Cold strength is a static type of strength and hot strength is a dynamic strength. Cold strength is also sort of an "old man" strength and hot strength is sort of "young man" strength. This is why powerlifters can be competitive up into there 30s and 40s and weightlifters can go until 35 tops. Actually, I talked to a 35 year old weightlifter over the weekend and he told me it's downhill at 30 and not to bank on 35. This is why powerlifters don't understand how frequent and heavy weightlifters train. I could take 2-3 days off of lifting entirely and I could probably squat well, it would be slow, but I could grind out a good number. I'd be recovered, I'd be cold, fresh, and I'd be strong in a static and cold way. On the other hand, if I took 2-3 days off my olympic lifts would suffer. I'd "feel" strong, but it wouldn't be the correct type of strength. Light weights might feel amazing, I'd feel like superman. Then all of a sudden I'd get to 90% and hit a wall. Static strength will take you to 90%, but it's dynamic strength, dynamic starts, fast, hot and loose muscles, that get you above 90%. This is the black hole of weightlifting. When you feel cold and fresh, when you feel strong, you're actually weak. Not because you aren't strong, because you aren't strong in a specific way. Dynamic strength is maintained by frequent practice, by daily practice. This is how you get phenomenal athletes in other sports as well. You get football players that have been practicing football with there friends since they were 8 years old to the point where they can duck and dive, and juke, and spin, and do all the hot shot things that are dynamic, things someone less experienced, someone with less total hours of lifetime practice couldn't do because their entire organism isn't as hot, isn't as tuned. It's like shooting free throws in the drive way, you shoot for an hour and then finally you get on fire, you can't miss. You're shot is smooth, you're swishing it in the basket every time. Dynamic strength is like getting in that swishing zone and never leaving that zone, so that when you come into the gym you are ready to go, warm ups are just for show, you're hot, you're tuned, you've honed your skill. This is totally different than static strength, i.e cold strength. Hot strength is how you get lifters that can clean and jerk around the same as they can squat. Tell that to a powerlifter and they can't understand it. You want every bone and muscle in your body to be dynamic, i.e fast twitch. When beginners first take up weightlifting, a lot of them have an abundance of static strength and very little dynamic strength, they have cold strength, not hot strength. They want to take days off to rest and get cold and fresh. Some even lift more weights slowly than fast. Tell them to lift the weight fast and they will miss the weight, but they can lift it slowly. Bouncing in the bottom of the squat is like cheating right? It's extra help. Same with double dipping before squatting right? All these things are tricks of the trade, but tell someone with static strength to try these things and they won't be able to do as much, the movement will be too fast and fluid for them. They will want to make the lift slow and choppy. I am starting to coach lifters and this is part of my job. I have to turn lifters with cold static strength into lifters with hot dynamic strength. In a sense, I"m redefining what it means to be strong. You might be strong statically, but I need you to be strong dynamically. I am attempting to thaw the ice and turn you into fire.
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