What You Need To Know About Strength and Strength Development

Strength development is an extremely important is an aspect of physical fitness and sports conditioning. The desire to be strong is a main reason that many people join a gym. The incredible strength development exhibited by most athletes is also what draws many of us to watch various sports. We are often amazed when we see athletes performing feats of strength that most of us would consider superhuman.

For the average person being stronger can have benefits that rival those of professional athletes. Being strong means that a mom gets through her day with less fatigue, a mature adult maintains his independence, and a teenager walks through the hallways in school with more self-confidence and self-esteem. This is why strength development is so crucial. Strength development requires that the exerciser follow certain guidelines to insure his, or her, success. Before we get into the “how’s” we should review certain definitions.

Strength

The term strength brings to mind, for some, large people lifting heavy weights. This view of what strength is only part of the story. Strength is the maximal amount of force that a muscle or group of muscles can generate in a particular movement pattern in a specific movement velocity (Knuttgen and Kraemer 1987).

Strength denotes an efficient communication between muscle fibers and nerves. When these two elements are working together the exerciser will, in essence, be stronger. Your muscles and nerves slowly learn to speak the same "language". As they learn to communicate better they become more efficient. Strength development and the proper training program makes this happen. It's the difference between, say, using 50 muscle fibers to lift a weight or using 1,000 fibers to lift the same weight. Which do you think will make your life easier?

This process takes about four weeks for a beginning exerciser. There are different “varieties” of strength that are equally important and should be considered.

Absolute Strength

Absolute Strength is the ability to lift a weight one time with little, or no, regard to how fast it is lifted. This is the classic perception of what “strength” is. So when a person lifts a huge amount of weight off the ground and it takes about 10 seconds to accomplish this we are seeing absolute strength in action. Absolute strength is a very raw and natural quality.

Absolute strength can be enhanced with th proper strength development program. Power lifters usually display this type of strength development, despite the implication that their sport demands pure "power".

Functional Strength

This concept will be discussed in further detail in another article. In simple terms functional strength is having enough strength to do what you need to do throughout your normal day. It does not require you to “qualify’ by lifting a specific amount of weight. It does not focus on isolating muscle groups like a bodybuilder would.

The functional training philosophy is to train the body as an integrated system, focusing on movement patterns over individual muscle groups. If you compete in “Strong man” competitions what is functional for you will be very different than for a middle-aged man or woman that just wants to be able to carry groceries or do some “heavy” yard work without feeling drained or hurting his or her back.

This is not to say that you can’t get very strong by training for function. In my opinion this is the best and most effective way to train for most people.

Strength-Endurance

Strength-Endurance refers to "staying power”, or the ability to endure long bouts of high intensity strength efforts. It is the ability of an athlete to have as much energy left at the end of the fourth quarter as he/she did in the first. Think of performing multiple squats or push-ups with minimal fatigue. It takes the right training to accomplish that.

This is important for Mixed Martial Artists, football players, tennis players as well as anyone just trying to get through a long, hard day at work. Strength-endurance supplies the muscles with the needed energy to do just a “little extra” when previous attempts would have been met with failure.

When people usually think of endurance they think of long bouts of running, cycling or even aerobics classes. That type of endurance training is beneficial for your heart and can have a positive effect on your mental state. Endurance training is important for triathletes and marathoners but pure endurance is only part of the endurance-picture. The real key to sports that require the athlete to perform several bouts strength movements is the capacity for strength-endurance.

Strength Development Basics

Assuming that you, the exerciser, has learned proper lifting methods, proper warm-up techniques and has progressed in a gradual, intelligent manner strength development is fairly easy.

Basically one has to apply more stress to the body than it is used to. This additional "stress" is referred to as an overload. If you are used to lifting 10 lbs.and it is getting pretty easy then you should start lifting 12 lbs. The body will adapt by recruiting more muscle fibers and soon the 12 lb. weight won't feel so bad.

