How do improve strength

ratty

New Member
What are peoples opinions on how to maximally improve your strength??

Is it training to failure that has a dramatic effect, training with maximal weights or a combination of the both??
 
i would combine both. you should get good results.


however for what its worth my deadlifts improved most with hst 3x per week.
 
Training to failure often will seriously fry your CNS and jeopardize your ability to regularly increase the weights which will slow down your strength increase.
 
It depends on what sort of failure you are talking about. I've done DC and experienced great strength gains using rest pause. However, I've had great strength gains with HST too. Failure is not necessary for strength gains but it can be good sometimes too.
 
If you are planning on keeping your body weight the same (and without any recomp) then going to failure will have to be a part of your training if you want to increase strength levels. There is also the chance that you get 'better' at performing a certain lift (ie. your clean or squat might go up because you learn a more efficient way of performing the movement).

If you are happy to gain weight then training to failure becomes much less important but it will still be necessary to train at a level where force production is high and the working muscle tissue is in fused tetany (ie. all motor units are 'on'). This tends to occur nearer the end of a set if the loads are around 70% of 1RM and for all reps where loads are at around 85% of 1RM or higher (I expect these numbers vary from individual to individual).

Max-stim, clustering during HST 5s, rest-pause, PITT force etc, are all geared towards helping to get a decent amount of work done whilst in this 'fused tetany' zone and without fatigue build up reducing actual force production too much. This keeps strain on the muscle tissue high enough for long enough to elicit a PS response.
 
I agree that you will need to do both. To increase my strength for competition I would use partials to focus on the weakest portions of my lift and slowly extend the range of motion until I was lifting the heavier weight over the full range. This really works. As an example: For deadlift, on top of your normal set training you would add partial pulls with your target weight, which is above your current 1 RM. Start with the weight on a middle peg on the rack and do a partial deadlift with it for say five singles. The next time you would lower the weight down to the next pin on the rack and pull it just a few inches further. Continue this process until you could pull it from the floor.

My core training would be the big three lifts with rows, chins or latpulls, military press and shrug work. I would perform isolations for body parts that I felt needed boistered to assist the big lifts and try to choose movements that most closely mimic the movement used in the big 3 lifts. An example would be to train my arms to increase my rowing weight, I would choose hammer and reverse curls as opposed to isolation curls since these movements are more similar to what is happening during the row.
 
What do you guys think of this kind of training? It's supposedly the training program that Alexey Sivokon does, and he can bench 480lbs at a bodyweight of 148. I found this page wich shows his bench only max at 524lbs!
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(ratty @ Aug. 29 2008,9:48)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">What are peoples opinions on how to maximally improve your strength??

Is it training to failure that has a dramatic effect, training with maximal weights or a combination of the both??</div>
I had a lot of luck using Stephan Korte's program -- here.

Korte calls for neither training to failure, nor using maximal weights. The first phase required a lot of rep (a LOT of reps) of bench, squat, and deads three times per week. The weight wasn't heavy at all: in the 60% 1RM range. It was exhausting but profitable. The second phase has far fewer lifts, but they get heavy in a hurry.
 
The vast majority of powerlifters are NOT training to failure , and since your question was about STRENGTH as opposed to size AND strength or just size this is pertinent. For pure strength at the quickest pace without incorporating too much complication ; triples ,(anywhere from 3x3 -6x3 dependant on other programming variables , frequency, volume ect.) are incredibly effective.
                  Also you may find the ideas of Doug Hepburn interesting if singles or double progression methods &quot;fit&quot; your temperament better.
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These are ways to work very close to failure at high loads and be able to sustain productive and progressive cycles. As LOL indicated rest pause techniques may also be that &quot;perfect fit&quot; for you , it all depends on the individuals physical and mental response to each &quot;way&quot;
 
Excellent post, Russ. I've been playing with 3 workouts a week lately, shooting for fives, but if I hit only a double, I'd stay at that weight until I hit it x 5 and then progress. Chest, back, and leg day all separate, old school style, one hour in and out. It fit my work schedule and so far my weight is back up (214) and strengths are just under my old maxes...pulled a 425 dead yesterday and a 405 sloppy squat, so I see some new PR's coming off of this bulk. Hate the fat, but the Yuppies give me a lot of room at the gym. (got a temporary Bally's membership to get out of the house)
I was actually surprised that once a week hits were working, since they didn't before.
 
<div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Is it training to failure that has a dramatic effect</div>
yeah, sometimes

<div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">training with maximal weights</div>
yeah, sometimes

<div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">or a combination of the both??</div>
yeah, sometimes


For me, it's all about programs, programs and more programs.  

For instance, do an Ed Coan bench press program.  If you get the results that your program calculator or spreadsheet forecasts at the end of x number of weeks, do it again.  If you don't, move onto another program.  You learn alot about your strengths &amp; limitations this way, eventually writing your own workout routines based on what works for you.
 
<div>
(stevejones @ Nov. 03 2008,1:21)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE"> <div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Is it training to failure that has a dramatic effect</div>
yeah, sometimes

<div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">training with maximal weights</div>
yeah, sometimes

<div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">or a combination of the both??</div>
yeah, sometimes


For me, it's all about programs, programs and more programs.  

For instance, do an Ed Coan bench press program.  If you get the results that your program calculator or spreadsheet forecasts at the end of x number of weeks, do it again.  If you don't, move onto another program.  You learn alot about your strengths &amp; limitations this way, eventually writing your own workout routines based on what works for you.</div>
actually that makes alot of sense.

hst is the only program that significantly improved my deadlifting abilities.
 
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