This has stemmed from my post 7 Reasons You’re Slow. Hey, why not find out why you are weak and slow. These are tips for anybody, anywhere, who is weak and they just don’t know why.
[wpcol_1half id=”” class=”” style=””]“Strength does not come from infrequent sloppy training. Strength is forged through the gnashing of teeth and intellectual preparation.”[/wpcol_1half]
You’re lifting routine was developed in high school
- Admit it. You learned all you know about strength training in high school from a gym coach. I see a lot of guys who do the same lifting routine every time they go into the gym. To me this makes fitness, for you, a check mark for the day. Like when a kindergarten teacher would give you a gold star for no real accomplishment.
- Even if you find a good plan you are going to have to vary it up. Not crossfit style, constantly varied, but still varied to some degree. Look at it as a game. The game is never let your body fully understand what is happening to it. Once you’re body figures it out it stops responding.
You have a chest day
- Say what!?!? I have already offended 80% of you with this comment. Keep in mind we are talking about strength and not size. Working out for extreme hypertrophy will get you stronger and bigger, but it will not get you that raw ridiculous strength.
- Having a bicep day will not make you a strong guy. You are worrying too much about a muscle that is too small. As opposed to a chest day how about a bench day. Instead of a leg day how about a squat day. You see where I am going with this? Focus on getting the lifts stronger. You can never go wrong with frequent heavy squat, deadlift, bench, and press work.
You lift in running shoes
- I feel like I talk about his all the time. Stop lifting in your running shoes. Especially if you want to be taken seriously as a lifter. Check out my post, The CrossFit Shoe Quest, and look at the Rogue Lifting shoe. Get something like that, or get the chuck taylors.
- My main point is that if you are still lifting heavy in running shoes, you probably do not know that much about lifting. You need to read a book, find a system, and take it seriously.
You don’t calculate volume
I’ll admit that this tip is not 100% necessary. But you should really know what I am talking about. This way when you try tip 1, and vary your routine, you at least know if you are varying it correctly.
Simple concept. Today you Squatted. You squatted 5 sets of 5 reps at 250 lbs.
5 x 5 = 25
25 x 250 = 6,250 lbs.
So you want to vary your program up to prevent your body from figuring stuff out. So you do 3 sets of 10 reps at 185 lbs.
3 x 10 = 30
30 x 185 = 5, 550 lbs.
Hmmm…you see a problem here? Your volume is not anywhere close to what you were doing. I lifted for a long time with no clue about calculating volume this way. That is why I do not say it is 100% necessary, but do I wish I had known about this sooner in life? Yes!!
Always go for at least the same if not more volume (more is always more).
You don’t have an actual lifting plan
- How many times have you gone into the gym with no clue what you area actually going to do that day? Too many, probably. I understand a busy schedule and nobody has time to sit down and plan a workout everyday. But take an hour on the weekend to plan out your week of lifting. Know exactly what weights you are attempting and how you are going to do it before you ever step into the gym.
- If you do not know how to plan a lifting week , no problem. Plenty of people have done this for you. Check out my post on CrossFit Strength. Two GREAT strength training programs. I love the Wendler program and it is still my current strength training program.
You eat too little
- It is very rare that I have actually seen people lose weight and gain strength. I am talking about people who are already in relatively good shape. If you are looking to gain strength and muscle, you need to eat. Eat, sleep, train, repeat. That is how it works. Emphasis on the eat. You burn a lot of calories when lifting. You want to fuel your training and give your body some calories for growth. MILK!!
Now go lift something heavy!!!!