Uncovering the Benefits of Velocity Focused Lifting for Athletic Performance

It can be argued that improving maximal strength is beneficial for all atheltes in some way. However, moving as much weight as possible on a barbell lift may not be an optimal strategy when considering fators such as: training age, time of the year and sport/positional demands. Maximal force takes about ~.3-.4 seconds to express, while the majority of sporting movements occur in <.25 seconds. Therefore, coaches aim for their athletes to express strength in time zones applicable to their sport. I've heard the arguement that nothing done in the weight room is as fast as unweighted sprinting/jumping, so therefore the weightroom should be used to develop maximal force production capabilites and the field/court should be used to cover the velocity side of the equation. I do not disagree, as it does not make much sense to add external load to improve velocity of movement. In fact, I beleive a great deal of training should be done outside of the rack for field/court athletes. However, not all movements done in sport are done at the far ends of the force-velocity curve. Think the first 3 steps of accelration, or an o-lineman exploding off the ball. This is where qualities such as "speed-strength" and "strength speed" come into play. I am not going to get into these "strength qualities", as I beleive it can get unnessarily confusing and misses the point. I see velcoity based lifting as a way to emphasize speed of movement as opposed to the amount of weight lifted. Regardless of the intracies the speicfic velocity zones (speed-strength, strength-speed), the intent to move as fast as possible poses neural benefits. I say this because regardless of how fast one is moving a barbell, it is still likely slower than movements done in sport. However, the intent provided by moving as fast as possible trains the nervous system to behave in a way that is beneficial to speed of movement on the court/field.

Velocity Specific Adaptations

Displaying explosiveness in sport requires a rapid build up of force, reduced antagonist co-activation, and synchonrization (coordination). It is possible the intent to move as fast as possible elicits adaptations favoring speed of movement by enhancing neural drive. Let's take a look at some research regarding this.

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00421-013-2781-x

This study compared the short term effects of maximal (MST) strength training and explosive (EST) strength training, assesing the training program's effect on maximal and explosive force production, as well as the underpinning neural adaptations. The MST group was instructed to contract up to 75% maximal voluntary force (MVF) and hold for 3 seconds, while the EST group was instructed to contract as hard and fast as possible for ~1 second. All subjects performed isometric knee extensions. The MST group improved MVF to a greater degreee, while the EST group showed greater improvements in early rate of force development, defined by force production in the intial 100ms. It is important to note that the EST group was verbally instructed to "contract as hard and fast as possible", while the MST group was not given these insturctions. The authors suggested that force production in the first 100ms of movement is underpinned by neurological factors as opposed to muscular factors.

This study conducted by Randell and colleagues further displays mportance of the intent to contract as fast as possible when targeting neural adpations.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21157389/

When comparing performance test improvements between a velocity feedback group and non-feedback group, the authors found the feedback group to improve to a greater degree in the vertical jump, broad jump, 10m, 20m, and 30m sprint in professional rugby players.  It is suggested that the external feedback provided by VBT can enhance this neural drive by providing explosive intent, maximizing these velocity-specific adaptations.

There are a few factors to consider when analyzing these studies. In the first study, subjects performed isometric knee extensions. Can we expect similar results with dynamic, multi-joint movements being used as the exercise protocol? The second study invovled a subject group of thirteen professional rugby players. How signifcant is the small sample size? Can we expect the same results with less-experinced subjects?

These are questions to consider, but the distinct neural adaptions coming from lifting with a velocity-intent is relevant.

When to Use It?

As stated earlier, I believe the majority of power/speed based training can be accomplished outside of the rack. This is especially true for novice and intermediate lifters. Velocity focused lifting comes into play for athletes in-season, as well as for advanced athletes. 

In season, it can be valuable to provide a strength stimulus while limiting time under tension. The longer a muscle is under tension, the longer the fatigue effect following the session. Therefore, emphasizing velocity allows us to avoid soreness, while still building strength due to compensatory acceleration training (CAT). CAT refers to accelerating the bar as fast as possible through the concentric portion of the lift. As we know, force=mass x acceleration; So, accelerating the bar as fast as possible allows us to compensate for lesser external load via high acceleration. 

For more advanced athletes, velocity based lifting is a way to further concentrate a speed/power stimulus. The more adapted an athlete is to a certain method of training, the more potent the stimulus needs to be to further drive adaptation. Placing various stresses on an advanced athlete pulls the organism in multiple directions, dampening the adaptation for each quality. Therefore, in addition to unweighted sprint and jump work, velocity based lifting is a way to further stress the nervous system to build up force rapidly.

Conclusion

Being an explosive athlete begins in the nervous system. Emphasizing speed of movement for compound lifts can improve the neural drive necessary to display high speed of movement. I am not saying you should ditch heavy lifting, as maximal force production sets the ceiling for explosive force produciton. Nor am I saying velocity-focused lifting is more effective than unweighted jumps/sprints. However, the SAID principle tells us our body systems adapt to the demands placed on it. Velocity focused lifting is a way to add volume to a speed/power stimulus placed on our nervous system, which is valuable for athletes focused on becoming more powerful.