Strength is about force output, not how much muscle you have
Another way strength is about what you can do and less about how much you can do
True Strength training is often half power and half hypertrophy programming
Isolating power requires long term programming
Bone is the last to adapt but the most beneficial for long term strength improvements
Almost always you’re gonna use heavyweight with long rest
Think 75% or more one red max with 3 to 5 minutes of rest for maximum strength
Think 25% or less of one rep max as fast as you can for 15 to 20 reps for speed
Think 85% or more of one rat max for one to three reps for power
The barbell is going to be your best friend for true strength
Never do less than 3 reps on a machine without a damn good reason
Never rest 3 minutes on a machine without a damn good reason
Landmine is good for accessory and strength base functional hypertrophy
You should rarely go above a 7RPE to maximize recovery time
You should never go above a nine unless you’re competing
Strength is primarily signaling focused (especially for maintenance)
Hypertrophy (to complement strength adaptions) is fairly easy-
Just do a couple truthful burnout sets / exercises after strength
You should never be actually competing during a regular training session
Unless it is competing with yourself, of course
Isolation strength is highly overlook and underrated but that is due to its awkward safety profile
(Hard to safely overload a single arm chest fly but that’s what this website is for)
Always lead with the hardest and heaviest of exercises first
Understanding the strength curve of each exercise is the key to safety
You can gain strength without gaining any muscle mass
In fact, you can get stronger while losing muscle, even though that is somewhat a misnomer
The sweet spot for classic strength is 3-6 reps/ 90-180s rest
Strength is about efficiency of movement using your type two a muscle fibers
Simply by being consistent, you will see your strength improve week over week
Strength programming can be combined with hypertrophy
In fact, it’s almost always recommended
It’s just important to have a clear distinction during training as to, which is which
In other words, stop maxing out on the leg press
You should never do less than three reps on a machine unless it is for injury, prevention, or safety assessment
So machines aren’t ideal for strength
If you are going heavy on a machine, then you should not be resting 3 to 5 minutes
Especially in a commercial gym
That does not make you a bodybuilder that makes you an asshole
STRENGTH
You gonna need calories
Carbs will be your best friend
Water weight is a mfer
And will flux 3-5lbs a day
(Especially if you’re eating carbs)
If you’re skinny or a (hard gainer), get a good mass gainer.
I recommend optimum nutrition
Regardless of dietary strategy, you should prioritize Whole Foods
Might be a hot take, but it’s better to eat a fewer big meals than a bunch of small snacks
This strategy builds in intermittent fasting which has additional metabolic in cognitive benefits
Consider this a warning if you’ve never actually been big
It’s a trap, but it’s also awesome
It’s just gonna be a pain in the ass buying jeans
Literally
It’s all fun and games until you can’t fit in jeans anymore
If you think not eating as hard then wait until you try always eating
Bulk season is incredible, but is only a season
Anything over 200 pounds with less than 12% body fat is pretty big
Remember - Size and strength are not the same thing
If you’re not sure if it’s water or body fat then it’s almost always body fat
Bodybuilding is like cardio for your muscles
It’s about endurance and distance, but keeping it within certain zones of intensity
Bodybuilding workouts are usually some of the highest scoring from an energy points per perspective
But can be limited in the amount of training sessions you can properly do based on the amount of recovery time
Machines can be your best friend or worst enemy
Really just depends on your patience level and availability
If you have access to machines, you should definitely take advantage of them because they’re a lot more effective of hitting the sweet spot for hypertrophy
But do not max them out like an ass hat that is not the point at all
Almost all machines are best somewhere between the 8 to 15 rep range for compound movements and 12 to 20 for isolated
You love me I’m gonna drink some more coffee. Take a shot of rest. I will get it back to writing.
HYPERTROPHY
First off getting smaller and losing fat are not always the same thing
Losing weight and losing fat are also not the same thing
Do not try to do cardio to burn off fat for aesthetic purposes
Water weight accounts for 2/3 of all weight loss
This is because your body is over 2/3 of water weight to begin with
Counting calories is just a start
Meaning, you should only do it for a little bit to get a better understanding of how much energy you’re consuming on your current routine
If you count calories forever, you’re gonna drive yourself insane before you lose the amount of weight you wanna lose
Or if you do lose the amount of weight, you wanna lose you’re gonna be so emotionally tired that it might not even be worth it
Understanding energy efficiency is key to not wanting to kill your self during a caloric deficit
If you have extra body fat that you would like to lose, all you need to do is focus on eating Whole Foods at the right time
Do this long enough and your body will reset to its best natural healthy weight
This does not mean that you were going to be single digit, body, fat and extra muscular though
But this is a guarantee against obesity
Having low body fat and being in shape are too very different things
You must remember that most fuel based calories better treated as drug drugs, or controlled substances than actual foods
When in doubt go without until you get so hungry that you will eat eggs
It’s not the sexiest approach, but it will keep you honest
Food cravings are different than fuel cravings
If you’re used to carbs, your body is going to react negatively once you go without them for a bit, but that’s not really your fault
It takes about three weeks to become efficiently fat adaptive to when your body prefers to use fats as its primary fuel source
If you become fat adaptive, it becomes much easier to control hunger cravings
You should not try to burn off the calories
You should try to change your energy intake and let the calories fall off gradually but consistently
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
SPEED
Slow is smooth, smooth is fast
A 3-2-1 tempo is ideal for muscle power and speed
Speed is all about signaling
Changing tempo, starting/ stopping points, and modifying the strength curve are the most effective techniques to improve power while minimizing risk
Most injuries occur with speed training
30 seconds to 120 seconds is ideal for cardio or functional movement power and speed
You should never go above a 7RPE with speed or power training until at least week six or seven
Consistency is the most important factor for speed and efficiency adaptations
Alternating training intensity is the most effective strategy to maximize consistency
Long distance speed is an entirely different ball game and comes down to maximizing fueling and your lower gear (oxidative pathway)
Anything over two minutes, but under 30 minutes is medium duration or distance cardio
You need to prioritize nervous system recovery over individual muscle groups for max performance
Speed and power are 2/2 of 1/2 of the coin