How does one get stronger?
In this day and age, it is not hard to find various methods around gaining strength. However, a method applied without the proper principles behind it is liking putting heels on a bull; sure, it might look nice at first, but what good does it do for you in the long run? The biggest approach to coaching that I teach revolves around principles. If coaches can understand principles, then the application of methods becomes easier and makes more sense. However, if coaches only understand methods, then when something doesn’t go right, their ability to pivot or adjust will not be effective and the athlete will stop making gains. So, in this blog post, I want to discuss four principles around gaining strength. Now, I do believe that there are a few more principles to strength building, but I can dive into those in another post. These are not principles that I made up; these are principles that have been around for years and years and are tried-and-true (meaning they work).
The first principle is SPECIFICITY.
If you are looking to build up someone’s back squat, then they have to back squat. If someone needs to get a strong deadlift, then they have to deadlift. If you are constantly varying the exercises, then that person will become good at variance, but any direct adaptation for a targeted demand will not occur.
The next principle is OVERLOAD.
Simply put, you need to strategically overload the system in order to build strength. Now, how you do this is covered in a blog about methods. What I want you to understand is the concept of overload. To gain strength, you need to create a strength stimulus around the neurological system. Simply put, this means that you have to increase the intensity, duration, type, or time of a workout progressively in order to see adaptations.
The next principle is FATIGUE MANAGEMENT.
What I am referring to around fatigue management is the notion of understanding recovery from a stimulus so that your body has time to drive adaptation. Why is this important? If you apply a stimulus too close to a previous one, the body will not have time to recover, and thus you will inch closer to fatigue, burnout, injury, or overtraining (in the most extreme case). Also, if you wait too long to apply another like-stimulus, then the body will never reach a super compensation state (increased level of strength) due to a lag of stimulus applied. The more you understand fatigue management, the better you can apply the weights, percentages, or efforts around movements and days.
The final principle is INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES.
Each person is different, and within each person, what is needed to drive a stimulus varies drastically. Not to mention, the principles around intensity, volume, and fatigue management all vary from person to person. On top of that, the structure of someone can dictate what movements or positions are better than others. So, the more you are able to take into account individual differences, the better you will be able to apply various methods around strength building.
The most important thing an athlete can do is to talk with their coach about their beliefs in building strength to get an understanding of whether that coach comprehends these principles. Otherwise, at some point, the athlete will make a stop and get off that train, to get on the GAINZ train!
Are you looking for a coach who knows how to get you stronger? Set up a free consultation with us at Conquer Athlete and see how we can get you to your goals.
I will dive into a few other strength-building principles for you in our next blog.
Coach Jay
