What is Strength Training?
Strength training is the process of prioritizing the development of strength when using resistance training, particularly ululating compound movements which work along a ‘chain’ of muscles to extend the ability to perform that particular lift.
Why is Strength Training Important for bodybuilding, weight loss, and fitness?
The most important factor for muscular development is the amount of load you can effectively subject your muscle too. By neglecting to include a foundation in strength the exerciser fails to develop the strength required to maximize the ability to fully overload the muscle and that that is why it should form the cornerstone of your bodybuilding routine.
How do I perform strength training?
By using a combination of heavy loads and minimal repetitions you can develop strength at the same time as forcing the chains of muscle activated by the exercises to adapt to the loads that they are subjected to. Utilizing the principle of progressive resistance the exerciser can incrementally increase the load as the muscle adapts to the workload it is subjected to there since increasing strength progressively as training continues. The best exercise to develop strength includes those which mimic standing, lifting and pressing, many practices prefer the Bench Press, Deadlift, and Squat in order to maximize their results.
How do I manage strength work in my workouts?
The main component to measure with strength training is one repetition maximum or 1rm. This is the best indicator of strength but not necessarily the safest or most accurate as it requires measurement of a 100% effort lift from the participant, usually something best left to advanced trainers rather than beginners. New exercises are better left determining their three repetition maximum (3rm), which is 90% of their 1rm, or five repetition maximum (5rm) which is 86% of your 1rm.
Incorporating strength training into a bodybuilding (hypertrophy) workout
A simple way to incorporate strength training into your bodybuilding workout is to add one of the big three lifts into a split program and to train each one of these at the start of that particular workout.
For example, when training chest includes a bench press as your first exercise. When training back includes a deadlift. When training legs include squats as the training component of the workout.
Volume
The number of repetitions and sets performed should be based on reaching your maximum load always with the goal of increasing your one repetition maximum over time. The best sets and repetitions to accomplish this is the 5 sets of 5 repetitions range, with a view to pyramiding (increasing load while decreasing repetitions). So even though the recommended repetitions sit at 5, this should be an average rather than a prescribed dose meaning that the first set should serve as a war up and more reps are better (even as high as 8-12) while the last few sets could be as low as 3-5 reps. Each workout you push out at least one great set of 3 maximal lifts it goes a long way towards making you stronger so you can build more muscle.
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