4 Quick Tips For Instant Strength Gains

Here are four quick tips that you can utilize in your next training session to make you instantly stronger. Doing these every single time will lead to substantially better gains in strength and muscle mass.

1. Create Full Body Bracing - Every time you perform a deadlift, bench press, overhead press, or bent-over row you should be squeezing the bar as hard as you can. You should be thinking that you want to both crush the bar and break it in half at the same time. Your lats should fire when you do this and create tension through your whole upper body. This creates an effect known as Sherrington’s Law of Irradiation which states that a contracting muscle will cause neighboring muscles to contract as well. 

2. Jump  - By incorporating a jumping exercise right after your warmup but before your main lifts, you’ll stimulate your central nervous system. This will get you primed to recruit as many motor units in your muscles as you can. The more motor units recruited, the stronger you’ll be. 3 sets of 5 reps in a broad jump or vertical jump should do it. Try to make each jump higher than the last one.

3. Push the Floor Down - While deadlifting, most people think about pulling the bar up. This is the wrong mindset and sometimes set you up for failure on a lift. Instead, imagine that you’re just holding onto the bar and pushing the floor down with your feet. Try it notice how much of a difference it creates.

4. Make a Rep Look Effortless - Muscling through a rep just to complete it is lazy and taking the easy way out. That’s right, I said it. Making a rep look effortless and technically beautiful is much harder and will give you much better results, even if the weight isn’t as heavy. Stay technically sound and strive to make every rep look as effortless as possible.

Things You Should Be Doing, But Aren't #1

1. Moving In The Morning - Find a time that works best for you. But challenge yourself to do it right after waking up. Just hit 3 sets of 10 reps of body weight air squats and pushups. It'll only take 2-3 minutes but will do wonders for elevating your metabolism for the day. It'll also help keep your joints more mobile. Do this everyday.
2. Eating Enough Veggies - Apparently veggies are good for you.  I've been trying to eat salads every day now and I feel and look better. That's enough motivation for me to eat them. One thing to note, unless there is a lot of protein with your salad, then don't count it as a meal. It's only a snack. You need more food than just salads. 
3. Eating Enough Protein - Going hand in hand with the tip above, eat more protein! I also notice good things happening when I up my protein intake. I'd also recommend varying where your protein comes from too. Make sure you eat red meat and fish just as much as you eat chicken or turkey.