Strength means different things to different people. The way an Olympic weight lifter looks at strength training is completely different to how an older adult or even a sporting athlete looks at strength training. There are many different strength types and having a great understanding what the different strength types are and what type is most suitable to your goal is critical in achieving the results you are looking for. Most people without realizing it are following a body-building program which is more about muscle size than muscle strength. To improve strength you must work with maximal strength programs however, there are many questions surrounding this type of intensity with the first one being is it too risky? What exercises should you use? How many sets and reps should you use? Do you need a weight belt and wrist straps and how many times per week is best? To answer all these questions and more I asked our trainer Nathan Fejes to give us his thoughts as he regularly uses this type of training himself. He has records of 150kg with both deadlifts and squats and 45kg with Turkish get ups.
What are the Different Types of Strength Training?
Before jumping into answer all the questions you might have here is a quick summary of the different types of strength training people often use.
Muscle Size (Hypertophy) – This is the most common form of training used in gyms today.
Focus is obviously on creating larger muscle size and methods used are often 3 sets of 8-12 reps with slow tempos to create time under tension and muscle fibre damage. While this improves muscle size and strength to some degree it does not improve maximal strength for it does not recruit more motor units.
Strength Endurance – Great for most sports and people looking for athletic fitness.
This type of training gives you the ability to develop muscles’ ability to produce repeated contractions under conditions of fatigue. A combination of slow-twitch & fast twitch fibres are used here. Great for building a foundation on which to build power and greater maximum strength. This type of training is also used a lot with Crossfit.
Power – Again another area used extensively in sports requiring that explosive burst of speed.
Exercises with medicine balls and plyometrics make up a big part of this training with a real focus on fast twitch fibre development to enable fast and powerful movements to be produced.
This is an area many people do not understand very well and often use loads too great which reduces power development.
Power training requires lighter loads than maximal strength in order to move explosively as most athletic movements do not involve slow contractions at near maximum force, but require more mid-to-high velocity.
And lastly this brings us to,
Maximal Strength – As the name suggests this is training to lift as heavy as possible and places massive amount of stress on the nervous system which is why you often see your arms or legs shake during exercises with this intensity. The big difference between maximal strength and muscle size is this type of training recruits more motor units within the muscles as opposed to damaging muscle fibres.
The more motor units you have, the stronger you become. You may not even improve muscle size that much but your overall strength will be much greater.
Multiple sets between 4 and 10 might be used with reps always between 1 and 5. To ensure quality of work and not compromising strength long rest periods between each set are also required. As with power this has a real focus on fast-twitch muscle fibres. This is really only for experienced lifters with great technique as this comes with obvious risks due to the extreme loads.
When I am training for maximal strength I do it for that reason, to improve my strength ability to its maximal potential in a single movement. Part of using this is for my ego to be the best I can be, but a big part of using this is I know I need to lift heavy things all day as part of my job. I regularly work with male clients much bigger than me who require me to spot them and assist in lifting loads. If I am not strong enough to handle these loads I could very easily get injured.
Another great part of this type of training is once you’ve reached plateaus and are finding it hard to progress further in your training maximal strength can smash through these obstacles. I have often been stuck on a certain weight for ages using normal strength endurance and muscle size methods to use some maximal strength programming for a month or so and instantly go up to the next level.
Check out the video interview with Nathan below.
Who should use maximal strength training?
Improving your maximal strength is great for people of all ages but it does come with serious risks. If your technique is perfect and it is relevant to your goals it is an amazing type of training to use and you will notice significant gains.
I don’t know anyone who doesn’t want to be stronger so it makes sense to use this method in your training. You just have to acknowledge that this type of training can be very dangerous. When lifting something 8-12 times the first few reps are not that difficult and you can get away with a mistake or two.
When it comes to lifting loads in the rep range of 1-5 you will not get away with any mistakes. NONE!
The very first rep is hard and your body shakes as your nervous system senses the danger to the joints. If you have any technique weaknesses you will pay a heavy price.
Technique is everything and if you are not 100% confident in your form do not try this training.
