Strength & Power

How to Train for Strength & Power

You got endless time in the gym to build large, bulging muscles? If not, you may want to try these 3 training methods next time you're at the gym, park or at the beach. It is possible to get strong without adding too much size.

Here are 3 ways to train your muscles to be functionally strong without the "Hulk-Effect" and bursting out of your favorite clothes.
 
1. Speed Strength Sets
Fast and powerful sets of exercises. Try cleans, overhead presses, squats, and deadlifts. Perform them as explosive as safely possible. This will maximize your movement economy, motor-unit recruitment and lactate threshold. It also contributes to the strength of those small but very useful muscles. Keep in mind to use heavier weights while making it safe to perform the movement as quickly as possible. It can get tricky so please start on the rather "too light" side. You can always add weight once your body is more comfortable with the exercise.
 

2. Complex Training
To be considered complex, try 4 to 10 different exercises, and complete 5 to 20 repetitions in a row with NO rest breaks in between. This way, you can combine strength with explosive movements, which in turn result in much greater rate of force development = Increased Overall Power!

You can try this with a barbell:

• 5 to 10 deadlifts directly followed by
  
• 5 to 10 bent over rows followed by
• 10 - 15 front squats followed by
  
• 15 - 20 overhead presses finishing with
  
• 10 good mornings

Remember - You do all of these 5 exercises without setting the barbell down!


3. Plyos
A plyometric exercise is any activity where a muscle is stretched rapidly followed immediately by a rapid shortening of that same muscle. Focus on moving your body through its full range of motion. Again, as fast as you safely can. Pay close attention to your form at all times. When the form goes, you should stop or you risk injury.

You can try:

• Box jump-up with stabilization
• Box jump-down with stabilization
• Squat jump

 
You can do these three types of workouts several times per week, with at least 2 days between hard sessions. Always keep in mind that your fitness is built by maintaining a good balance between stress/workout and rest/recovery not by continuously having sore muscles.