5 methods to help you improve your strength.
Outside of getting yourself on a powerlifting plan or a routine that is aimed at boosting your strength/size…here’s some simple methods you can implement in your training to help bring on your strength levels.
- Start Holding Your Last Rep.
Say you’re doing deadlifts, instead of hitting your last rep and immediately dropping the bar to the floor, hold the final rep for as long as you can. Doing this will tap into your grip strength massively, allowing you to hold more weight for longer periods. This will also transfer over nicely to exercises like pull-ups where grip is an issue. - Do Pause Reps.
This technique will give you strength in the key positions of your lifts. The sticking point (where you slow down) is your weakest link in a lift and the point where you tend to fail. To gain strength, train your sticking points. Bench press for example, hold the bar for 2–3 seconds just above your chest before pressing to lockout on each rep. This is a great strength enhancer, control your lifts, don’t just move them. - Load Up Your Negative.
By slowing down the negative portion of your lift (eccentric phase), you’ll create more hypertrophy in the given muscle as you’ll create more micro tears! You can also handle about 1.3x more weight on the eccentric phase, as it is the strongest part of the lift! Take bicep curls for example…try slowing down your lowering phase to about 3–5 seconds per rep and get ready for the gains! - Rest More.
There’s more to consider than reps and how much weight to lift. Another important factor is rest time between sets. If you’re looking to get stronger, allow your body to recover properly by giving it a minimum of 2 minutes rest, up to a max of 5 minutes between each set. This will allow you to perform at the right intensity and rate of exertion on each set of your lifts as you allow your strength systems to recover adequately. Any less than this and you’re tapping into more muscle building or endurance areas. - Lower The Weight (No Typo).
Probably the biggest thing you can change (and should) is perfecting your lifts. Instead of cranking out reps with awful form that don’t leave a lot of room for more progression, look to only increase weight only when you’re happy with your form. Keeping your body in the right alignment will allow it to perform to it’s best capabilities, meaning it’s stronger. If you’re lifting with crap form, chances are you’ll have weak links in your lift that will only hold up for so long before injuries.
May the gains forever be in your favor!
