So if the title of this blog grabbed your attention then you clearly want 1 thing! To increase your strength in the gym. This could be general strength, or specific strength with a lift in the gym. Either way there is 1 simple approach that is almost guaranteed to increase your strength…..
FREQUENCY!!!
Now when I say ALMOST guaranteed, I’m referring to the context of your current training, because if your training already includes frequency of a certain lift then we can’t use this strategy to get you stronger. However if you aren’t using frequency in your training then this WORKS!! Now frequency with strength training can be 2 things. Either increasing the number of sessions….OR….if you are looking to increase your strength in a specific lift, then increasing the number of times your execute that lift (i.e 1 x per week to 2 x per week). Let’s use the Back Squat as an example.
So let’s say I had my only Back Squat session on Monday, with 5 sets of 3 reps at 85%. This session would be very NEURAL, meaning more stressing to your nervous system and therefore we may need more recovery time. Now we don’t want to take too much rest between sessions but we also don’t want to not take enough. So completing a similar session on Thursday will not only allow for adequate rest, but also ensure we are completing 2 high quality sessions in this specific lift to push progression. Now on top of this the second session MUST work around similar reps/sets/loads as session 1 to ensure that we are adding that similar stimulus with added stress to push a result. If for example you were to execute a higher rep scheme, this is more than likely not going to get you the desired strength gains in the time period you are looking for.
Now the idea of frequency is that it can be POTENT! When used well you will see some of the best strength increments in your training history, but when used wrong you can risk the potential of overtraining and injuries. If you think that this strategy is one that you would like to implement but not sure how…..DROP A COMMENT! Ask away and I am more than happy to give you a little guidance here to make some serious training success come your way. If you implement this strategy and it works…..LET ME KNOW! Enjoy the strength gains ahead
Coach Cal