In order to understand how to get stronger, I think it's helpful to to start by defining strength. Strength is the ability to produce force against an external resistance. Simply, strength is force production. The person that can produce the most force is the most strong. Someone who has enough force production to squat 150 pounds is stronger than someone who can only squat 100 pounds. Someone who has enough force production to bench press 200 pounds is stronger than someone who can only bench press 135 pounds. It's black and white. If you want to get stronger, you can't just be exercising at a gym. You have to be constantly increasing force production. It doesn't matter how many lunges you are doing or leg extensions. Yes, you may get hot and sweaty and feel sore the next day but if you are not increasing force production then you are not getting stronger. You are just exercising. If you want to get stronger, force production must be increasing.

Know thy limits. There are times when I turn clients down because I'm aware of the value I bring to the table. For example if you are into bodybuilding, I'm the wrong guy to hire. Although many smart body builders will build up a base strength first then sculpt and shape it through bodybuilding. If you are professional power lifter or olympic lifter then I'm not the guy to hire. If you like doing cardio with light weights (90% of the people I see at the gym are doing this), then I'm not your guy to hire. What I am though is a professional barbell strength coach. And if you want to double your strength in less than 3 months or triple your strength in less than 6 months, then I can help.

So excited for my client JoAnn. She is 59 and an active pickle ball player. She just did 135lbs in the squat for the first time. We call this getting your first plate because she finally go to use the big 45lb plate on each side. JoAnn has been training with me for about 3 months. When she started her squat she was at 60 pounds. She has more than doubled her strength in a very short amount of time. All we did was add 5 pounds to her squat each workout. After just 3 months of training she said she feels stronger than she was in her 20s. She said strength training is about the only thing she has ever found that is truly like drinking from the fountain of youth. She also has a higher confidence in her pickle ball game that allows her to play more aggressive. She knows that doubling her strength has also gave her denser bones, stronger ligaments and tendons. While many of her friends that are in the same age are getting injured, she feels there's nothing better to prevent injuries than being stronger. #getstrong #strengthtraining #barbellcoach #liftheavy #strength #pickleball #squat #strengthcoach