If your fitness goal is to gain muscle mass, or to tighten up your figure, your first goal must be to gain strength. Which may mean that you have to change how you think about weight training, as well as your overall fitness goals. Of course, before you embark on any exercise plan, you should talk to your doctor. Never begin a strength training or cardio program without doing so under the supervision of a qualified physician to prevent injuries as you train.

One of the first things you have to do is to challenge yourself to work outside your comfort zone, and mentally decide to push yourself just a little bit farther than you have been. Once you’ve made the decision to do that – there are 5 rules that will help you accomplish your goal.

Goal #1: Quit thinking about size – and strive for strength.

Don’t think that you have to train like a hard-core bodybuilder to gain strength. Single-joint exercises that target specific muscles won’t increase your strength – you need instead to think about training like an athlete, and incorporate exercises into your workout that target multiple muscle groups at one time. For example, rather than doing leg extensions, grab some dumbbells and do some lunges or step-ups. You’ll build strength and burn more calories, while also increasing muscle growth far faster than simple exercises.

Goal #2: Spend more time in your “discomfort zone.

The term for this is called “Progressive Overload” – basically, your trying to make sure that spending more time doing exercises that are making you work harder. The best way to do this is to cycle your workouts. Let’s say you normally bench press 150 lbs. Rather than doing 3 sets of 10 of bench presses for the rest of your life, shake things up a bit. Try doing 3 weeks of 3 sets of 10 at 150 lbs,, then 3 weeks of 4 sets of 5 at a 175 lbs, then another 3 weeks of 3 sets of 8 at 160 lbs, then a final 3 weeks of 5 sets of 4 at 185 lbs. By the end of 12 weeks – you’ve increased your strength for this workout substantially!
Goal 3: Work Explosively

Don’t just lift – raise that bar as fast as you can while remaining in control. The best weight-training exercises for this are Squats, Clean & Jerks, and even things like Body-Weight Squat Jumps, where you stand with your hands behind your back, and squat until your thighs are parallel with the floor. Jump as high as possible, resting 3-5 seconds between jumps – try this 10-12 times!

Goal #4: Be Unstable

Do more unilateral exercises. Think about this – maybe you can take a barbell, and do barbell curls with 60 lbs. of weight. But, can you take a 30 lb. dumbbell, and with one arm do those curls? By having each limb work independently, you’ll work it that much harder!

Goal #5: Balance

Most workout movements are “push” movements. Balance that with exercises that are “pull” movements. For example – if you do a set of pushups, follow that with some bent-over rows. Doing lunges? Then follow that with some back extensions. Doing shoulder presses? Then follow up with come chinups!

Overall, what your trying to accomplish is to shake up your body a little bit – changing up the routine can help break your body out of a rut, and move past the plateau you might be at in terms of increasing your strength!

When you begin to plan your home strength training workouts, remember that there are other variables that can affect how fast you’ll see results.  Be sure to eat properly, get the right amount of rest, exercise frequently and change up your workout intensity.  Keep all of this in mind and there is nothing that can keep you from improving your strength, conditioning and fitness!

ew months ago I received a couple of photos from a reader asking me my opinion of one of his friends; Steven Reeve. I was quite impressed and decided to ask for an interview that he kindly accepted to give. I asked simply because I believe that this guy could go very far in this sport, sometimes you spot ’em, sometimes you don’t; this time I did. Steven is a Sports Nutritionist and Consultant out of Essex and doing very well. Here is his story:

Mick: What is your basic training system Steve and how do you construct it, 3, 4, 6 days etc?

Stephen: Well Mick, I like to train three days per week on non-consecutive days and use the following split:

Day One:

Back, Traps, rear delts and biceps

Day Two:

Chest, shoulders and triceps

Day Three:

Legs

I like to train my abs twice per week on non training days. After warming up, I will do only “one work” set which is worked to positive failure, usually within the region of 6-12 reps. This is followed by some high intensity techniques such as forced reps, drop sets, rest pause and negatives. On some occasions, I will do a super set in pre-exhaust style, such as leg extensions straight into squats.

Mick: Do you like to g straight into the hard workout or prefer a gradual build up?

Stephen: My training philosophy is to train intensley for a brief period of time (50-80 minutes) and then allow plenty of time to rest, recuperate and grow. I have experimented with training more often and with more sets and the only thing that I developed was over training syndrome.

Mick: Yes I agree, many people do not realise the dangers of over-training. I try and explain this time and time again. What about your diet Steve, is it so strict all of the time?

Stephen: Well in the off-season I don’t have a set diet and believe in making the most of this time by eating some of the foods I like, to reduce my pre-contest cravings. However, I make sure that I eat six me als per day (3 whole meals and 3 protein drinks with fruit) which contains good quality protein. I aim for at least 3 grams of protein per kilo of bodyweight per day. This way I know that I am meeting my requirements to make the fastest possible progress. I also like to take advantage of the post-workout window of opportunity (referring to a time when the body is highly receptive to nutrients) by making a drink which provides 1 gram of carbohydrates and protein per kg bodyweight to restore glycogen levels and repair muscle tissue.

Mick: Do you stay within a certain range of your contest bodyweight or like to get BIG!

Stephen: I tend to get about three stone over contest weight in the off season, which some people may think is too high, however, I find that it helps my strength and recovery and therefore my progress. I am also glad to have some competitions under my belt because I know I can shift it come contest time, which was previously a worry.