Strength training gets talked about a lot in sport programmes, fitness articles and social media. The benefits are huge when it comes to injury prevention and sports performance. However, strength training is not always fully utilised and the programming isn’t always optimal for the chosen sport. It is probably the least favourite component of many athletes\u2019 programmes, but is often the most important in building a robust body. This article will cover a couple of key points to help take your performance to the next level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WHAT IS STRENGTH TRAINING?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In its most simplest form, when you lift a weight that challenges a muscle, you will improve the overall strength of that muscle. Repeating this process will result in further adaptation and improved strength. The heavier the weight, the greater the adaptation. Repeating this process will then promote more muscle growth, improve movement efficiency, coordination, and ultimately greater power output. At a neuromuscular level we are essentially improving the communication from the brain to the muscle to use more motor units (muscle fibres). These are all great things when it comes to performance. But how do we turn this information into a suitable programme that addresses your specific needs? Below I will explain a couple of basic concepts to get you started. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

WHERE DO I BEGIN?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To begin with, I recommend you start with a lighter weight and a high repetition count. As a general guideline I would set this at 3 to 5 sets of 25 repetitions of each of your key exercises. Choose a weight that is manageable for the whole workout. You may need to adjust the weight for each individual exercise, so take note of this and work through the process methodically. At the end of the workout you should feel slightly fatigued but not exhausted, and certainly not sore the next day. Performing a high repetition count will build good motor control, help build efficiency in key fundamental movement patterns as well as improve overall joint and muscle health. Once you become proficient in these movements and comfortable with the weight you are lifting, then slowly increase the load to ensure progression in your programme. I would recommend this approach to anyone who wants to build some strength and muscle tone, as well as clients who are progressing from a rehab programme to a prehab programme. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

FINE TUNING THE PROCESS. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At some point you may wish to take your strength training to the next level. To do this we need to be more specific in our approach. One option would be to slowly decrease the repetitions and slowly increase the weight that you lift. We know that high repetition strength training generally promotes more muscle growth (hypertrophy), however, lifting a heavier weight for fewer repetitions generally promotes improved muscle fibre (motor unit) recruitment. By doing this we improve the overall power output of the muscular system without necessarily building the size of the muscle. To achieve this, research suggests that we should lift a weight of around 85% of our one rep max, and perform between 3 to 5 sets of 5-8 repetitions<\/a>. Your one rep max is defined by the maximum amount of weight you can lift for a single repetition of any given exercise. However, when lifting a heavy weight we can increase the risk of injury if our form isn’t optimal. I would suggest starting with a slightly lighter weight (65%-75% of your one rep max) to begin with so you can focus on good form and then build from there. This approach of strength training is beneficial to athletes who may not want to build more muscle mass but wants to improve their overall strength. For example, I would highly recommend this approach to endurance athletes because building more muscle mass isn’t always optimal for an endurance athlete. Furthermore, endurance athletes experience high repetition in their everyday training, so by adding hundreds of weight repetitions onto their overall weekly training programme would just fatigue their body in a similar way. This is one example of adding specificity to a strength training programme to optimise performance.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FINAL THOUGHTS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding strength training to your weekly programme will have a beneficial effect on your performance. Furthermore, being more specific in your strength training will ultimately produce more specific results. It is, however, essential that you have good form when doing any exercise and I would always recommend a trained professional to observe your movement, range of motion and general stability before going big in the weights room. The Strength Series<\/a> discusses a lot of the fundamental exercises that I recommend to my clients, so use this as a resource to help you begin your strength training journey. Start off slow, perfect your form, and be methodical in your processes to ensure progression and safety.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Building strength isn’t all about building muscle mass<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1329,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17,16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1309","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-strength-series","category-the-movement-project"],"yoast_head":"\n