How to build back strength
Strength training should be a part of the rehab journey and the prevention of injury plan.
Strength Training
The primary goal of strength training is to increase the maximum force your muscles can generate. It aims to improve your ability to lift heavier weights or exert more force, enhancing overall muscular strength.
Strength training results in:
- increases in muscle size or cross-sectional area
- neural adaptations motor output
- improved strength maximal force production
Hypertrophy training (also known as bodybuilding)
Where the primary goal is to increase muscle size. It focuses on muscle growth, making your muscles larger and more defined. This is likely what you think of typically when you think of strength training where people you may know split their days up into ‘back day’, ‘leg day’, etc. which is time consuming!
It’s important to note that these two training approaches are not mutually exclusive, and many people incorporate elements of both into their fitness routines. In fact, improved muscle size often accompanies gains in strength.
How to implement strength training
- Typically involves lower repetitions (1-6 reps) with higher weight or intensity. The emphasis is on lifting very heavy weights with longer rest periods between sets
- Longer rest periods (2-5 minutes) are common to allow for maximum recovery between heavy sets
- Emphasizes compound exercises that work multiple muscle groups, such as squats, deadlifts, and bench presses, as well as powerlifting and Olympic lifting movements
- Lower overall training volume (fewer sets and reps) with a focus on intensity
- More emphasis on allowing adequate rest and recovery between workouts
Normal body adaptations during strength training
It is normal to experience a large gain in strength initially as you first learn an exercise and the body’s nervous system adapts to these changes. The gains then begin to slow as the muscles themselves begin to grow.
This means that you should stick with your strength training program for a minimum of 4-6 weeks to first learn the exercises and then be able to increase the load of each exercise to reap the rewards.
- generally you will notice some changes in the 2-4 weeks due to neuromuscular and connective tissue changes
- after 8-12 weeks is likely when changes and growth are occurring within the muscles
If you are looking for a strength training program Starter Strength, SSP 2.0 or General Strength program might be best for you! You can view them in the Program Descriptions!
Strength training examples:
References:
Hughes DC, Ellefsen S, Baar K. Adaptations to Endurance and Strength Training. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med. 2018 Jun 1;8(6):a029769. doi: 10.1101/cshperspect.a029769. PMID: 28490537; PMCID: PMC5983157.
