Strength is commonly expressed as your one repetition maximum -- 1RM for short. Your 1RM is the amount of weight you can lift once but not twice. Although 1RM is the common measure of strength, most athletes will use a weight they can lift three to five times to increase their lifting abilities. Slightly lighter weights and more repetitions reduce injury risk while still increasing your 1RM lifting ability. The best exercises for developing strength are compound exercises that involve multiple joint actions and a combination of muscles working together while allowing for a significant amount of weight to be used.
Bench Press
The bench press is one of the most performed strength-training exercises. Bench presses are featured in the sport of powerlifting and are an effective test of upper-body pressing strength. Lie on your back with a barbell held over your chest at arms' length -- your hands should be slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Bend your arms and lower the bar to within one inch of your chest. Extend your arms and press the bar back up to full elbow extension. Inhale as you lower the bar and exhale as you lift it. Perform this exercise with a spotter to minimize your risk of injury.
Bent-Over Rows
Where bench presses test and develop your pushing strength, bent-over rows target your pulling strength. Grasp the barbell with an overhand grip. With your feet hip-width apart, bend your knees slightly and then lean forward from your hips until your upper body is close to parallel to the floor. Keep your chest up and your lower back tightly arched. Bend your arms and, leading with your elbows, pull the barbell up and into your abs. Slowly extend your arms and then repeat. On completion, either lower the bar to the floor or stand up and place the bar in a squat rack.
Overhead Presses
The overhead press used to be one of the disciplines in Olympic lifting. No longer a competition exercise, overhead presses, sometimes called military presses, will develop your vertical pressing strength, which is important for sports such as football, basketball, hockey and wrestling. Grasp a barbell with a shoulder-width overhand grip and support it at shoulder height. Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your knees slightly bent. Lift your chest and brace your core muscles. Press the barbell directly overhead to full arm extension. Slowly lower the bar back back to shoulder height and repeat. This exercise can also be performed with dumbbells.
Weighted Pullups
Pullups, when performed using body weight alone, are an effective muscular endurance exercise. The weighted version of this exercise is much more demanding and better suited to developing your upper body pulling strength. Use a pullup belt, a judo belt or loop of rope to secure a dumbbell so that it hangs down between your knees. Grasp a sturdy overhead bar with a slightly wider than shoulder-width grip. Hang from the bar and bend your legs to lift your feet clear of the floor. Lift your chest and pull down with your arms. Focus on leading with your elbows. Pull your chin up to and over the bar. Lower yourself back down to the starting position and repeat. You can also perform this exercise with a narrower, underhand grip -- an exercise called a chinup.
References
- "Strength Training Anatomy"; Frederic Delavier: 2010
- "Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning"; National Strength and Conditioning Association; 2008
- "Anatomy of Exercise: A Trainer's Inside Guide to Your Workout" Pat Manocchia; 2009
- "Designing Resistance Training Programs"; Steven J. Fleck and William J. Kraemer; 2003
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