Are you missing this key element in your training program? Trust me I’ve been there. Making the effort to go the the gym. Hopping on a cardio machine and running or cycling for an hour. Repeating this for months or years but not really making any real dent or progress towards my body composition goals. Then after hiring my first coach for myself I discovered the power of what adding strength training to your routine can really do. Not just for the feeling of being strong and capable of anything but also the changes it made to my body.
This made such a dramatic change in me that it helped shape and change my career going forward into what it is today. In this article I present some reasons why you should consider adding strength into your program as well as an example of what a program can look like.
If you are part of the Adaptive Strength tribe you would be familiar with the word strength. Everything we do is individually designed for you to reach your own goals but maybe your wondering why we prioritize strength in your program especially if your new to the world of training
It makes a lot of since to prioritize strength in our fitness routine. Research continues to suggest that not only does strength training improve lean muscle mass and function, but it’s also ideal for goals like weight loss, improving body composition and endurance training as well.
“Strength is the foundation for development of the rest of physical qualities”- Matveev
Regular strength training will help you increase your lean muscle mass, reduce your body fat, and burn calories more efficiently. We lose muscle mass as we age and if we don’t continue to perform resistance training our percentage of body fat will increase. As you gain muscle, your metabolism gets a lift and burns more calories- even at rest and when you are not in the gym. This is what makes strength training so valuable compared to just cardio alone for fat loss goals as a lot of the benefit comes when you are not even at the gym! Cardio is great for burning calories there and then but strength training will have bigger effect for the other 23hours a day you aren’t in the gym making it a powerful tool to utilise for your fat-loss goals. This improved metabolic output can result in weight-loss and overall making it easier to control your weight.
So while we will always incorporate mobility, agility, power and endurance training in our programs we know that improving your strength through the major movement patterns will have the biggest overall impact on your success so we prioritize it within your training
So how do you design your own strength program?
Keep it simple. A key pillar of ours is that we train movements, not muscles.
Traditionally, strength training was thought of as isolating specific muscle groups with machines or through direct , single jointed exercises like biceps curls or leg extensions.
Instead we prefer to prioritize compound exercises that involve multiple muscle groups through major movements patterns such as:
- Hinge: Deadlifts, Swings, Single leg deadlifts etc
- Squat- Goblet Squat, Barbell Back Squat, Split Squat etc
- Push- Push-ups, bench press, overhead press etc
- Pull- Pullups, Rows etc
- Loaded Carries- Farmer Carries, Suitcase carries, overhead carries etc
These kind of movements are designed to get the most out of your time spent in the gym so you get stronger, move better and improve your body composition all at the same time so you leave the gym feeling successful.
Here is an example strength program:
| Movement Pattern | Day A |
| Everything | Turkish Get up x 3/3 |
| Squat | Goblet Squat 5 x 5 |
| Push | Military Press 5 x5/5 |
| Hinge | Single Leg Deadlift 3 x 5/5 |
| Pull | 3 pt Row 3 x 5/5 |
| Carry | Farmer Carry 20m |
| Movement Pattern | Day B |
| Everything | TGU x 3/3 |
| Hinge | Sumo Deadlift 5 x 5 |
| Pull | Pullups 5 x 5 |
| Squat | High Box Strict Step up 3 x 5/5 |
| Push | Floor Press 3 x 5/5 |
| Carry | Suitcase Carry |
Example Week of Training:
| Week 1 | Day A | Day B | Day A |
| Week 2 | Day B | Day A | Day B |
Combine a basic strength building routine with 10’000 steps a day and you will be doing more then enough to loose that weight, tonne up and just generally feel more athletic and healthy. I dare you to pause and think big picture for a moment while you will feel and see dramatic progress in 12 weeks imagine consistently strength training 3 days a week and walking 10’000 steps a day for 80% of the year for a 10 year period – this will change your life.
Need some extra guidance or tips? Or not seeing the results you want? Send us a message we are here to help and more then happy to have a chat
