Guide for Peak Physical Strength

Your body is a temple. Here’s how to make it unstoppable.

Benefits of Strength Training

  • Increased Energy Levels

  • Enhanced physical and cognitive performance

  • Increased Confidence

  • Longevity and quality of life

Here’s a little bit about me. It wasn’t until I turned 17 years old that I decided to weight train for the first time. The image on the left shows me at 110lbs bodyweight. I simply decided enough was enough and for the past 2 and a half years, I always found time to train on a consistent basis. As a result, the image on the right shows me at 160lbs and moving weights I never thought I would even touch. How did I do this? This blog shows the exact routine I have cycled through for years combined with scientific research to achieve these results.

I have designed these workouts to be time efficient and work for anyone regardless of age, gender, or whether you are advanced or a beginner.

Why listen to me?

If you’ve ever felt weak and out of shape, I’ve been in your shoes!

Before

After

Plan for optimal strength

This training schedule lasts from Monday through Friday, and you will be working with heavy weights with the big three compound movements. This does not mean you should play around with heavy loads your body can’t handle, especially without a spotter, as this could result in injury or worse. If you are a beginner, focus first on mastering your form and technique on the big three compound movements mentioned earlier (bench, squat and deadlift).

Constantly maintaining proper form and not letting your ego get the best of you are the best ways to minimize the risk of injury. Then work with a certain amount of weight that you can perform within the 3 to 5 rep range. In other words, choose a weight that is light enough that you can perform 5 repetitions, but also heavy enough that you can’t do more than that. Then follow that by some accessories to get the best of both worlds. Below is an exact plan to gain strength and mass.

Monday: Heavy Push

  • 5 minutes of light cardio on treadmill

  • 4 sets of Bench Press, Barbell or Dumbbell, 3 to 5 reps

  • 4 sets of shoulder press, 6 to 8 reps

  • 4 sets of skullcrushers, 6 to 8 reps

  • 1 finisher set of pushups, until failure

Tuesday: Pull

  • 5 minutes of light cardio on treadmill

  • 4 sets of Deadlift, Barbell or Dumbbell, 3 to 5 reps

  • 4 sets of Pull ups, until failure.

  • Alternatively, if you can’t do pull ups, do lat pulldowns for 6 to 8 reps

  • 4 sets of any variation of curls 6 to 8 reps

Wednesday: Legs

  • 4 sets of Back Squats, 3 to 5 reps

  • 4 sets of Leg extensions, 6 to 8 reps

  • 4 sets of hamstring curls, 6 to 8 reps

  • 4 sets of calf raises 8 to 10 reps

Repeat Push on Thursday and Pull on Friday! Take Saturday and Sunday off!

Factors to Consider

  • Consistency - Like any skill in life, consistency is key! Do not become immobilized by perfection, just enjoy the process!

  • Volume - The more volume you accumulate, the stronger you get! This is measured by Sets X Weight X Reps.

  • Nutrition - A diet consisting of mainly whole and minimally processed foods is the most optimal way to fuel your body and adapt to metabolic stress

  • Recovery - Prioritizing proper sleeping habits is crucial whether you exercise or not. You stimulate your physical and mental muscles when exercises, but you grow them when you rest!

Citations

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-reasons-why-good-sleep-is-important

https://www.healthline.com/health/fitness/how-to-gain-muscle

https://jehs.ssrc.ac.ir/

OHIRA, Tetsuya et al. “Effects of Weight Training on Quality of Life in Recent Breast Cancer Survivors : The Weight Training for Breast Cancer Survivors (WTBS) Study.” Cancer 106.9 (2006): 2076–2083. Web.