (like maximum strength, early phase acceleration, and static jumping ability). ⠀
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But what about cases where the ability to generate a high magnitude of force is no longer the limiter? What if the limiter to the athlete is not how MUCH force they can produce but how QUICKLY they can produce it? In a case like this, improving the ability to generate force without regard to the rate of force generation might yield limited returns. In fact, chasing improvements in high load slow velocity maximum strength might actually backfire for someone who is already quite strong and participates in a very speed-oriented sport. This is where plyometric and similarly ballistic activities can be of benefit. ⠀
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For very explosive athletes, a shift in emphasis from strength to power development can be even further extrapolated by limiting the very thing that constrains them. In this video, we have Team USA Decathlete jackfloood performing assisted stiffness jumps. Regular (unassisted) stiffness jumps already challenge an athlete’s ability to generate force quickly and display high levels of leg stiffness. But by using the banded assistance, we artificially shorten their ground contact time and make it even more challenging to express force while still on the ground. So while their mass may be unloaded by the band, their time to express force is made much more difficult and we further shift the emphasis to training their constraint rather than a non-limiting quality. ⠀
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Post thoughts or questions to comments. ⠀
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#tracklife #trackandfield #olympics #plyometrics #strength #strengthandconditioning #weightlifting #sportsscience #physiology #RFD #eccentric #decathlete #raleigh #wakecompetitioncenter #durham #cary #morrisville

## Stats

- **Views:** 0
- **Likes:** 223
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## Tags

rfd, morrisville, tracklife, durham, eccentric, sportsscience, cary, strengthandconditioning, trackandfield, wakecompetitioncenter, weightlifting, plyometrics, raleigh, olympics, decathlete, strength, physiology

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