What is strength training?
In simple terms strength is typically the maximum force that can be developed in a single contraction; in a gym the most common method of measuring your strength is using the 1 Rep Max – the maximum amount of weight you can lift for 1 repetition.
From this point the training you focus on to increase your strength is weight training; this focuses on low repetitions with heavy weights and long rest periods. Training to failure (exertion) is not part of strength training, this is for body building.
How to begin strength training
To focus on “true” strength training you will firstly need to work out your 1RPM. The weight you then use for your training will be 80-90% of this (e.g. if your 1RM is 40kg, then 80-90% of this would be between 32-36kg).
The “main” (compound) exercises in Strength Training that need to be split out over 2-3 sessions a week are:
- Squat
- Deadlift
- Bench Press
- Shoulder Press
- Barbell Row
In these sessions you’ll complete 3-5 sets of 2-6 reps with 3-5 minute breaks between each set.
NOTE: You can walk away from the gym after this feeling like you have not “done a workout” as the majority of the workout is rest time – so a high heart rate and sweating loads is not part of this.
Assistance Exercises
Assistance exercises are part of strength training too as these will be to strengthen the weakest parts of your muscles involved in each compound exercise, for example; with the Bench Press your tricep muscles are included, so doing exercises focused fully on your triceps (Dips etc) will help with the overall bench press.
One to three assistance exercises can follow the main exercise in each training session or can be put together for a separate day’s training and these would be set to include higher reps with a shorter rest period.
For a more detailed view on strength training see www.bodybuilding.com
Is “true” strength training for you?
Now most want to get “stronger” down the gym but the 1 Rep Max is less or not important as some of us want to get stronger over a period of time.
I have trained to increase my anaerobic fitness (using 70-75% of the maximum weight i could lift in one rep).
This was by doing 8-10 reps at 5:1:5 (5 sec up, 1 sec hold, 5 sec down). This totalled between 88 to 110 seconds of movement without rest – it was very successful, I greatly increased the weight I was lifting over a period of 8-10 weeks.
This training did benefit my cycling particularly when focusing on hill climbs, as the “stronger” my legs are the harder I can push, and therefore I can maintain a higher gear to remain at a faster pace for a longer period of time. I would do this from 5 minutes up to 20 minutes This is an example of muscular endurance.
It’s best to begin muscular endurance training after “true” strength training because the greater a muscle’s strength, the more force it can exert during muscular endurance training.
Just contact us to discuss your situation.
Note: Please be sure to take into account that with strength training it’s best to be training with safety bars, friends, gym instructors or a personal trainer to spot you.