So you want to get strong?

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What does strong actually mean? What does demonstrating strength mean to you? I have solid thoughts on what I believe strength is and what it looks like in my life. When I look up the definitions of strong this is what shows up:

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1. having the power to move heavy weights or perform other physically demanding tasks.

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1. able to withstand great force or pressure

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These are definitely true, especially in relationship with exercise. Strength is found as we build muscle and are able to perform functional and sport related activities. Most of the time when we build strength in our muscles we find a starting weight in and gradually build up the weight and increase strength. There may be some back and forth between weights in the process so don’t get discouraged, but with consistency weight is increased and strength improves.

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Something that I have found super helpful when trying to build muscle strength is performing warm up sets. There have been times when I have really wanted to increase weight, but couldn’t quite do it yet. What has helped me get there is starting with a lower weight (warm up set) and going through a series of about 12 reps or so, then bumping the weight up and trying again. At times I perform the warm up sets for 2 sets and then do the other 2 sets with the heavier weight. It could look like performing one set with 100 lbs, one set with 110 lbs, and the 2 sets at the desired weight of 120 lbs (just an example). Some machines even have the small increment weights you can add in to help you get where you want to be.

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A lot of times people get discouraged if they can only do 1-5 reps at the heavier reps, but the way I look at it is YOU DID IT! You lifted the heavier weight! That’s progress. It really doesn’t matter that you didn’t complete the full 4 sets yet, what matters is that you progressed. And if you keep consistently showing up and working on this, it will continue to improve. Next time you try, you may not need the warm up sets or you may find that you do 2 sets of 5 reps with the heavier weight and then you keep building on this until you are ready for the next level.

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Physical strength is super important. It allows us to show up in life and perform all the functional activities in our life, ones we enjoy and ones that are necessary. It does not matter how old you are or where you are starting, you can build your strength. There is no prerequisite except a willingness to show up and do it.

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There are other things to consider in building strength in the gym or in the recovery process from surgery/injury. Our physical bodies are impacted by our emotions and thoughts and from what I have found these things can really impact how our body responds to exercise and can sometimes limit our ability to progress. So if you find that you are showing up, doing the work consistently, but having trouble progressing, it might be time to work on growing other areas of your life. I personally utilize devotionals that I go through in the morning. I have a routine that I do regularly when I get up to build strength in other areas of life: spiritual, mental, and emotional. These things I found to be really helpful.

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If doing it on your own isn’t working, it may be time to enlist help. Help could look like reaching out to a PT, chiro, personal training, coach, or mental/emotional therapist. For me personally when I recognized some mental blocks in my recovery process, I enlisted help from a sports performance therapist. There is a technique that helped me tremendously working through trauma and they do it for sports performance as well. It’s called brainspotting. It has helped so much and I plan to continue with it in my shoulder recovery process. I also have a coach that I work with weekly that encourages me and helps me grow in other areas of my life, which in turn helps me show up better.

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You have to find what works for you and your life. Getting into a daily routine or enlisting support can help to build strength in other aspects of your life, which will help you show up better physically. If you need ideas of resources to supplement your journey to get stronger, reach out, I have a lot of things that have helped me and I am happy to share!

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Action steps

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Write down what strength or being strong means to you.

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Choose at least one (or more) muscle group(s) to work on and record your progress. Start with a weight you can handle and gradually bump up. Try doing warm up sets if you are struggling to get to the next weight and then try the weight again. See what happens.

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Reflect to see if there are any other aspects outside of physical that are hindering your progress and enlist support. (Asking for help is not weak, it is a sign of humility and strength + as a helper myself it brings great joy to another person to help).

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It is super encouraging to see how consistently showing up and doing the work leads to progress, even if it’s an extra rep in each of the sets. Seeing the progress will help spur you to continue on, even in the midst of life’s challenges.

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You could even write down anything you notice about how your body feels as a result of the progression of building greater strength. Do you have less pain? Stiffness? Can you do something functionally that you couldn’t do before?

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Try this out and let me know how it goes! You totally have what it takes to get stronger! I’d love to hear how you built strength today!

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