It is essential for everyday life and sports activities: discover the best exercises to increase muscle strength here.
Muscle strength is not limited to size and physical capacity, it is more precisely the energy that the muscle can exert in a single effort.
Thus, a stronger person can lose weight more easily, put more impact on their activities and run faster.
The objective of this type of training is to promote the recruitment of muscle fibers more quickly, improve technique in exercises when using lower loads and improve coordination.
Bearing in mind that it’s going to be hard work and requires a lot of discipline, are you still determined to increase your muscular strength? Excellent! If so and if you stay motivated, follow our exercise guidelines and watch your strength increase.
Contents
THE 6 BEST EXERCISES TO INCREASE MUSCLE STRENGTH
When doing strength training, the repetitions vary between 1 and 6 per exercise, with a rest between sets of 3 to 5 minutes. The series should vary between 3 and 5 per exercise.
You shouldn’t exceed 5 to 7 exercises per session, so we’ll indicate 6 exercises to help you improve your maximum strength.
Rest between training sessions should be 24 to 48 hours.
These six exercises are considered the most suitable when you want to improve your strength. Are they:
- squat ;
- clean and jerk;
- dead weight (deadlift);
- bench press;
- military pressure;
- standing barbell row.
Squat
– Execution –
- Stand under the bar, feet shoulder-width apart, hands firmly on the bar, and elbows towards the floor;
- Start by squatting, bending your knees, and pushing your hips back;
- When your thighs are parallel to the floor, go back up to the starting position to count one repetition.
The squat is an exercise that works the leg muscles and is considered the king exercise for this purpose. In addition to the leg muscles, it also works the torso muscles while maintaining good running posture.
This exercise is also beneficial in hormone production, as it is considered a compound exercise, which will promote an increase in testosterone levels for greater strength gain.
Clean and Jerk
– Execution –
- With feet about shoulder-width apart and the middle part of the foot under the bar, grab the bar with hands slightly wider than feet-width apart and arms extended, palms facing backward;
- Fill your chest with air, lift your chest, and look straight ahead;
- Pull your shoulders out and always keep your eyes straight ahead to maintain good posture and a straight back.
- Then lift the barbell off the ground and bring it to your shoulders;
- While supporting the bar on your shoulders, squat, and when you come back up, stretch your arms and take the bar above your head;
- Finally, bring the bar to your shoulders and land back on the floor.
Pay attention that this exercise is extremely technical and if you don’t master the movement of taking it to the shoulders, postpone the execution of this exercise in a strength aspect, until you master the exercise with little load.
This is an exercise that works practically every muscle in our body, from the feet to the head.
Deadweight
– Execution –
- With feet about shoulder-width apart and the middle part of the foot under the bar, grab the bar with hands slightly wider than feet-width apart and arms extended;
- Fill your chest with air, lift your chest, and look straight ahead;
- Pull your shoulders out and always keep your eyes straight ahead to maintain good posture and a straight back.
- Then, lift the bar from the floor and hold the position for a second on top, maintaining the position of the back and contracting the glutes and abs;
- To return to the starting position, go down with the bar next to your body until you pass the line of your knees and the bar touches the floor.
When the weight touches the ground, if you are using a high load, let it stay for a second and repeat the movement again.
Technically it’s more than a back exercise – it works from the calves to the upper trapezius muscles – and is excellent for developing the posterior area in general.
Many people neglect this exercise as they think it can affect the lower back, but any wrong exercise can lead to injuries.
Bench press
– Execution –
- Lie down on the bench, with your arms wider than shoulder-width apart, and your palms facing forward;
- The back, shoulders, and buttocks must be in contact with the bench, as well as the feet must be firmly supported on the ground to ensure proper stability;
- Take the bar and align it with the midline of the chest (nipple area) in order to do the exercise with the best possible alignment;
- Move the bar vertically up and down, arms forming a 90-degree angle at the elbows when the bar is closest to the chest;
The bench press is a fantastic exercise for developing your torso and arm muscles, as well as your core.
Military press
– Execution –
- Have the bar resting on the rack and place yourself under it, with your arms slightly wider than shoulder-width apart;
- Take the barbell off the rack and stretch your arms above your head;
- Lower the bar until you get close to the eye line to promote good muscle work and push back up.
The military press is a brutal exercise that works your shoulders, core muscles, and core, and you should include it in your strength training routine.
Standing barbell row
– Execution –
- Assume a standing position, feet apart for good balance, while holding the bar with palms facing the body;
- Lean the torso forward, which can reach a position until it is parallel to the floor, to start doing the exercise;
- Pull the bar towards the navel, until it touches the body, and then lower the bar in a controlled manner until reaching the starting position;
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
The standing barbell row exercise is one of the most important exercises for building strength in your back, arm, and core muscles.
IN SHORT…
Here are six exercises that, in our opinion and according to the results of several studies, are the most effective to include in your routine to increase muscle strength.
Remember, train conscientiously and with good technique to avoid injury. Due to the intensity of training and loads, it is important to be accompanied by a credible professional in the field, who will help you respect your body’s limits and adapt the training to you and your needs.
Don’t forget that without good nutrition, intensity, constant patience, and dedication, not even the best training in the world will bring you results.