The next thing to consider is does this training method align with your goals?
Sure, being stronger is great but it may conflict with what you really need and you are chasing a load that is not going to help you.
For example with endurance activities like cycling or long running it can make you a bit heavier if not used wisely and compromise your training goals. If used for short periods of time at the right point in your training plan it can be an excellent way to improve work economy, meaning you can push stronger reps over a given period of time, which means getting to the finish line quicker!
However you just would not use this all the time and only at strategic points in the season.
Lastly a big factor to consider is STRESS.
Without a doubt stress is a big saboteur of any health program but it can be a real problem if you use this training method. As maximal strength methods place massive stress onto the nervous system you must be sure you are getting good sleep and rest and not overly stressed out from work or lifestyle factors. More stress on top of more stress will create problems.
Great Training Method for Females
Yes this method can be used with females and provide significant gains. And don’t worry girls you are not going to get bulky as it is very difficult for females to build size like males for you lack they the single most important ingredient to do this – testosterone. Females have approximately one tenth the amount of testosterone in their system making it virtually impossible to build significant muscle size.
The more loads you lift the stronger you become and more toned you become. And I am pretty sure most girls would love that.
You can read more about this in the article – 7 Reasons Why Strength Training Is Critical For Women
Best Choice of Exercise for Maximal Strength
The exercises you use in maximal strength programs must be very simple. This reduces the chance of mistakes and allows for greater execution of perfect technique.
If you increase the complexity of the exercise it can either lead to injury or compromise your ability to lift a heavy load as there will be too many joints and moving parts involved increasing the chance of mistakes.
Examples of good exercise choices are shown below:
1.Barbell squat
2.Trap Bar Deadlift
3.Barbell lunge or Bulgarian split squat
4.Single arm dumbbell row
5.Chin up
6.Barbell bench press
7.Shoulder press (barbell or dumbbell)
Even though these exercises are difficult they are still very simple to master for most people so the technique is not likely to be compromised.
Having said that some of the exercises can create excessive compression such as the deadlift, squats and even the shoulder press you still have to be very careful with overdoing it.
I find it is wise to use a complementary program that includes less intense and complex exercises like wood-chops and cable exercises that utilize single arm and leg movement. This gives my body a chance to avoid the massive compression and allow the core to provide more stability and freedom to the joints.
That way you have the best of both worlds.
5 Things You Must Include In Your Program
Warm up sets:
This is non-negotiable.
Warm up sets are important to slowly wake up the ligaments, tendons and muscles that work in the particular movement you are about to do. Getting blood flow and firing up all the muscles within the area doesn’t happen straight away so doing this is crucial! And yes not just 1 set, it can take almost 2-3 sets to get your optimal temperature so to speak! It can be time consuming but it is well worth it! Do not push yourself too hard too early as too heavy too quick will either result in injury or you not being able to lift it, speaking from personal experience!
Later we will discuss how many sets to do in the workout.
Never Sacrifice Your Technique
We discussed this earlier in the article and I will go over it again for it is so important.
It is very wise to use a spotter when training with heavy loads as this will preserve your technique and minimize the risk allowing you to work more safely with the huge loads being lifted.
ALL exercises must be performed with perfect technique as you will not get away with mistakes when the intensity is this high. If you are lifting heavier loads with the joints in dangerous positions you have a high risk of damaging your joints! If you cannot lift the weight your chasing for with good technique, but can or have lifted it in the past with poor technique, do not risk it again, it isn’t worth the ego!
Having the right technique of certain exercises is a whole new topic on its own.
Another thing to consider here is adjusting exercises to accommodate the loads.
For example, the deadlift might be less risky if based up on blocks. Not everyone can lift from the height of weight plates. The taller you are the more risky it is to lift from this height as the levers of your limbs pose many problems to your body to provide stability to the lumbar spine.
A simple adjustment of sliding a block under the plates might make all the difference and enable you to increase your lifting weight with no risk of injury. This is not cheating, it is acknowledging your body’s requirements which differ from person to person. Remember the height of the plates are not determined on anatomy of ideal lifting height.
