Hi there. In this short post on RFD to exercise progressions I’m going to provide a whistle-stop tour of explosive force production. Specifically RFD (rate of force development) versus muscle power; the need for these capabilities in older populations AND an idea of exercise progressions to develop these performance characteristics.
RFD vs Muscle Power
So the terms RFD, or rate of force development and muscle power are often used interchangeably. But, did you know that they’re not the same thing? They’re related but they’re not the same. This is important to understand for exercise design. Check out this 2 minute video where I explain the essentials.
The Need For RFD in Older Adults
We can’t get away from it, as we age many of our muscle performance capabilities decline. This doesn’t just include muscle strength, speed of muscle force production – RFD changes too. Check out this 1 minute video what happens and why we need to refocus on older populations.
RFD and Exercise Progressions
So, if we understand the need for quick force production, how do we go about training this, especially in older populations? We also need to think about joint stabilisation and the need to accommodate force as well as producing it. Hmmm.
In this 2 minute video I run you through a very simple series of exercise progressions that can take you from seated exercise to high step-down tasks with additional load – all focused on explosive force production.
I hope you enjoyed this whistle-stop tour of RFD, power and the relevance to older populations. If you have any questions please reach out on social media or e-mail. If you’re interested to learn more about this topic sign up to receive priority notification for the next enrolment to the Making Sense Of Muscle Power Course Below.
Thanks for watching 🙂
