You Build Muscle by Getting Stronger

Anyone who has been training for awhile has probably come to the realization that there is a strong correlation between getting stronger and getting bigger. A quick glance at weightlifters, power lifters and strongmen should make this pretty obvious to you. This leads us to the natural conclusion that even if your primary weight training goal is to look more muscular you will need to get stronger in order to accomplish that. So if you have been following a typical muscle building program for awhile it may be time to switch to a more strength-oriented training plan. The advice in this article will get you started on a serious strength building program.

Reducing the number of reps will help you to get stronger. Heavy loads are what increases strength, so using a heavier weight at lower reps will make you stronger. Staying in the 1-3 rep range is best for pure strength development, but if you are looking to add muscle mass 4-6 reps will allow you to increase muscle with your strength.

The down side to using lower reps is that it significantly reduces your total volume so to make up for the lower volume of your low rep sets, it will be necessary to increase the number of sets you do. Ideally you should be somewhere in the 5-12 set range in order to get the best results. This will of course depend on your goals and your current fitness level.

When training for strength we want near complete recovery between sets, so we need to take a longer rest between sets. This is in contrast to bodybuilding, were you want to limit the rest between sets. You may need anywhere from 3-6 minutes between sets, the exact amount of time will depend on the exercise. Serious power lifters are known to take up to 15 minutes between heavy squats or dead lifts!

Another important aspect of training for strength is the need to train more frequently. Professional strength athletes usually train for 2 or 3 sessions per day, 6 days per week, although this probably isn't practical for most of us it does give idea as to what's involved in getting stronger. Training for strength will require you to train as often you can, always being careful not to sacrifice recovery.

These are just a few guidelines to help you to get strong. The key to rapid strength and muscle growth is hard work mixed with a well designed workout program and sound nutritional and supplement advice.