Strength Exercises

You'll find a variety of types of strength exercises out there, but they're not all created equal as different variations have a noticeably different impact on your physique. If your goal is to get thinner, you can reach your goals faster by training a bit differently from those whose goal is to pack on more muscle mass. Likewise, if your goal is to get stronger, you can shift the focus of your workouts for faster results.

Muscular strength is not necessarily the same as large muscles. The two often go hand-in-hand, but look at the Olympic lifters hoisting weights that much larger, oiled-up bodybuilders can't even budge, and you'll see there are other factors in play as well. Let's look at a few exercises and principles that will help you grow stronger.

Most exercises can be modified to emphasize strength, but some are more "can't miss" than others.

• Squats - This classic exercise hits the entire leg along with some back muscles. It's a compound exercise that requires a systemic effort, boosting core strength. Simply put, you just can't avoid putting in hard work with a heavy barbell balancing on your shoulders. To exercise, stand in front of a squat rack with your feet about shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent and your back straight. Take a small step forward and place the barbell across your shoulders, spacing your hands wide apart for good balance. Squat down until your thighs are parallel to the floor, make a smooth but distinct turn and push yourself back up putting the weight on your heels. Don't be afraid to bend your hips and knees -- glance towards the ceiling to keep your upper body reasonably upright.

• Deadlifts - The deadlift puts the focus on your back, but otherwise it is pretty similar to the squat in terms of effectiveness, systemic benefit etc. Assume the same starting position as with squats, except in this case the barbell is resting on the floor in front of you. Grip the barbell with a semi-wide grip (forearms outside the knees) and straighten up your back with your abs tense. Pretend you're pushing your feet through the floor as you lift the barbell to a standing position. Do not overextend backwards.

• Push-ups - There's a reason the push-up is a staple in the military, P.E. classes and sport camps all over the world: they work wonders in building strength. Face the floor with your bodyweight resting on your toes and hands, then push yourself up as far as you'll go. For best results, make it an accelerated movement where you launch yourself up a few inches and perform a handclap between each rep.

The push-up with clapping brings us to the next part -- how to get more mileage out of these and other strength exercises.

• Acceleration - The aforementioned clapping is a type of ballistic training, where you train the explosiveness of the muscle. This, in turn, translates into greater strength when applied to reality. Just like you need to give yourself an extra boost to pull off a clap, you can apply the same method for other exercises like chins (try to send your head flying into the ceiling) and bench presses (pretend you want to toss the barbell into the air -- but don't let go, obviously!).

• Lower reps - Doing many reps with small weights is not without merit, but as far as strength exercises go, they're not very effective. Aim for the lower end of the spectrum -- 5-6 reps without cheating -- using heavier weights, and you're bound to push your muscles out of their comfort zone.

• Negatives - The body is designed to resist more weight than it can lift. In other words, you may not be able to lift a big rock over your head, but if the rock is placed there, you have the strength to at least give it a controlled descent. This is a safety mechanism for your protection -- if it was the other way around, we'd get squished under stuff right and left after accidentally lifting things we discovered we can't handle. You can tap into this strength reserve by having a partner help you lift weights that are technically too heavy and then do 6-8 reps mainly resisting the weight on its way down before your partner helps you lift the weight again.

These are obviously advanced techniques that should not be attempted by beginners or those with previous injuries, medical conditions and so on. If you don't know what you're doing, odds are you'll get yourself a nasty injury employing the techniques outlined above. If you have some experience and feel confident in your abilities, however, these tricks may be just what you need for reaching the next level. Good luck!

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