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!

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.

When talking about muscle soreness brought on by strength training, It's important to make a distinction between the extent & severity of the soreness. If 2-3 days after an intense workout you find yourself unable to perform normal everyday activities...like wash your hair, brush your teeth, get out of BED! (yes, many of us have been there), then consider the fact that you may have "over-reached", not listened to your body, been pushed too hard by a butthead coach, or jumped in a class/program beyond your level. On the contrary...the mild soreness felt a day or 2 after a workout, best described as a "tight" feeling, then this is perfectly normal, and an indication that you pushed yourself hard and got a great workout in the gym! In either case, damage has taken place in the muscle...it's the level and extent of damage that determines "good soreness" over "bad soreness" and whether or not you're going to continue to crush workouts, make strength gains, and get results, or be discouraged/defeated, and turned off by your training experience. So, here are some tips to prevent excessive "bad soreness":

It's important to understand that the soreness caused by muscle tissue trauma is a result of predominantly eccentric exercises (a load/force applied to the muscle as it lengthens) like downhill running, plyometrics, and resistance training. So going into this type of training requires some research - look for quality gyms with quality coaches, and planning - assess your level of training experience, and set your standards, expectations, and goals accordingly. Once you feel you've done this:

• Scale down the weight & volume (sets x reps) of your training in the first 4-6 weeks. A progressive adaptation to eccentric exercise is an effective way to diminish the impact/extent of soreness.
• Inquire about having a functional movement screening (FMS) performed on you to asses areas where you might lack mobility & flexibility.
• Be sure to stay hydrated and increase your protein intake before and during a new strength/fitness training regimen.
• Precede your workout with a dynamic warm-up (5 minutes) incorporating things like high knee jogs, high kicks, side steps, & jumping jacks etc.
• Transition into a general warm-up (5-10 minutes) by performing some low intensity sustained metabolic work like jump rope, burpees, rowing etc.
• On days where you're really sore, try to stay active, even consider a short bout (20-30 mins) of lower intensity "recovery" training like jogging, biking, swimming etc.

All of these tips involve training smart, seeking out quality gyms, and experienced strength/fitness coaches with good reputations. Anyone training wants to see results, set new goals, and continue to progress. Training as hard as you can everyday without thiking about some of what we've just talked about can slow you down...literally! So research, plan, and THINK about your training with these tips in mind.

Citius, altius, fortius...

G.M.