Strength
How We Actually Get Stronger
Strength is arguably one of the most important physical qualities that we can possess in terms of overall health and longevity. Yet it can be an elusive subject for a large majority people who pursue it. On one end we have the typical fitness trainee who thinks of their strength as a measure of their…
See MoreHow We Actually Get Stronger – Part 2 [Muscle Contractile Component]
When breaking down what goes into muscular strength it’s important to firstly consider the person who is trying to build it. Are they someone who is in pain, not very active, in their older years and doesn’t have lot of muscle mass? Or are they an athlete trying to gain strength and size in order…
See MoreHow We Actually Get Stronger – Part 1.1 [Neural Component: A Body With No Limits]
Why is it that someone can compete in the same weight class their entire career as an elite weightlifter, yet still continue to lift more weight each year? Similarly, why is someone able to lift more weight 4 weeks after the first time they picked up a weight in the gym, yet they haven’t gained…
See MoreHow We Actually Get Stronger Part 1.2 [Neural Component: The Movement Hierarchy]
In our last article, we showed that increase in muscle size is only a small part of the increase in strength we see as a result of strength training. We showed that the neuromuscular system is the most significant factor behind our ability to get stronger over the long term. Much of this was focused…
See MoreTo stabilise or to mobilise? That is the question.
Mobility is very in vogue at the moment, especially in the CrossFit community. Kelly Starrett and his mobilitywod blog has seen an explosion of mobilisation/stretch techniques being used by the masses to improve their position and movement efficiency during training and competing. I absolutely love the mobilitywod resource; Kelly is a very smart man who…
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