Just another addition to why I like using kb swings with my athletes.
One of the toughest things to teach a sprinter is how to relax enough during a race so they aren’t fighting themselves. Some of it is habit, but I’ve noticed most of it is mental in that the athletes truly don’t believe that staying slightly below balls out makes them faster in the long run.
You can go into a weight room and rage for olympic lifts, squats, bench, etc. But chalking up and screaming while doing kb swings doesn’t exactly make the lift easier. The hike, the loading, and the pull all require good timing and rhythm, and when you start hitting 6-10 reps thats when you notice that the timing and relaxation ease the lift, so to say. It’s much easier to maintain good power and form throughout the set once proper relaxation and when to apply the bursts of effort are learned. It ends up being a good parallel for some of my athletes about the benefits of not just entering rage mode when it comes time to race.
Developing power or teaching a more efficient application of power? Both lead to the same ends and I’m fine with either.