We are embarking on a maximum strength phase to increase our lifting potential.
In this podcast (Quicktime ipod compatible, 33 MB; Google streaming flash video), Nancy Arnold and I (Bud) discuss our upcoming maximum strength phase. The idea behind Maximum Strength is that it improves strength potential by training the body to go all out in lifts. For bodybuilding, lifting heavier weights leads to larger muscles. Maximum strength also recruits all of the muscle fibers potentially involved in a given lift, leading to a different stimulus. Changing stimulus helps adaptation, one of the conceptual underpinnings of periodization.
Nancy and I are also making some different exercise choices. We've switched to the leg press instead of the squat to help preserve Nancy's back. We are also going to do a modified stiff-legged dead lift.
Additional Links
- This article provides a good summary of the benefits of maximum strength training.
- We are changing leg exercises because of the squat's impact on Nancy's back.
