How To Get Stronger And Reach New Levels Of Strength
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3 Strength Building Workout Methodologies To Get Stronger
On today’s episode of Live Lean TV, I’m talking about how to get stronger and reach new levels of strength.
When it comes to the hierarchy of fitness goals, for most beginners, getting stronger usually falls behind both fat loss and muscle building, in priority.
Typically people think in order to:
- Lose fat, you need to do more cardio.
- Build muscle, you need to continuously stay in the 8-12 rep muscle building range.
Yes, this can be correct to a point.
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However, people often neglect the importance of how focusing on building more strength can actually help accomplish the goals of:
3 Primary Mechanisms Of Muscle Growth
Look at it this way.
Building strength also increases your fat burning and muscle building potential.
The stronger you are, the more weight you can lift in the 8-12 rep muscle building hypertrophy zone.
By lifting heavier weight in this hypertrophy zone, it creates more of the necessary stimuli to build more muscle.
This includes the 3 primary mechanisms of muscle growth:
- Muscle Damage
- Metabolic Stress, via muscle burn
- Muscle Tension
The more muscle you build, the more fat you’ll burn.
This is true, since muscle tissue is the key metabolic driver of the body.
Do you now see how building strength is so interrelated with fat loss and muscle building?
How To Get Stronger And Reach New Levels of Strength
The question now is, how do you train to get stronger, and reach new levels of strength?
Well, here’s the answer.
It depends on where your current starting point is.
If you’re a beginner to resistance training, with consistency, you can do pretty much any type of resistance training to build strength.
The reason comes down to the basic principle of progressive overload.
As a beginner, since your body is not used to performing various exercises with any form of weight, your body is going to adapt by growing to get stronger.
Beginners can get stronger by doing any of the following workouts:
- Bodyweight workouts
- Resistance band workouts
- TRX Suspension training workouts
- Kettlebell workouts
- Machine workouts
- Dumbbell workouts
- Barbell workouts
However, if you are intermediate or more advanced, you have to get more strategic with the way you set up your workouts, to build strength.
Of course, as I always say, I recommend you invest in a good workout program, designed by a professional, that is designed for you goals.
For example, my 42 Days To Live Lean Strength workout program is designed specifically for intermediate to advanced trainees to get stronger.
3 Strength Building Workout Methodologies To Get Stronger
However, if you refuse to invest in yourself, here are 3 of the many strength building methodologies for more experienced lifters to follow:
- Intensity
- Rep Range
- Volume
#1. Intensity
The definition of intensity in the strength training world is often mis-used.
I’ve also been at fault for this at times.
The technical definition of intensity is measured by how close you are lifting to your 1 rep max (1RM).
This means, to get stronger and reach new levels of strength, you need to train with higher loads of weight, relative to your 1RM.
Most strength experts recommend training with loads of 70-100% of your 1RM.
Use this one rep max calculator to safely figure out your 1RM for each lift.
#2. Rep Range
As your loads increase, your reps obviously will decrease.
With that said, it’s often best to select a load that will challenge you to lift within the 1-6 rep range to promote strength gains.
This leads us to the third strength building methodology, volume.
#3. Volume
Volume is simply defined as the amount of work done.
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In other words, volume covers how many sets and reps are completed in a workout.
Since you are now lifting in the 1-6 rep strength building range, with a higher load of weight, you won’t achieve the necessary volume required to build strength, if you only complete the traditional 3-4 sets.
Rather than completing:
- 4 sets of 10 reps = 40 reps
- With a lower load of 50 pounds
You could reverse that by completing:
- 10 sets of 4 reps = 40 reps
- With a higher load of 75 pounds
By doing this, you still keep the volume high by lifting a total of 40 reps.
However, you are also increasing the intensity by lifting a total of:
- 3000 pounds (40 reps x 75 pounds) vs. 2000 pounds (40 reps x 50 pounds)
Do you see how this manipulation in your training protocol can produce more output?
Bottom Line On How To Get Stronger
Regardless of what your training goals are, you should not completely neglect the goal of getting stronger, from your training.
If you’re a cardio king or queen, get off the treadmill and start with bodyweight resistance training workouts, like those found in my Live Lean 15 workout video program.
If you’re more experienced, try adding these strength building protocols to your workouts.
Or, if you want more a more advanced strength building program, my 42 Days To Live Lean Strength workout program is for you.
That’s it Live Lean Nation.
It’s time for you to get stronger and reach new levels of strength.
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Brad Gouthro is the founder of Live Lean TV, a media company focused on helping men and women “Live Lean” 365 days a year. Brad’s programs and content have helped millions of people all over the world learn how to get in shape, and more importantly, sustain it for life.
Hi Brad. I was wondering if I was to apply the above listed protocol of the heavier load with 10 sets of 4 reps, how long of a rest period should I take in between sets?