Lift Heavy, Stay Explosive: Smart Strength Training for Athletes

Your coach says you need to be stronger. You know but your mind’s racing.
What if lifting heavy slows you down?

If you want to build muscle, look the part. But not at the cost of your speed, bounce, or agility. You don’t want to move like a tank.

It’s a common trap. Train like a bodybuilder, and you might feel strong
but move like you’re stuck in the mud.

So, how do you lift without losing your edge? How do you grow and stay explosive? This newsletter will explain it.

In this edition:

• 💪 Do you need to lift heavy to get strong for your sport? Here’s what matters.

• 🧠 The science behind strength—how muscle grows, why “heavy” is relative, and what builds power without slowing you down.

• 🔥 Three go-to exercises for athletic strength that carry over to speed, agility, and explosiveness.

• 🔍 Sport-specific tips to apply strength training without becoming bulky or sacrificing performance. 

— Paco Raven, Editor & Founder

[ Title ]

It’s a common moment. You finish practice, the coach pulls you aside, and drops the line: “You need to get stronger.” 

You nod, but inside your head is spinning. You’re fast. You move well. But now you’re picturing powerlifters, chalk, knee sleeves, and max-out sets.

You want to build strength but not at the cost of your speed, explosivity, and fluid movement. Can you get stronger without becoming slow or stiff?

In sports like handball, strength isn’t about brute force. It’s about how efficiently you can use the strength under pressure.

On the court, that means taking hits, breaking through contact, staying balanced mid-air, and reacting without hesitation.

So, what’s the actual science? Strength sits on a spectrum. You have maximal strength at one end: the total force you can produce against resistance. That’s what heavy lifts train.

This kind of training improves your ability to move heavy objects in short bursts of power using as much time as you need.

But move along the spectrum and you’ll find speed-strength and power. Types of strength that rely on applying that strength fast.

Training in the 30–70% range of your one-rep max, with explosive intent, improves your rate of force development.

This is key for athletes. It’s not just about how much force you have; it’s about how fast you can use it. Both heavy lifting and explosive lifting build strength, but they hit different ends of the performance curve.

This balance matters because strength is the foundation for all fundamentals. It underpins your ability to jump higher, sprint harder, stay stable, and recover faster.

It protects you. Athletes who lack strength tend to compensate with technique or effort, but those cracks start to show late in games.

On the flip side, going too heavy, too often without considering movement quality can make you stiff, tired, and slow to react. Strength without function is just weight.

If you’re stuck between wanting to build muscle and staying agile. The answer isn’t to choose. It’s to train smarter.

Build phases into your year. Use different strength methods across your season. And focus on movements that challenge coordination, balance, and intent.

Athletes across all sports should see strength as a performance amplifier, not just a numbers game. The real win is becoming strong enough to move the way your sport demands.

Best 3 Exercises to Build Strength Without Losing Speed

1. Trap Bar Deadlift – The Power Base
   This lift builds full-body strength while keeping you in a more athletic, upright position than a traditional barbell deadlift. It trains the posterior chain (glutes, hamstrings, back). Perfect for athletes who need to stay fresh and explosive.

2. Rear-Foot Elevated Split Squat – Strength with Balance
   Also known as the Bulgarian split squat, this exercise trains unilateral leg strength, core stability, and ankle/knee control. It reduces asymmetries and mimics sport-specific stances better than back squats.

3. Push Press – Explosive Upper Body Strength
   Combines lower-body drive with upper-body power. It’s a great builder for the shoulders, triceps, and core. Perfect exercise for athletes who throw, punch, or pass.

Team Sports (Handball, Football, Basketball, etc.)
Train like you move on the court or field. Use split squats and push presses to build strength that directly supports change of direction, acceleration, and overhead actions.

Endurance Sports (Running, Cycling, Swimming, etc.)
Don’t skip strength. Use trap bar deadlifts and single-leg work to reduce injury risk and increase force per stride or stroke—without adding unnecessary bulk.

Strength & Power Sports (Powerlifting, Olympic Lifting, etc.)
Dial back the volume and focus on explosive intent with slightly lighter loads. Push press is gold here—more dynamic strength, less grind.

Skill & Precision Sports (Tennis, Gymnastics, Golf, etc.)
Train with tempo and control. Use strength work to improve joint stability, posture, and rotational force—not just muscle size.

Combat Sports (Boxing, MMA, Judo, etc.)
Prioritize unilateral and dynamic movements. Strength should improve your ability to absorb and deliver force, not slow you down. Superset push presses with med ball throws for fight-ready carryover.

Extreme & Action Sports (Parkour, Skateboarding, Freestyle Skiing, etc.)
Think strength that saves you in bad landings. Trap bar deadlifts and eccentric Bulgarian split squats help you build that armor without killing your creativity or range.

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Thank you for reading.

Next Monday, we will be back with a new Q&A edition.

Have a question of your own? We’d love to hear it! Just send it to [email protected], and you might see it featured here in a future edition.

And if you missed last Monday's Q&A edition on Dynamic vs Static warmups. Read it here.

Until next week,
Paco Raven, Editor & Founder
The Stoiclete

DISCLAIMER: None of the content provided in this newsletter constitutes medical, training, or performance advice. This newsletter is strictly educational and is not intended to be a substitute for professional guidance or personalized coaching. Please be mindful of your limitations and perform exercises at your own risk.