THE 6 MAIN TYPES OF STRENGTH IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION - ARTE - 2025

The different types of force in physical education are: static, dynamic, maximum, explosive, resistance, relative and absolute. This classification focuses on 4 main aspects: its manifestation, the type of muscle contraction, the acceleration generated and the resistance to overcome with a specific speed. Similarly, these categories are usually simplified to include concepts that have a transversal presence in each of the definitions.

In reference to a physiological context, force is a fundamental muscular capacity that allows the body to overcome resistance by contracting the muscles.

In addition, when trying to move, lift, support or cushion an object, an attempt is being made to counteract conditions such as weight, gravity or fixed and mobile structures against which opposition is made.

Strength is necessary for human beings to perform various tasks related to the environment, starting with development and adaptation.

Likewise, it is crucial for certain professional activities and, especially, for the practice of sports exercise. This particular characteristic will determine to a greater or lesser degree the required performance levels.

The manifestations of strength depend on different factors such as: age, sex, body temperature, level of preparation, state of fatigue or types of muscle fibers.

Other mechanical aspects are: muscle length, muscle cross section, lever type, intramuscular and intermuscular coordination and type of muscle contraction.

You can also see:

• 6 benefits of physical education for health.
• Types of force in physics.

Types of Force in Physical Education

1- Static force

As a result of an isometric contraction, an increase in the tension of the contracting elements is created without there being a variation in length in the muscular structure.

There is a static tension that does not generate a physical movement because the result of the force and the displacement is equal to zero. This allows you to maintain a certain exercise posture.

Consequently, the internal effort generated and the external resistance are counteracted because they have the same magnitude, avoiding a voluntary mobilization of the mass.

This type of manifestation must be handled with great care during practice in view of the cardiovascular repercussions that can occur when the maximum effort is made.

Based on the above, this training method has the well-known isometric exercises, designed to work maximum strength.

Since the loads used involve limiting weights, they require a refined technique to avoid joint or muscle injuries. If they are well executed, they produce great muscular hypertrophy. This means that it increases muscle mass, but not strength.

2- dynamic force

Unlike the previous one, in this case an isotonic or anisometric contraction occurs that results in an increase in muscle tension and a displacement of the muscle structure.

The movement generated can be a shortening that causes the concentric dynamic force and in which the internal effort overcomes the external resistance.

On the other hand, the movement can represent an elongation of the muscle fibers, generating the eccentric dynamic force, in which the external resistance to overcome exceeds the internal effort produced.

Also, it refers to the body's ability to generate tension for a long period of time to counteract non-maximum resistance.

In relation to training, eccentric contractions facilitate the mobilization of large intensities using less energy, despite being associated with delayed muscle pain.

Some researchers point out that this type of training increases strength in muscles and tendons and that it can be combined with elastic exercises to improve rehabilitation methods.

When a contraction movement is made in real time, a modification occurs in the length of the muscle and in the tension in which the isotonic and isometric contractions meet, resulting in auxotonic functioning.

Likewise, other authors have referred to the possibility of carrying out what has been called isokinetic contractions.

This is achieved by using electromechanical dynamometers to prolong the consistency of the speed of muscle contraction during exercise, regardless of the intensity of force applied.

This type of training is having important repercussions in terms of explosive strength and in the application of rehabilitation therapies.

On the other hand, it is important to consider the type of interaction between the main forms of contraction of muscle fibers, eccentric and concentric.

In this sense, reference can be made to two classes of different manifestations of force during movement, which experts in this field have called active force and reactive force.

In the first case, the force manifests itself through the shortening of the muscles that contract during a simple cycle of muscular work.

In the second case, there is a double cycle of muscular work that manifests itself as a stretch-shortening. Elongation accumulates potential energy that is transformed into kinetic energy during the concentric contraction phase.

3- Maximum force

Also known as brute force, it is given by the preponderance of body mass and refers to the greatest effort that can be implemented during a single maximum muscle contraction.

This means that it will determine performance in those sports activities in which it is necessary to control or overcome a given resistance, such as weight lifting.

In relation to control, this refers to the fact that the muscular system could be subjected to a static or isometric contraction with demands of maximum or submaximal force.

The latter is represented by an effort that is not the maximum and can occur in static and dynamic conditions. It is usually expressed as a percentage of the maximum force.

In addition, this type of force can be combined with another kind of demand, such as a high speed of contraction or a high demand for resistance. Some sports such as hammer throwing, shot put, or rowing can serve as examples.

The researchers point out that the less intense the resistance to overcome, the less the maximum force intervention during the movement.

