1. Learn all the big compound lifts

The first thing you have to do is learn how to do all the compound lifts using a barbell. These lifts are the deadlift, back squat, front squat, bench press, bent forward row and pull up/chin up. These will be the main lifts in your muscle and strength programme. You have to understand and establish these movements so that your body can do them perfectly before you start to increase the weight. Focus on making sure the movement is perfect by practicing and developing your mobility to be able to move in the correct way.

2. Start by building your foundation of the strength movements

Once you have developed your ability to perform all the compound movements then you can start to build your foundation of strength and size. This is usually through a stage using the hypertrophy type set structure of 8-12 reps per set. Doing more reps in a set allows the body to get used to a movements whilst building strength and size of the muscle. If you add to much weight to soon you risk injury when lifting. If you are new t lifting weights I would stage on this stage for at least a year before you start to lift any heavy weights for less reps. However, during your foundation building stage you will get stronger and and gain size.

3. Supplements your single limb movements to increase strength and minimise imbalances

In addition to your main compound lifts you will have accessory movements to your muscle and strength programme. These are single limb movements and will help propel you forward to increasing strength on one side of the body. They will also help you build up on your muscle imbalances. Fore example, if you are weaker on one side this will cause an issue when you have a heavy weight on your back. Muscle imbalances can cause injury if they aren’t addressed early on in the programme. so make sure you establish them and keep building on them to make sure this doesn’t happen.

4. Increase the weight gradually in your muscle and strength programme

Your coach or personal trainer in Chiswick will let you know when it is ok to put up the weigh up. the first weight increase will and should be determined by your ability to move. This can be done during your hypertrophy phase. Once you can do the movements properly the weight can be increase by 2.5kg per week. However, it is also a good idea to go with your feeling of how a movements feels for your body. If it doesn’t feel right to put the weight up one week. I would leave it two weeks, practice some more and then increase it again. This allows you to feel conformable and gradually increase in strength.

5. Eat carbs and protein for energy and recovery

If you are planning on gaining strength and size during your muscle and strength programme. This information is crucial for your success. If you are planning a big lifting session you want to have fuel in your tank to be able to complete the workout. Therefore, eating your complex carbs an hour before your workout is essential. Eating carbs will help you have the ability to push your body more during a workout. So, don’t think of not eating them whilst training because you will start to feel light headed and won’t have a great workout.

You will also have to increase your protein intake during your program. A rough guideline is to eat 0.8g-2.0g of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. This is also essential for healthy weight gain. This will allow you to grow and recover from your workouts using the food that you eat. Good sources of protein come from animal based food like fish, eggs, meats, dairy products, nuts and legumes. You will have to consult with a nutritional therapist if you are vegan or vegetarian.

6. Let the body recover

Using dedicated active rest days or full rest days to make sure your body recovers from your workouts will also be essential to your success in gaining any strength or muscle. I would recommend that you take at least 2-3 rest days per week. However, this will be determined by your age and your ability to recover. In your rest days make sure you eat a healthy diet inline with your goals, drink enough water and go for a walk to move body.

Another aspect of recovery is managing to get enough sleep to let your body recover. 8 hours a sleep a night is deemed a great amount of sleep to make sure your body is going to achieve its goals. If you are working out hard, recovery will be in line with the same amount of importance to develop your body further.

Make sure that your training is fun and in line with your wellbeing

If you are training for one goal alone then this isn’t good enough. You have to be able to make sure than your mental health is also supported in your training regime. Therefore, making sure that you are having fun and enjoying your training is crucial. Get a training partner or friend to train with because these will help you on your tough days. You want to develop a healthy relationship with your body so that you can continue a healthy life.