WHY EVERYONE SHOULD BE DOING STRENGTH TRAINING!

STRENGTH IS YOUR FOUNDATION

Foundations need to be dug deep, it's the first stage of your training and is not something to be rushed.

Think of strength training as the foundation you are laying for your body; the stronger and more solid the foundation is, the more powerful and resilient your body will become.

A building built on poor foundations is going to crack, crumble and ultimately collapse no matter how many times you try to patch up the cracks with quick fixes.

There is no secret sauce to this recipe and you don't need to over complicate things. But there are some basic training principles you should follow when you begin.

STRENGTH TRAINING AND WHERE TO START

Building strength takes time, it can be incredibly slow and frustrating at times, but anything worth doing takes time. Although there will be lots of different opinions and a variety of methods on how to build strength, keep it simple and reap the benefits

Start with

1. Squatting, deadlifting and pressing movements

2. Low rep schemes to hone in on technique

3. Slowly adding weight

So, can you squat, deadlift and press correctly? If you can move well in these 3 exercises then you are in a great starting position.

Including these 3 compound movements or variations based on your individual starting point is your first port of call. These can be done with weights or simply using a PVC pipe so that you learn how to move well before each of these 3 movements becomes a regular strength exercise in your routine.

Once you’ve laid your deadlift, squat and pressing foundations, you can begin adding lower repetitions of the movement, with slightly heavier weights over a smaller number of sets. This way, you can constantly assess and reassess if the movement is still being done well while slowly increasing the weights.

The links between the compound strength training exercises of squats, deadlifts and pressing movements are also easier understood than you might think.

For example a strong and well executed deadlift will have an impact on how you perform a variety of other movements.

Learning to deadlift well will:

1. Create a strong base for more advanced lifting movements such as cleans and front squats

2. Improve your grip strength

3. Strengthen your core. And guess what? This will have a knock effect on even your gymnastics such as toes-to-bar and pull-ups!

DON'T FORGET. MOVEMENT BEFORE KILOS

I mentioned earlier that you need to move well before considering adding weight. Our body cannot move without strength but it also can’t reach its full potential unless we are also moving well. So strength and movement go hand in hand. Good form and proper range of movement should be prioritised over the amount of weight being lifted.

Take the squat for example, if you can't move smoothly and pain-free through the full range of a squat should you really be creating additional stress to the muscles by loading up the barbell with more weight? You should be thinking “no!”

Poor movement means poor strength gains and poor strength gains means early plateau, injury and a variety of other issues that you certainly don’t want to be dealing with in the long-term

IT'S A MARATHON NOT A SPRINT

Yep, even in CrossFit. I know that this gets said a lot, but it is equally vital to your strength training. It takes time and consistency.

If you are just adding strength training to your programme or new to training you will probably make some fairly quick gains, even if your form is sub-par. However, overtime your progress is going to slow and you need to remind yourself that strength takes time to develop, gains are slow and you need to be in this for the long-term.

Trust the process, follow the programme and ensure you get the adequate rest to allow you to come back stronger every week.

MY FINAL TOP TIPS

1. Never ever skip squat day! This is my favourite training day and as you should know after reading the above, for good reason

2. Consistency is key, small gains added up over a long period of time make for some impressive changes.

3. Recovery time is just as important as training time

4. Focus on moving well first, then add weight

5. Train hard but train smart