Watch the video below where we explain this in more detail.
How Many Times Per Week Can You Do This Training?
This is where we begin to see big mistakes made.
I am going to go against a lot of studies out there saying that more is better, with many claiming that 3-4 days per week of heavy strength training works. I have been there and done that, it caused me serious trouble! My belief is to do more in a “single session”, rather than “more sessions” throughout your week.
The human body naturally cannot be put under heavy loads regularly, even with perfect technique the stress of the weight is literally crushing your joints no matter what position it is in! Too much with not enough rest just causes problems.
Focusing on one heavy loaded session is enough per week is enough.
When you consider that most of have to work full time, have commitments, kids, partner & hobbies outside of the gym this is realistic and not overly aggressive on your body.
If you are a professional full time athlete with an entourage of support staff with nutrition and recovery and no other full time job more sessions per week might work great for you. Everybody’s situation is different, the more stresses in life you have, the less your body can regularly handle this training. Again, speaking from personal experience with a lot of trial and error I found that my results from only doing one heavy session worked better than two.
Occasionally I can get away with 2 heavy workouts in a week but most of the time I will only do one massive workout and then use more functional lighter loads on other workouts. The times I kept pushing myself to fit in two or even three workouts I felt my body was getting overly sore, I was constantly tired, and I was excessively stiffening up in my lower back and shoulders. Also other fitness components I enjoy like my running and balance training became worse as I was too sore to focus on that training which affected my energy levels.
Make sure you read the full article about training volume – How to avoid over-training
By limiting my maximal workouts to one per week and combining this with a more functional routine and fitting in my run I am lifting heavier loads now than ever! I make sure I only do this for a short period as I will explain next.
How long can I do this training for consecutively?
Doing maximal strength training consecutively over a long period of over 3 plus months can start to put too much stress on your joints so you have to use short bursts to avoid creating excessive damage.
I like to do maximal strength training for 8-12 weeks straight as I find 8 weeks or less does not give me enough time to make adequate improvements. After 12 weeks I start getting too stiff and sore and notice my other fitness components starting to drop off.
I like to change up the exercise choice every 2-3 weeks along the 12 week cycle if I want to work on a bit of everything, however, if there is one or two specific exercises I want to focus on like the deadlift or squat I will only change the exercise once or twice throughout the 12 weeks.
Recovery is just as important as the training.
If I really spend the time to do the right things between sessions my body adapts much faster and allows me to keep going. Again this is another area often neglected by many people.
What Sets, Reps and rest to use?
Most of the time you are working in the range of 4-6 sets of 1-5 reps but this can also vary depending how good you are with a particular exercise.
For example, I have done a lot of trap bar deadlift strength training and am up to a level I am happy with, once I became confident with my technique and got used to the heavy loads I improved a lot by doing a session consisting of 8-12 sets in the session ranging from 1-5 repetitions each.
The Turkish Get Up I also spent some time with and even used 12 sets of 1 rep to get to a weight of 45kg using a barbell!
See video below.
The barbell back squat on the other hand is one of my weaknesses and this approach backfired as I injured myself following this same method.
This means I adjust my program to less volume of only 5-8 sets and monitor my fatigue. If I feel it is not a good day I just avoid this and work on lighter technique session instead. This has been a good starting point for focusing on my technique to be perfect every time and not overdoing it, as I know my body tires quickly in the squat and it only takes one rep to cause pain!
The rest time is something else that I vary a lot depending on the exercise.
It can be very long, especially once you have gradually reached to the heavier loads, can be between 90 seconds to 5 minutes between sets! Very time consuming I know, but that is what it takes to get the results, and being able to do a lot of sets of heavy lifting requires a lot of rest between each one!
Do You Want More Workout Ideas?
There are many different workouts I use. Pyramids, wave loading, and contrast loads are some of my favourites.
For a complete break up of all these workouts make sure you get the Little Black Book of Training Secrets below that provides you with everything you need to know about strength training and 101 different workouts to try.
Click here to see more about this awesome resource and get your copy instantly.
