How to Gain Strength in the Gym

It was always my goal to get as strong as possible, from as little as I could remember. Maybe it was because I was always a small kid, with little to no muscle mass, and was easily pushed around by the crowd. I started going to the gym from around fifteen years old, and fully immersed myself in the world of strength training. Seven years later and I now stand at two hundred and twenty pounds, with a dead lift of over six hundred pounds.

There are many different schools of belief on how to get strong, but the method I used is the method used by some of the top power lifters and Olympic lifters in the world.

Basically, you get stronger by getting stronger.

Confused?

What this means is that there is no pre-curser to gaining strength. Gaining strength isn't a bi-product of some arbitrary goal; strength is the goal in and of itself.




Technically speaking, to gain stronger in exercises you need to train with lower repetitions that you would normally do, and it's generally considered that from one to five reps is the ideal range for maximal strength gain. This is because the lower the rep range is, the more your body trains your central nervous system. This is important because the central nervous system is the driver of your muscles, and the more trained it becomes, the more it is able to recruit as many muscle fibres as possible when needed. It is in this way that someone who is quite small can lift a huge amount of weight if they are properly trained; their central nervous system is working very efficiently.

It is also of utmost importance that you choose the correct exercises when training to get strong. You should be spending around seventy five percent of your time and energy doing squats, bench presses, dead lifts, and barbell rows, with the rest of your time spent on smaller, arguably less effective exercises.

The following is a very simple workout plan constructed to help you get stronger:

Monday:
Deadlift - 1 set of 3 reps
Box Squats - 3 sets of 5 reps
Pullups - 2 sets of 8 reps
Ab Work - 2 sets of 8 reps

Wednesday:
Bench Press - 1 set of 3 reps
Close Grip Bench - 3 sets of 5 reps
Military Press - 2 sets of 8 reps
Bicep Curls - 2 sets of 8 reps

Friday:
Squats - 1 set of 3 reps
Romanian Dead Lifts - 3 sets of 5 reps
Barbell Rows - 2 sets of 8 reps
Ab Work - 2 sets of 8 reps

The aforementioned workout is low frequency, low repetition with the most effective exercises, and hence is a perfect way for a beginner (or even a seasoned expert!) to gain strength. Remember that it's equally as important to have adequate rest and sleep, as well as having a diet with enough protein and calories necessary to recovery from your workouts.

Always keep in mind that gaining strength takes a very long time, so enjoy the process!

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