By the healthiergang writer George Cook.
The 6 Best Exercises to Increase Strength
Many people today lead busy lives… which doesn't leave much time for the gym; because of this they want to see the maximum increase in strength in the shortest possible time.
Strength has been defined as “the maximum force that a muscle group can generate at a specific speed” (Beachle and Earle 2008).
The secret behind increasing strength lies in multi-joint exercises. Multi-joint exercises are often considered to be the key to improving the overall strength of various muscle groups at once, involving many muscle fibers and allowing you to work more muscles with just a few exercises. Below you will find the 6 best exercises to increase strength and I am 100% sure that anyone who performs these 6 exercises as part of a program will be delighted with the results.
1. The Squat
The first exercise is the squat.
The muscles of the legs and buttocks are the largest muscles in the body and which give off the most strength. Many people consider squats to be the primary exercise for training most of the lower body, such as the quadriceps and glutes primarily used to generate movement, the upper body is also involved.
In the squat the upper body is a crucial element in controlling the amount of stress placed on the spine. This means that while you train your legs you strengthen the abdominal area and many other muscles in the upper body. By involving several muscle groups at once, multiple hormones are released which can lead to an increase in strength and muscles.
2. The Clean Jerk
The clean and jerk is another crucial exercise when choosing strength-building exercises and is one of the few full-body exercises commonly used in workouts. For those with limited time, this exercise trains everything from the medial head of the gastrocnemius (calf muscle) to the triceps and trapezius in the final part of the movement. Doing this exercise as part of a regular training program guarantees an increase in muscle mass in all crucial areas - so it's perfect for building that "body for the summer".
In clean and jerk, abdominal strength is once again vital to the safety and effectiveness of the movement. This explosive exercise generates muscle fiber strength and speed throughout the body.
3. The Deadlifts
Deadlifts are an exercise often overlooked during a workout due to the fact that sometimes it can be difficult to understand which day to insert it ... is it back or legs? Many fitness professionals would say it is suitable for the "back day" as it stresses the spine. But actually, did you know that deadlifts also train the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes and of course the abdomen?
This multi-joint exercise is a great exercise for developing strength and power. To develop maximum strength in deadlifts, low reps are preferred allowing more muscle contraction and fiber work.
4. The Pectoral Bench
The chest bench is one of the best known exercises for people who aspire to both increase strength and that 'beach body'. Although the bench press is an exercise usually used to increase localized strength - it is a very effective multi-joint exercise.
There are several variations of the chest bench that are usually performed, for example the medium barbell grip, barbell on incline bench, dumbbell thrusts on declined bench and the tight grip version - which acts mainly on the triceps. By stressing both the triceps and the chest, the tight grip in particular is a multi-joint exercise useful for developing strength in the upper body.
5. Pushes Over The Head
Overhead thrusts are a crucial exercise when developing a round shoulder. It trains the 3 heads of the deltoid as well as requires a lot of strength in the abdomen to maintain correct execution during the exercise. This exercise, like all those listed in this article, also offers triceps benefits - which can be useful in the bench press and good practice when performing various other multi-joint exercises such as clean and jerk.
This exercise fits perfectly with general strength exercises where, to increase strength, an individual should use a weight that causes him to fail in 5 - 6 repetitions.
6. I Rematori
The final exercise of the 6 is the rowers. This exercise involves the posterior delts and the great dorsal muscle as well as again many of the abdominal muscles. Furthermore, the transverse abdominal muscle is crucial for the execution of many of the aforementioned exercises.
In rowing the abdomen is engaged, as in the squat, to prevent and reduce unwanted stress on the spine and to allow the exercise to be effective on the muscles involved.
Incorporate Multi-Joint Exercises into your Workout Routine
Completing these 6 exercises is not enough to achieve maximum strength gain. In strength training there is an increase in resting basal metabolic rate, which is due to the increase and density of muscle mass. This increase in basal metabolic rate can cause an increase in the release of anabolic hormones, including hormones such as testosterone - hormone secretion can be regulated through intensity and repetitions, with the optimum number of repetitions for strength being between 3 and 6 per series.
For beginners these figures will be slightly different, training each day by doing multiple sets with heavy loads and low repetitions can increase the risk of injury. For weightlifting beginners looking to build strength, 3 full body sessions per week are recommended incorporating all the exercises described above, 1 set of 12 repetitions - allows you to learn the right execution and get used to performing multi-joint exercises.
Gradually over time, once you get used to performing these exercises, it is recommended to increase the loads. Performing 3-6 repetitions is ideal for increasing strength - although this is not always the case as imposing continuous heavy loads on the body while performing multi-joint exercises can increase the risk of injury and fatigue of the central nervous system. To avoid this, many bodybuilders, fitness professionals and people in general resort to a pyramid system.
The pyramid system allows lifting of light weights with many repetitions, while also optimizing strength. A more advanced athlete could do sets of 12, 10, 8 + 6 repetitions.
A Message Not To Forget
There are different opinions and methods when trying to increase strength. While the number of sets and reps is slightly in debate, there is little doubt that these 6 exercises are among the best for strength training.
