#07 - A System for Big Power & Strength

Today we are going to discover a brilliantly simple system for building strength and power.

The science behind it is well-established and it can be suited to everyone’s training needs and goals.

Many of us in the past have trained for muscle growth - and this is great.

However, training purely for strength is a different game. The same is true for power.

These variables are addressed in this training system.

Strength is crucial for so much.

Joint health. Movement quality. Muscular robustness. Independence as we age. The list goes on.

Power often gets overlooked.

It is crucial for athletic performance and is the aspect of fitness we lose most as we age. Keeping it around is a good idea.

However, we must train in the right way.

Don’t just train like a bodybuilder.

To build muscle, a big range of rep ranges will work. Anything from 5-30.

However with strength and power, it is more of an exact science.

Going too high with the repetition number will reduce the quality of our movements.

Not ideal for strength and power.

Also, a lot of us want to feel as if we’ve accomplished something when we train.

If we are not at least a bit fatigued something must have gone wrong, right?

But when it comes to strength and power, fatigue is the enemy.

If we don’t rest long enough between sets, we won’t be as recovered as we need to be.

Gains in these areas will not be as good as they could be.

Read on to find out exactly how to go about strength and power training.

1 - Exercise selection.

We need to get our exercises right.

Power and strength are best suited to multi-joint compound movements.

Here are some of my favourites for power:

• Olympic-style exercises (Cleans, Snatches, Jerks)

• Plyometrics (Depth Jumps, Plyometric push ups etc.)

• Medicine Balls (Throws and Slams)

For strength:

• Powerlifting movements (Bench, Squat, Deadlift)

• Calisthenics basic (Dips & Pull Ups)

• Advanced calisthenics (Pistol Squats & One-Arm Push Ups)

2 - Getting the weight right.

While the fundamentals of this system (reps, sets, rest etc.) are the same for strength and power, there is a key difference.

The weight you use.

Strength is our ability to produce force. Moving heavy things in other words.

This is often a barbell or our body weight.

Therefore, between 70-90% of your 1-Repetition Maximum is the range for strength.

(For bodyweight exercises, make them tough - add weight if needed).

Power is different. With power we need speed.

The weight we use cannot be too heavy else we can’t move quickly enough.

Between 30-70% 1RM is the range. You can possibly go a bit heavier if you are doing Olympic Weightlifting exercises.

3 - Intent.

This is a very underrated aspect of lifting.

We need to have a clear focus.

As mentioned previously, strength is about force.

When training for strength, your intent needs to be to produce as much force as possible.

With power, intend to move the weight as quickly as possible.

Combine this intent with the correct loads and you are well on your way.

4 - The method in a nutshell.

I’ve kept you waiting long enough. Here it is:

• 3-5 exercises

• 3-5 reps

• 3-5 minutes rest

• 3-5 sets

• 3-5 days per week

Adapt this system to suit your needs. There’s a lot of freedom here.

That’s all for today.

Here’s to gaining some strength and power!

Have a good one,

Adam.