Quality form, technique, and execution are top priorities in the pursuit of improving total body strength. After thorough a understanding and consistency in performing major lifts like the deadlift, back squat, and bench press has been established, it's time to get quantitative & number-savvy in assessing your improvements and strength gains. The importance of having numbers can't be overlooked, and after getting some baseline tests (bench-marks) logged, having your personal records (PRs) will add a lot of motivation, focus, and a sound empirical basis to continuing to set new PR's. The 1 rep max (1RM) test reigns supreme as a gold standard in assessing progress with your strength/fitness program. Here are some of the main reasons why:

• Knowing how much weight your capable of at 100% maximal effort will let you and your coach know proper loads & percentages of your 1RM to designate throughout your program.
• Having numbers and tracking your specific progress will guide you as you navigate through your training, work on your weaknesses, and maintain your strengths.
• Understanding your numbers will keep you safe and help you avoid injuries during your training.
• Rank your numbers against standardized age & gender matched controls to see how you compare.
• For those with a competitive drive looking to set gym records and be the athlete everyone's chasing after, you've gotta know the numbers.
• Testing periodically (8-10 weeks) will allow you to effectively periodize your training to maximize your potential on test days and make timely assessments.

It's important to know the numbers, have an understanding for what is good relative to your age, gender, and level of experience, but it's equally important not to get too competitive or obsessive over them. They should really be for YOU, and utilized only for exactly what they are - DATA. The value of understanding your 1RMs, weights, and relative training intensities makes the difference between just "getting a workout in" versus having a clearly defined intent and purpose behind your training. You should always make sure you've established a good technical foundation and have your form and technique validated by a trained & experienced eye. So, get excited about testing your 1RM! it's an important piece of the puzzle in the inherently difficult but entirely worthwhile pursuit of getting STRONG!

Bruce Lee - an amazing inspiration & legend during his time is a great reference for seasoned perspective & philosophy when it comes to setting goals, training, and succeeding in life. He was once quoted saying:

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." ~ Bruce Lee

The key to these wise words is "...you must go beyond them." Hitting plateaus during your training is inevitable. What is uncertain, but totally dependent upon reaching goals is how determined you are to push beyond adversity, plateaus, and frustrating set-backs. In the same way that negative thoughts & limitations can spread into your work and life, so too can cultivating a mentality and habit of pushing beyond perceived limitations. Some thoughts on taking the 1st steps towards going beyond limitations:

• Surround yourself with others aiming for the same positive achievements
• Keep positive reminders around you or in plain sight - it's easy to get distracted
• Be able to recognize the feeling and signs that you might be limiting yourself
  • Low energy, motivation, lack of excitement, longer than normal PLATEAUS
• Seek help/support from someone who's experienced or accomplished what your working towards
• Be open minded & embrace change - be ready to try different things or take new approaches
• Take risks & embrace failure:
  • "Defeat is a state of mind; no one is ever defeated until defeat has been accepted as a reality" ~ Bruce Lee

Remember we create the limits & decide whether or not we're accepting defeat in our minds. So, doing the opposite also starts in our minds. But "knowing is not enough, we must APPLY. Willing is not enough, we must DO." ~ Bruce Lee

If you're training for strength, fitness, and/or performance...and not bodybuilding or figure competitions then the key and focus of your training should be on functional exercises, whole body integrated lifts, and training movements NOT muscles. Training isolated muscles and muscle groups certainly has it's place, but in the persuit of optimal fitness, strength, performance and body composition, training safe compound lifts will get you there faster than training back and bi's or chest and shoulders. Here are some reasons why...

• Compound functional lifts are what our bodies are hard-wired to perform, so improvements with these lifts and gaining strength with them comes more efficiently and adaptations are achieved successfully
• Since training whole body movements, like squats, thrusters, snatches, and upright presses are biomechanically natural they tend to be more safe, and reaching your training goals require that you stay healthy & injury free
• When emphasizing movements quality & understanding the point of a lift and what should be accomplished you will recruit the proper muscles required to successfully complete these lifts.
• Training whole body movements requires strength & stability through the core, so while you're training whole body movements you are effectively targeting your core.
• They require higher power output and contribute to generating an increase in your body's work capacity, in turn helping you burn more calories and increase muscle mass over time.
• They are purposeful and in many cases FUN! When there is a point and a purpose behind the lifts that you are working on there's much more a sense of accomplishment when you learn them successfully and can apply them in your day to day life!

