Strength is always an interesting subject. It’s an important component of fitness and essentially it’s crucial for performing every day tasks at any age, improving sports performance and preventing injuries, and also increasing lean muscle mass, at any age.
Nowadays, NOT to knock the conditioning component, but a programme lacking in strength training is a almost redundant.
Sure you can get you’re cardio queens (and kings) who run marathons and ultra marathons, but even these athletes can HUGELY benefit with the addition of strength exercises in their regime. Because it improves core strength and stability it makes lighter of the miles during trail runs, and adds overall speed to athletes that run.
Below is a great example.
The application of this type of strength training is all thanks to years of Sports science and strength and conditioning research that indicates that strength work will help any athlete from a rodeo rider, a rugby player even a golfer.
BUT, How Strong is Strong ?….
Lets get some perspective here.
Many trainees go to the gym, and sometimes every day to try and improve themselves, but it’s useful to have an overall reference to gain perspective for where you stand with respect of you’re own strength levels.
For anyone who knows me, and has used my services, they will know I’m a “Basics first” coach who is a staunch advocate of the “Big Three”, The big three are;
The deadlift
The Squat and
The Bench Press
Which incidentally are all power lifting competition exercises, but can also aid ANY athlete or gym user.
Shown in this image, The Deadlift and the Bench press
And for anyone interested, Myself and my associate George Young, devoted a pod cast to this subject (The big three), and proper technique. The link is below.
Once you are 100 percent familiar with the technique of these three exercises, and baring in mind that the following goals will often take months, if not years of consistant practice and attendance to reach the goals outlined here. (Note, it sometimes takes weeks, if not months to learn the correct technique to even attain the correct standard needed to perform the big three proficiently)
Real world, drug free, strength goals.
It is stated that if someone achieves
Twice their bodyweight x 1 rep, in a deadlift
Their bodyweight x 1 rep, in a squat and
Their bodyweight x 1, in the Bench press
They will be in the top 5% of the strongest people in the world (think that through, that’s fairly nuts, and worth doing)
This is something of a frustration for me, personally, because while I can without reservation perform the squat and deadlift at the required level, RIGHT NOW, but my bench press would probably need a few months of work to achieve because it’s a rusty area for me, proving the fact that “We all get what we train for”, but in fairness, bench press has always been a bug bare for me.
Going One Further..
To be in the top 5% of the strongest people in the world is quite something, BUT, there is a higher mountain to climb, beyond this.
For those with the resolve and inclination, but these are the kind of goals that take a life long commitment of gym devotion to attain them, and will make bodybuilders, powerlifters and strongmen out of those that manage to achieve them, or even if they get to 90% of these strength levels.
Keeping with the aforementioned “Big Three”, the kind of strength levels that if reached will in turn lead to a veritable “Transformation”, and these are.
A 300 lb (136 kg) Bench press
A 400 lb (181 kg) Squat and
A 500 lb (227 kg) Deadlift
In addition, and to add to this list, further notable and “worldly strength achievements” include;
1.5 x bodyweight in the squat x 20 reps and
Bodyweight x 1, in the military press. (strict style, no leg momentum)
Some of you may be astounded at strength levels represented here, and they may even seem ridiculous to any beginner or even intermediate gym user.
The chances are you are not close to these figures because you’re circle of friends are also not close to these numbers, and you’re commercial gym you attend does not have strong cliental in attendance, because it’s a rare breed.
But trust me, when I say many gyms do have these strong people in them, and some of these athletes are way stronger and can achieve way over the levels out lined in this blog.
I’ve had first hand experience of this “Rare breed”, and am full of worthy respect for how far a drug free lifter can take things. And it’s not important that there’s always someone stronger than you out there. Because life was always played on an uneven playfield.
The main thing is to concentrate on you’re own development.
I can help in this matter with twenty years experience as a fully qualified Strength and Conditioning coach.
If you are looking to start you’re fitness journey, I’m here to guide you with you’re training advise, as I have many, to a stronger version of you.
Contact me for further details of my coaching packages.
Martin Sorenson B.Sc.(hons). M.Sc (CSCS)
