How strong is wrong?

Strength is a word thrown around quite a bit in the fitness realm. So much so that what it means specifically isn’t obviously clear. A stronger athlete is inherently a better athlete but not everyone considers themselves athletes, so does that make developing strength unimportant for the general population that wants to be healthy and look good naked? Absolutely not!

Often times strength is spoken about as if it’s a general trait with almost unlimited carryover. This is not the case.  It’s much more specific than that. For example, strength developed by squats will carry over to other exercises similar to the squat, but as you venture further away from the base exercise you’ll see less and less application of the original strength.

Strength, as a reference to certain lifts, can either be how heavy you perform that lift for one rep or how many reps you can complete using a certain weight. It’s not required to squat a Herculean amount of weight for one rep to have nice looking legs or run fast. For most people, getting stronger in a moderate rep range (6-10 reps) of core exercises is an ideal way to weight train. This means you should continue to lift heavier and heavier weights for your goal reps on exercises such as the bench press, rows, squats or dead lifts. Getting stronger this way will reduce the risk of injury; assuming your form is intact as added weight will actually increase injury risk if done so at the expense of tight form.

Even if you’re not a bodybuilder or power lifter, strength has its place.  It’s important to set proper strength goals to help meet your other fitness goals.