What is strength?

This is an important question to ask yourself before beginning your strength journey. How you define strength will alter how you design your workouts tremendously.

In its simplest form strength is

1. the quality or state of being strong.

2. mental power, force, or vigor.

3. moral power, firmness, or courage.

dictionary.com

This definition hits three very important points: to fully maximize your strength potential you need to have a strong and powerful body, an unbreakable and enduring mind, and an unwavering moral compass.

The goals you set for yourself will create a hard body and strong mind. The discipline gained from goal setting and achieving what you set out to accomplish is a strength that leads to ultimate freedom.

How to put this into practice

Pick 2 physical goals and 1 mental goal. Create a clearly thought out and measurable plan that will allow you to succeed. I recommend using SMART goal setting techniques to help get the ball rolling in a positive direction. A strong goal will lead to even stronger results.

I guarantee if you stay chasing the strength bug consistently your definition will change overtime.

Take a look at my transformation

10 years ago strength was dominating the person in front of me on the football field.

5 years ago it was having the most weight on the bar in the gym (the ego of a 20 something)

Today, strength is the ability to do what I want, when I want, and look good doing it.

This is a good thing, your goals will change as you change. Having the confidence that you can accomplish any goal you set for yourself is what separates those who succeed in life from those who are content with what they have because they are afraid to chase what they want.

Don’t get caught up in the hype

today many associate strength training to powerlifting, and athletic training. While this is in fact strength training it should not be assumed that you must be a powerlifter or athlete to strength train.

Strength training is about accomplishing any physical feat that you challenge yourself to accomplish.

Squatting your body weight or more.

Mastering a handstand because you always wanted to.

Learning how to do the olympic lifts for the first time.

Wanting to do 20 pistol squats in a row.

It is not giving up your social life to hit a new PR

It is not giving up life’s pleasure such as drinks with friends because you don’t want to risk ruining your workout with one beer (this is not the same as binge drinking.)

It is not wanting the biggest biceps or biggest butt just to impress your peers.

It is a very personal journey that is different for everyone. Once you start you begin finding things out about yourself that will surprise you. You will notice that you have much more will power and inner strength than you thought. You have the ability to overcome many obstacles that you thought were impossible. It is a joy that unfortunately not every one will experience.

Get it done

At this point I hope you have a better grasp of what strength training is and how it can benefit your life. Now get out there and get it done. Grab the bull by its horns and dominate. Use the resources I offer here as a catalyst for your success in your strength journey.