Strength training has become more popular recently for a good reason.
Strength Training Improves:
- Bone density
- Muscle
- Balance
- Fat loss
- Fall prevention
- Energy
- Posture
- Flexibility
- And more
At BridgeFit, we believe everyone should be strength training, no matter your age or goal.
CLICK HERE FOR A CHANCE TO WIN ONE-MONTH FREE OF PERSONAL TRAINING (3 SPOTS AVAILABLE)
But here’s the problem.
Most people are doing it wrong.
Most people focus on calories burned or whether they’re sweating enough.
But when it comes to strength training, that’s not what drives results.
Here are the 3 research-backed areas that actually matter:
- Increase volume over time (Reps × Sets × Weight)
For each workout, you want to try increasing the volume of exercise. For example, if last week you did elevated push-ups for 3 sets of 8 reps, your total volume was 24. The next week, you might try to get 9 reps each set and bring that total up to 27.
This doesn’t mean max out and get crazy.
It just means doing a little more than the workout before. At the gym, we call it “better than yesterday.”
- Keep Good Form
We want you to get the most out of every exercise without beating up your body in the process. And it starts with form.
Every member goes through a flexibility assessment on their first day, even if they don’t have any injuries. That’s because limitations in flexibility can get in the way of proper form.
If you can’t get into the right positions, you won’t work the muscles you’re trying to target. And when your form is off, you’re more likely to deal with aches and pains. Better form helps you stay consistent, and consistency is what drives results.
On top of that, research shows that training through a full range of motion builds more muscle than shorter, partial reps. But most people do the opposite. As the weight gets heavier, they shorten the movement just to complete the rep, and that’s where both progress and safety start to break down.
- Train at the right intensity
This one sounds scary. It doesn’t mean listening to loud music and making noises.
It just means if the workout says to do 10 reps and you picked a weight, but you could have done 30, then the weight wasn’t challenging enough to get the results you want.
So what’s wrong with focusing on calories for your strength training?
To burn the most calories, all you have to do is get your heart rate up as high as possible for as long as possible. But when your heart rate is high, it works against strength training and impacts the two things that matter most: volume and intensity.
If your heart rate is high, you won’t be able to lift as much weight or get as many reps. And when your heart rate becomes the limiting factor, your muscles aren’t the limiting factor—your lungs are.
So it’s not that it’s bad, but it’s not the best way to build muscle and strength. That doesn’t mean cardio isn’t important. We look at fitness in three buckets: movement, strength, and conditioning, and you need all three to get to you goal and age well.
If you’re interested in getting the most out of your workouts without wasting your time or banging up your body in the process, CLICK HERE FOR A CHANCE TO WIN A FREE MONTH OF PERSONAL TRAINING (3 SPOTS AVAILABLE)
Dustin Yantzi
Owner, BridgeFit Personal Training
Voted Johnson County’s Best Personal Training 3 Years in a Row
www.bridgefit.co