So, in a nutshell...it's the quality of the movement and the purpose behind your exercises that should be emphasized. In most cases if its total body strength, general fitness, and an optimal body composition that you seek...learning how to perform whole body integrated exercises like the olympic and power lifts can be a fast, safe and effective way of accomplishing your goals!

Whether it's a round, rep, set...circuit, sequence, or turn - the key is ONE MORE! It's easy to bring yourself to a point where you feel you're exerting yourself and tapper off...finishing your pull-ups, bench press, or squat with a tough last rep . What's inherently difficult, but entirely worthwhile is going the extra mile and putting yourself in a state of vulnerable discomfort, not knowing whether you're going to finish or make that ONE MORE. The unknown behind that one more is where improvement and strength gain exist...but you'll never get there if you don't jump. Here are some tips to help...

• Work with a coach who can direct these efforts down a path where you'll continue to grow & reach new goals
• Go in knowing what a reasonable amount (reps, weight, sets etc.) for yourself is, then push a little further
• Train with someone with similar goals, expectations, and work ethic as yourself
• Don't finish until you've hit the wall, and successfully failed 
• Be sure you're executing with safe proper form
• Train with some quality pump-up music!

For the seasoned gym-buff or fitness freak some if these tips are a review, and summary of attributes that have been cultivated...but it always helps to be reminded of the importance, simplicity, and effectiveness of pushing for ONE MORE. So, if you're already there, remind yourself of how you got there, and never lose the drive and determination behind going beyond and outside your comfort zone for ONE MORE.

We all have questions about what, when, and how much to eat before a workout. Fueling your body properly is what will allow you to train at your optimal level. Let's start with what to eat before you workout. If you're planning on a pretty intense hour long workout a good mix of mostly complex and simple carbohydrates, a moderate amount of protein, and little fat is ideal in terms of a pre-workout snack. The carbohydrates will ensure a steady flow of energy, the protein will aid in tissue building/repair and recovery, and the reason for little fat is because it is harder to digest then absorb and trust me that's not a fun thing to deal with during an intense workout. Always, always hydrate before and after a workout, at least 30 minutes before.   Another tip to keep in mind is that foods high in fiber are harder to digest, so try and stay away from those when choosing a pre-workout snack.

Examples of good pre-workout snacks

• Whole wheat toast with a small amount of peanut butter
• Greek yogurt (plain) with granola and blueberries
• Smoothies made with Greek yogurt, fruit, and low fat/skim or almond/soy milk
• Plain oatmeal and fruit
• Apple slices with almond butter
• If in a hurry grab a granola bar low in sugar with the least amount of ingredients you can find

 When should you have that pre-workout snack? 30-90 minutes is a good general rule to follow for an hour long workout. Everyone's body is a little bit different so you will have to experiment and find what works best for you. Another factor to keep in mind is the time of day you are working out, morning or night. If you are working out after breakfast keep that in mind when choosing your meal, that might not be the day to have the Sunday buffet spread. If you are a night person try to save dinner for after and load up on protein but get that carbohydrate rich snack in before your workout.

Ever feel light headed or nauseous during a workout? This could be due to either not eating enough before your workout or eating too much. When you eat a huge fatty, greasy meal you feel gross right? Now try going to work out after that, I think not. Your body is using all its energy to digest that Thanksgiving size meal, if you start jumping around it may not want to stay down...you get the picture. On the other hand if you haven't eaten enough your muscle glycogen stores are depleted and your blood sugar may be low. Your body is screaming for some carbohydrates to utilize quickly.  When deciding how much to eat 150-250 calories is a good general guide for an hour long workout, everyone is a little different.  

Nutrition is not separate from training and training is not separate from nutrition. These two sciences go hand in hand. To train at the highest level your body is capable of you NEED proper nutrition throughout the day and especially before and after your workouts. For your body to build lean muscle and recover you need high quality protein, for your body to be able to expend the amount of energy needed during those intense workouts you need good complex carbohydrates, and for you to feel good while training you need good nutrition... bottom line!