Within the maximum dynamic force, two additional categories have been distinguished, the maximum concentric force and the maximum eccentric force.

The first one indicates that this maximum possible effort occurs when the resistance can move once or a little. The second refers to opposing a resistance that moves in the opposite direction to the individual.

Factors that determine maximum strength during training

• The cross section of the muscle or hypertrophy.
• Intermuscular coordination and intramuscular coordination.
• The energy sources for the synthesis of muscle proteins.

4- Explosive force

This concept speaks of the ability of individuals to develop maximum muscular tensions in a short period of time.

Some clear cases of this type of force are the weightlifters when they quickly lift a specific weight, the throwers when they finish the movement, the jumpers when they rise or the sprinters when they start. In addition, that ability to react is essential for athletic performance.

It is also known as force-speed or power in which you try to apply a force in the shortest possible time.

It involves printing a maximum acceleration to the body as opposed to resistance, because the initial speed generated by said mass depends on this. In this sense, there is a close relationship between what is known as speed and power.

This type of reaction will be conditioned by the type of muscle fibers. For this manifestation of force, the actuation of the white, fast or FT fibers is critical.

Unlike red, slow or ST fibers, the former have a high contraction speed, can generate more force during movement, and are well adapted to intense anaerobic conditions.

There is research that makes a differentiation between what is explosive force and fast force.

For the first, the overcoming of the non-maximum resistances is established through power. In relation to the second, an acceleration lower than the maximum is applied to overcome a resistance similar to the previous one. The term slow or pure force is also included here.

The elastic elements of the muscle fibers play a preponderant role in the application of explosive force. The importance given to these components has led to the incorporation of other kinds of forces in which the stretch-shortening cycle plays a leading role during movement.

This is how the plyometric force arises. This is the ability to achieve maximum effort, in the absence of high resistance and given the greatest possible stimulus, as soon as possible and depending on the energy accumulated during the stretching-shortening phases.

Two related sub-classifications have been established in this category, which are the following:

Explosive-elastic force

It refers to the potential force stored by the muscles when there is a stretch. It becomes kinetic energy at the moment of concentric contraction. This implies that the elastic elements of the muscle work like a spring.

Reactive explosive-elastic force

In this case, what happens is a significant reduction in the stretch-shortening cycle that incorporates the restitution effect of the myotatic reflex, which increases the subsequent contraction. This phase must be between 240 and 160 milliseconds to achieve the benefits of reflex action during exercise.

5- Strength resistance

This effort varies depending on the time of application and implies the body's ability to withstand fatigue. This ability to withstand wear and tear during exercise can be of short, medium and long duration.

This combination of strength and resistance requires the relationship between the intensity of the load and the duration of the effort to determine which of the two is more preponderant.

For the so-called short-term endurance force, an attempt is made to overcome fatigue with respect to intensities greater than 80% of a maximum repetition.

In this situation, high muscle tension prevails, the closure of the arterial routes, the lack of oxygenation, the absence of nutrients in the blood and local factors at the time of exercise.

In the same way, the resistance force of medium duration allows the efforts to be maintained under loads ranging from 20% to 40% of a maximum repetition.

In this scenario, endurance and strength related capabilities will contribute roughly similar value in terms of performance during the training session.

Finally, long-term endurance force involves executing a sustained effort under a load below 20% of a maximum repetition. In this training context, aerobic sources related to energy generation are essential for the manifestation of local strength.

6- Relative and absolute force

Absolute strength

Absolute force is the pure sense of expression of force. The preponderant factor is the individual's body weight. The more mass the body has, the greater the force it can exert on a given resistance.

This is also equivalent to saying that the greater the amount of muscle myofibrils, the greater the amount of effort generated.

To be precise, absolute force can be understood as the proportion of force that any organism can produce regardless of its body weight.

This is evident if an elephant is compared to an ant. Although the elephant has an absolute strength that far exceeds that of the ant, when weight is taken into account it is clear that the ant is stronger.

Relative strength

Relative strength is represented by the ratio of effort versus body weight. It manifests itself in athletes such as gymnasts, trampolinists and jumpers whose relative strength levels represent a high degree of this kind of effort.

Based on this criterion, categories related to strength have been established, such as weightlifting, wrestling, judo, boxing, etc.

Another important factor is the limiting force, which refers to a magnitude of effort that cannot be obtained voluntarily.

Some researchers establish that to achieve this it is necessary to apply extreme psychological conditions, drugs or electrostimulation. Therefore, they equate it with absolute strength.

References

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