Strength training is a popular term in the fitness world. It involves exercises that use resistance to cause muscle contractions, helping to build strength, endurance, and muscle size. But what does that really mean? How does it work? And how can you incorporate it into your fitness routine to get the most benefits? Let’s take a closer look.
What Exactly is Strength?
In fitness, strength is about resisting external forces. It relies on several factors, including your nervous system, muscle coordination, joint function, technique, and motivation.
Maximal strength is the maximum force you can generate in one effort. It’s crucial for overall physical performance, including speed and other strength forms. This is why athletes and bodybuilders aim to develop it. Generally, when you increase your strength, your muscle mass also increases.
How to Train for Strength
To train for strength, you need to do specific exercises that boost muscle power. Some sports use general strengthening routines as a base, which can then be fine-tuned with specific exercises.
In activities like powerlifting, weightlifting, and bodybuilding, resistance training is key. This usually means using weights and focusing on heavy, multi-joint exercises like barbell back squats, bench presses, pull-ups (sometimes with added weight), and deadlifts.
But you can also benefit from variations of these exercises and other supportive movements. These include lunges, rows, presses on different incline benches, leg presses, lat machine exercises, and cable rows.
The Methodology of Strength Training
Strength training aims to create high muscle tension through reps, sets, and rest periods. The most important factor is intensity, which is the percentage of your maximum strength (1RM).
Other elements like Time Under Tension (TUT), volume, density, and the number of training sessions play a lesser role. Research shows that frequent strength stimulation (multifrequency) is more effective.
Fatigue is a major enemy of strength, so full recovery between efforts is essential. This is especially true between sets. However, different exercises can be spaced out within a training cycle.
Structuring a Strength Training Plan
Your strength training plan depends on your overall routine, goals, and experience level.
For example, a moderately experienced bodybuilder used to training to failure with high TUT might benefit from shorter workouts with higher percentages of their 1RM. It’s also important to warm up properly, about 7-10 minutes on a cardio machine, and to make sure you can perform all necessary movements. Getting assessed before starting is a good idea, as is spending time each week improving joint mobility and muscle flexibility.
When doing heavy multi-joint exercises, take 3-5 minute breaks between sets, and about 3 minutes for other exercises. The average TUT and the balance between phases should feel natural, so you can exert maximum strength. Aim to stay 1-2 reps short of failure (buffer).
Here’s an example schedule:
Schedule 1
– Lunges: 3-4 sets of 4-6 reps per leg
– Romanian Deadlifts: 2-3 sets of 8-10 reps
– Dumbbell Chest Press: 3-4 sets of 4-6 reps
– Decline Dumbbell Flyes: 2-3 sets of 8-10 reps
– Lat Pulldowns: 3-4 sets of 4-6 reps
– Cable Rows: 2-3 sets of 8-10 reps
Schedule 2
– Barbell Deadlift: 3-4 sets of 4-6 reps
– Step-Ups with Dumbbells: 2-3 sets of 8-10 reps per leg
– Dumbbell Bench Press: 3-4 sets of 4-6 reps
– Weighted Push-Ups: 2-3 sets of 8-10 reps
– Dumbbell Row: 3-4 sets of 4-6 reps
– Seated Cable Rows: 2-3 sets of 8-10 reps
Schedule 3
– Split Squats: 3-4 sets of 4-6 reps
– Hack Squats: 2-3 sets of 8-10 reps
– Incline Bench Press: 3-4 sets of 4-6 reps
– Dumbbell Flyes: 2-3 sets of 8-10 reps
– Weighted Chin-ups: 3-4 sets of 4-6 reps
– Cable Row: 2-3 sets of 8-10 reps
In conclusion, strength training is a great way to boost your physical performance in various sports and fitness activities. By understanding its principles and structuring your routines effectively, you can achieve your fitness goals and maximize the benefits.