Workout Gear For Heavy Lifting
This is a controversial topic and an area I feel strongly about. Very often you see people lifting heavy weights with equipment like weight belts, wrist straps or strapping. I prefer to avoid the use of these for several reasons.
Firstly in real life when you need to lift something heavy you are unlikely to have these tools nearby. If you have taught your body to rely on them and now you don’t have it the chance of disaster is close. By teaching yourself to lift differently using these tools you are not engaging your muscles, breathing and joint positions the same as lifting the weight without them.
Here is a summary of each of these tools.
The weight belt:
If you are an Olympic weightlifter this is fine to use and absolutely essential. Just remember these people are elite athletes and their technique is precise and their understanding of breathing and positioning is second to none. My issue is with the guy who goes to the gym at night and tries to crush heavy deadlifts without the weightlifters skills and knowledge.
The reason people wear this is to have the belt to protect the spine when lifting a really heavy load. This creates a problem if you have not spent the time to know how to create good spinal stability using your core to provide an abdominal brace.
When you breathe in to build intra-abdominal pressure your stomach expands for the first inhale and then slightly widens but does not push out, doing this recruits the abdominals, obliques and transverse abdominus (the core muscle that attaches and protects your spine).
When you put a belt around your stomach you teach yourself to push out into the belt which is a different technique, this still recruits your abs and obliques but not the transverse abdominus, the one that attaches to your spine! Therefore, if you don’t have your belt and you are lifting heavy and you have taught yourself this way of breathing, this can increase your chances of injuring your spine.
Read this article to see more – How to correctly brace your core and protect your spine
Wrist straps:
When something gets too heavy to hold you lose your grip and let go of the load which is common to deadlifts and chin ups that require huge grip strength.
To overcome this problem people use wrist straps to keep going with the exercise. The problem with this is that the reason you lose your grip is not just because your forearms cannot hold the weight anymore but because other joints like the elbow and shoulders are no longer able to hold and stabilize the load.
By forcing your body to do something it is not capable of exposes the elbow, shoulder, and neck to serious injury. There is a reason your body wants you to let go.
Joint strapping:
Very similar to wrist straps, if your joint cannot take the load, then don’t lift it! Instead slowly week by week ease into the number your chasing for without the strap to teach the weak joint/s to become stronger gradually through the weight bearing load. Strapping can slightly help with joint stability through exercise but it cannot protect you entirely.
My approach is to do what your body can naturally handle and in doing so it will slowly strengthen the joint’s weight bearing ability.
Summary
In summary, maximal strength training is a great alternative to improve your strength for your current training, however it must be given great respect and care.
The key things to remember are:
•Keep your exercises simple.
•You must have perfect technique to prevent injury.
•Always use a lot of warm up sets with gradually increasing the weight throughout the session.
•Use this training no more than twice a week to allow for your muscles and joints to recover.
•Only using a maximum 6 week cycle with the same exercise focus.
•Avoid using weight belts and wrist straps if possible.
Follow this principle and you will feel strong and have a higher chance of being injury free.
About The Author
Nick Jack is owner of No Regrets Personal Training and has over 20 years’ experience as a qualified Personal Trainer, Level 2 Rehabilitation trainer, CHEK practitioner, and Level 2 Sports conditioning Coach. Based in Melbourne Australia he specializes in providing solutions to injury and health problems for people of all ages using the latest methods of assessing movement and corrective exercise.
References
• Movement – By Gray Cook
• Athletic Body in Balance – by Gray Cook
• New Functional Training for Sports – by Mike Boyle
• Corrective Exercise Solutions – by Evan Osar
• Low Back Disorders – by Stuart McGill
• Motor Learning and Performance – By Richard A Schmidt and Timothy D Lee
• Assessment & Treatment Of Muscle Imbalance – By Vladimir Janda
• Scientific Core Conditioning Correspondence Course – By Paul Chek
• Advanced Program Design – By Paul Chek
• Twist Conditioning Sports Strength – By Peter Twist
• Twist Conditioning Sports Movement – By Peter Twist
• Twist Conditioning Sports Balance – By Peter Twist