Max strength for the common man

This week on Get Change we talk training. Specifically, I want to
help you get as strong as possible. So, I thought I would share
how I approach strength work. 


First, you need to understand that tension is very important.
When we manipulate sets, reps, load, all that, what we’re really
doing is adjusting the dose of tension. We increase the load to
raise the tension, and we add reps or sets or sessions so that we
can extend the amount of time we spend under tension.


This is a great way to get strong, but it’s not the only way.
When you a struggling to make progress in the gym, try adjusting
tension in other ways. Try simple moving the barbell faster, for
example. Make the movement much harder by just increasing the
range of motion, or you can add a pause to the lift to increase
the time under load. 


These are effective strategies. But still, it’s not the only
thing that matters in the gym. You can also get much stronger
simply by spending some time on smaller accessory exercises.
Pistols, rows, presses, sled dragging, you name it. These
movements are not as important as squats and snatches, but they
are great for building work capacity, identifying and correcting
weaknesses, and maintaining balance in programming.