08 Apr 10 Simple Ways to Get Insanely Strong.

Let’s kick off the “NEW LOOK” Rdella Training, with a short, but important article on how to get stronger.

Why get stronger?

The simple answer is that strength seems to help just about everything else we want.

Whether that’s fat loss, building more muscle, boosting our energy and self confidence, or increasing performance in many other areas of our lives.

Stronger is better.

There is the question, how strong is strong enough?

I’ll answer that specific question in an upcoming article.

But, for now, here’s 10 ways we can all get stronger.

1-LIFT HEAVIER.

An obvious answer, I know.

But to get stronger, we have to train with heavier loads.

Ask yourself, are you training with heavier loads or are you going through the motions stuck in a plateau?

Are you making progress?

As a reader here, I’m sure you are making progress, but only you know the truth.

I also need to say that we have to be smart about training heavy.

Safe training is something I constantly reinforce.

While I advocate heavier training, we’ve got to be really smart about what we do.

2-PRACTICE THE SKILL.

Strength is a skill, as you probably already know.

Gaining strength is a neuromuscular process.

This occurs by increasing the firing of our nervous system and recruiting more motor neurons (the communication between our nerves and muscles).

To physically get stronger, we need to practice the skill of strength to recruit motor neurons.

Heavier loads, more muscular tension, and proper movement efficiency are ways we do this.

This is a really important concept to understand.

3-ELIMINATE WHAT IS UNNECESSARY.

I’m going to be blunt, get rid of the fluff.

Toss out the irrelevant exercises that don’t significantly contribute to the big picture.

Do we really need an exhaustive exercise list or should we focus on the critical few?

No matter what the goal, toss out 80% of what you think you need and just focus on the most important 20%.

4-REST AND RECOVER.

We can’t make progress if we go “all out, all the time.”

We just can’t do it.

Understand that proper rest is critical for results and performance, especially when training with heavy loads.

Learn to embrace rest and incorporate recovery methods on “off” days.

We cannot take the importance of rest and recovery for granted.

Smart, experienced athletes rest and recover.

5-FOCUS ON FUNDAMENTALS.

“The elite are the elite because they are better at the fundamentals than everyone else.”

Enough said on the importance of the fundamentals.

6-PICK ONE PROGRAM. STICK TO IT.

I can’t emphasize enough the importance of a program.

To get results, we must have a plan, a program.

Many programs are effective.

Pick one and don’t stop the program until it’s complete.

This is the true secret to strength gains.

7-WAVE THE LOADS.

While the right program is the key, knowing how to back off after the program is complete is equally important.

Know how to “de-load” when coming off a heavy training cycle or program.

To minimize risk for injury, prevent burnout, and to accelerate strength and performance, we have to scale our training back and “de-load” for a time period after the completion of a program.

This is known as “waving the load.”

As mentioned earlier, we simply CANNOT train “all out, all the time.”

8-LIFT EXPLOSIVELY.

Learning to train explosively is an important component to strength gains.

As Dr. Fred Hatfield (Dr. Squat) revealed in our recent podcast interview, his top advice to get stronger was to lift explosively (using C.A.T. known as Compensatory Acceleration Training).

This is a major topic that would require going beyond the scope of this article, but the concept is to achieve maximum force as quickly as possible.

There are many ways to do this, but it’s important that we recognize the importance of lifting explosively to gain maximum strength.

This powerful tip made the difference for me when it came time to attempt my max deadlift attempt in a recent powerlifting meet.

To get stronger, remember this.

Accelerate through the movement and be very explosive.

9-HAVE THE RIGHT MINDSET.

This is often a forgotten aspect of successful peak performance training.

From techniques such as visualization and mental rehearsal to mindset training in self confidence, the mental component in strength training is huge.

There are so many factors relevant to mindset that books have been written exclusively on the topic.

The big thing is to train yourself to have a “championship mindset” and think like an athlete.

If you want peak performance results, we must conquer the mental side of lifting.

(*Look for much more on this specific topic coming soon.)

10-GET A QUALITY COACH.

Dan John told me “every coach needs a coach.”

He’s absolutely right.

No matter where you are in your journey, everyone that’s committed to success needs coaching at some level.

Whether that’s a more frequent, structured schedule or whether it’s done once or twice a year at a “live” workshop, we all need coaches.

And, a good coach is not enough.

We need exceptional teachers, experts, and passionate leaders who know their craft and can help us in our journey.

To get stronger and perform at a higher level, we need high quality coaching.

In summary, strength training will help us move closer to optimizing our potential and achieving our goals.

We all need to be strong, the question is how strong do we need to be?

I’ll have that answer for you soon.

If you enjoyed this, please share it.

(By the way, this is just the beginning of many changes and NEW things coming from RdellaTraining.)

Scott Iardella writes about proven strength training methods to optimize health and performance. Join a growing community of passionate fitness enthusiasts by subscribing below.