How to Build Power and Strength
Step-by-step Instructions
Here is what you need to do...
Step 1
Some weightlifters seek to step into the gym each day and obtain a perfect representation of their ideal physique. Other weightlifters hit the iron with the goal of becoming as strong as they possibly can. These ox-like weightlifters will do anything to advance their strength and power to legendary status, and before they get there, they have to begin. That's right, even the strongest powerlifters started with some basic lifts and fundamental power-gaining advice.
Step 2
Power and strength come from attacking major, compound lifts with the intention of forcing your muscles to put out as much energy as possible. After you meet limit of potential lifting power, you push just a little harder and break that limit, and then break it again, and again. This, in essence, is the routine needed to massively increase your power and strength and, after some time, become an absolute beast in the gym.
Step 3
One specific way to obtain power and strength is to begin each workout with a power movement. Squats, deadlifts, bench presses, hang cleans, squat cleans, power presses, power cleans, shrugs- these are all exercises that employ a massive amount of power from every muscle in your body, and doing them will promote a lot of strength gain. Simply begin each workout with 6 sets of 2-6 reps of one of these exercises, and then continue your routine afterwards as you normally would.
Step 4
Another way to increase power and strength is to use Shock Method training. Shock method training is a kind of training that allows you, through the use of off-the-wall techniques, to break strength plateaus in any and every exercise. There is an in depth article on shock training elsewhere on this website, and I highly recommend you read it over. Doing so will definitely help you along the path of increasing your strength and power.
Step 5
By increasing your strength and power, you maximize your lifting potential inside of the gym. You don't even need to strive for powerlifting potential- instead, you can increase your strength and power with the intention of aiding your quest in the bodybuilding realm of weightlifting; more power=more weight=stronger muscles=bigger muscles=better physique. It's not magic, it's just science.
Special Attention
Difficulties people often experience or parts that need special attention to do it right.
The hardest thing about continuing to build power and strength is how well you can feed your muscles with proper strength-building nutrition: i.e. protein. For me, protein shakes twice a day (once in the morning and once immediately following my workout) help to ensure that I'm sufficing my lifting with an ample amount of muscle-building nutrients.
Stuff You'll Need
| Brand | Product | Price |
|---|---|---|
| MuscleTech Platinum 100% Whey Protein Powder, Milk Chocolate Supreme, 5.03 lbs (2.28kg) | No Price |
Suggested Further Reading
| Author | Title | Price |
|---|---|---|
| High Intensity Training John Philbin | No Price |
This Student Author
This Student Author's Background
Funny or interesting story about this topic...
I've known more than a few people throughout the years whose sole intention in the gym is to increase their strength for purposes of powerlifting. They either want to compete, or just be as big and strong as humanly possible- and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. More interesting to me, though, are those who employ powerlifting techniques in the quest to become better bodybuilders. I actually knew a competition winning bodybuilder who would make sure to do powerlifting in the beginning and, surprisingly, at the end of every workout. This kind of power and strength building method allowed him to boost his muscle-building potential through the roof. After seeing that, I've always recommended his strategy to my clients who one day hope to be successful bodybuilders.
When did you first do this & how did you get started?
I spent an entire year of college designing all of my workouts around building power and strength. I'm naturally a skinny guy, so even at my biggest and strongest I wasn't apt to compete in any powerlifting competitions. Still, I learned the ins and outs of powerlifting techniques and massively increased my strength in the meantime. The couple of angles I gave you above will be more than sufficient if you hope to increase your power and strength. Give them a shot and let me know how it goes in the comments below.
Happy lifting,
J