To get strong you should lift heavier loads than you are accustomed too. The load can be a barbell, dumbbell, kettlebell or your body, it really doesn't matter. While this may seem to be an overly simplistic view, it is accurate. The “trick” entails developing strength without inviting injury or over training.

The true key to developing strength, or any fitness related quality, is the training intensity. Do to much and you will get injured, do to little and you will not get results.

The general loading scheme for strength development is to lift approximately 80-95% of an exerciser’s estimated 1RM. The rep range can be kept between one and five reps. The number of sets can be kept between two and five.

I feel that strength is best developed by challenging the neuromuscular system without reaching total failure. If one can lift a certain weight eight times, but no more, then keep the reps to five. I tell people to “keep a few extra reps in your back pocket”. While extremely helpful it is not always necessary to do a RM strength test. Often it is best to go by feel.

If a weight feels to heavy it probably is. If you feel that you can lift a particular weight five times and that’s it then that rep number will be your gage. Train with that weight and keep the reps to about three. When that feels “easy” than try a few more reps per set before testing a heavier weight. Practicing bouts of successful lifting will train the body to get strong without reinforcing improper biomechanics.

When the weight feels to light then add some extra resistance. Train intensely, but remember it is still training. Proper training will allow you to go all out on the playing field. It is also important to allow adequate time for rest and recovery. A rest period of one to two minutes between heavy training sets is not uncommon. As lifters become more advanced it is possible to compress the rest periods in order to increase intensity.

Rest periods between heavy workouts are usually 24 to 48 hours. It is possible to add lighter, more varied workouts between heavy days but it is imperative to use common sense and not place unnecessary physical stress on your client, or yourself, as the case may be.

Don't make the mistake of thinking that "more is aways better". resting between sets will allow you body to recover so it can continue training at the proper intensity. My clients always feel stronger after a rest, even though many of them feel it is "wasting" their money. When they see and feel the results they know it was the right way to go.

When training for strength development it is essential to use proper form, never lift more weight than you can handle safely and use a “spotter”. If you are a personal trainer your role as a “spotter” cannot be overemphasized. If you have a training partner make sure he/she is focused and shares your goal and intention.

Focus on total body, multi-joint lifts that allow the body to recruit a variety of muscle groups. Keep things simple. Lifts such as the various deadlifts, squats, presses and pulling movements (like chin ups and rows) are a good place to start.

It doesn’t really matter if you use a barbell or a dumbbell, although there are differences and advantages to each. These movements will develop just about every muscle group you will need to be truly strong.

Notice that I didn’t include biceps curls, triceps pushdowns and wrist curls. These are all fine as supplemental exercises. I promise that performing the lifts already mentioned with the proper intensity and form will develop exceptionally strong arms, forearms and grip strength.

As with all heavy lifts keep the body tight and “braced” by tensing the muscles of the trunk, “lats” and “gluts” throughout the lift. This will turn your body into an integrated unit and will allow you to lift more weight. This concept applies equally to lifting an air conditioner or a barbell.

Developing Strength-Endurance

When developing pure strength we want to keep the weight heavy, the reps low and the movements basic. In order to develop strength-endurance keep the reps high, usually between 10-20. The movements are the same, squats, presses, rows etc. The weight should be heavy enough to complete the desired number of reps with some difficulty. Remember, don’t train to total failure just high fatigue.

Try between two and five sets. I recommend keeping it to around two or three sets per exercise. You don’t need to train every exercise in a workout this way. It is OK to train some movements for pure strength and then one or two movements for strength endurance. Life and sport are made up of multiple energy system requirements so training should mimic that.

Try between one and two workouts like that per week for a few weeks. It really depends on what you are training for. If it is for a competition then plan accordingly so that you go into the event fresh and not "overtrained". If it is to get in shape then try this type of workout a couple of times per week for a month or so.

The training is grueling so use common sense. Mix things up and listen to your body. If something hurts then modify your training or take a break. If you are still in pain/discomfort get medical help. Add this type of strength development to your training program and you will definitely feel more overall endurance and vitality both on the playing field and in your daily life.

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