Get Stronger
Bicep curls, lateral raises and ab work might help you look great naked, but the secret to a godlike physique is squatting, bench pressing and deadlifting a lot of weight. Getting seriously strong isn’t easy. It takes a plan, the right knowledge and the motivation to execute.
Beginners often overestimate how much they can lift, while more advanced lifters rely on specialized techniques to drive progress. Regardless of your level, there are plenty of ways to make your strength workouts more challenging. For beginners, increasing the load or number of reps is a surefire way to add intensity, while intermediates can use technical adjustments to increase difficulty. This may include adding a rest pause to squats, using the pause technique in bench presses or taking away assistance by attaching resistance bands or heavy chains to their barbell.
The most direct way to measure your strength is by testing your 1-rep max (or simply, your “max”). This is a straightforward, no-frills metric that tells you whether you can move a particular weight for one rep or not. It’s the metric that powerlifting, weightlifting and strongman athletes use to rank their competitors.
The best way to improve your strength is by forcing the muscles to produce more force, which means keeping the volume of repetitions high and training to muscular failure. In the 1 to 5 rep range, this is easiest to accomplish with a mixture of squats, deadlifts and presses. Bli starkare