Strength is the ability to apply as much force as possible in a single all out effort. Yes, strength is useful in sport and yes, it is a practical part of everyday life. It is a health related component of fitness. However, strength is also a key portal to bragging rights. A way to get people talking behind your back but not in a negative manner. People will be talking about you for the correct reasons. Follow these 5 steps to lifting more weight. Change up your current routine and you will be smashing your rep max tests in no time.
Use Dynamic Tension
Dynamic tension is a very underused toll. Most people have raised their arms to their side and flexed their biceps at one time or another. This is all dynamic tension is. Placing your muscles under continuous tension through flexing. When you flex your muscles, more muscle fibres are recruited. This is a wicked method of boosting strength and hypertrophy. Dynamic tension also protects your joints. For example; when you practice a biceps curl the elbow is under a lot of tension. By flexing the triceps through the entire range of this exercise you will create more balanced tension on the elbow which will lower joint stress.
Fire Up That Mid-Section
Your skeleton is a fantastic structure. It is the foundation of your shape. We mould our muscles around our skeleton. It supports us. However, the skeleton needs help in that department. Between our rib cage and pelvis, the only structure of the skeleton present is the lumbar vertebra. The lumbar vertebra is apart of your spine and consists of 5 small bones which are segregated by cartilage. Our mid-section muscles such as the rectus and transverse abdominals, the internal and external oblique’s and the erector spinal are supporters of the upper body. They are not designed to move in a frantic dynamic manner but their purpose is to prevent movement. Use this information in choosing your core exercises. Practice plank variations and other isometric exercises to blast those abs.
Work Those Compound Exercises
To make the more out of your session it is important to utilise compound exercises. The 3 main power lifts are a good way to start. There include the Bench Press, Squat and Deadlift. Also add Pull Ups, Cable Rows and Lunges. These full body movements activate a generous amount of muscle fibres and mimic most sporting and daily actions. Because more muscle fibres are recruited, you will find that the weight you will be using is freaking heavy! You will load that neural-muscular system and encourage testosterone production.
Change Up The Grip
Your body can get use to the same old tired routine. Keeping things the same will certainly result in a weight lifting stand still which is wasteful for all your hard effort. We all have our favourite exercises and we don’t need to stop doing them. It’s just a matter of mixing things up. For example; when Bench Pressing we can use two dumbbells held with our palms facing towards each other as oppose to using a straight bar. We can practice Front Squats instead of Back Squats or we can do Sumo Deadlifts rather than Romanian Deadlifts. This effective alteration will change what muscle fibres you recruited, the order in which they are recruited and therefore works areas which haven’t gathered a lot of attention in your previous routine.
Smash Your Weaknesses
Most exercises have a sticking point. For most people the toughest part of the Deadlift is the initial pull from the ground. For Bench Press people seem to struggle with lifting the bar from the chest. You can nail those weaknesses with partial repetitions and isometric exercises. Whilst Bench Pressing, try holding the bar just off your chest. You will need to use a lighter weight. The tension should not be held for more than 10 seconds using a spotter is absolutely crucial for your health and safety. Try performing a few repetitions of a partial Squat. Go down into a Squat until your hips are just lower than your knees. From there just do 5 low range squats. Nail your weaknesses until they become your strengths!
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