Strength Training Routines for More Strength and Size

Strength training routines are different than weightlifting routines designed specifically for building muscle mass.

While there is a definite correlation between gaining strength and building muscle, you can tailor your weight training program specifically for strength.

This program won't necessarily build size as effectively as a pure muscle building program.

However, pure strengh training routines will lay the foundation for lots of muscle mass increases when you switch over to a more muscle mass oriented training routine.

So what's different about strength training routines? Here are a few important differences for your strength program.

• Low Reps - for the most part, you won't do more than five reps in any set when training for strength.

• More Sets - Instead of 3 - 5 sets in the 8 - 15 rep range, you'll be more likely to perform 8 - 10 sets while doing only 1 - 5 reps per set

• Your program will center around specific strength building compound exercises like the bench press, squat, deadlift, overhead press, and bent-over row. Your strength building program won't be focusing on 'shaping' or isolation exercises like concentration curls and tricep kickbacks.

• No burn. You shapers and pumpers out there know what I'm talking about. When training for strength you won't be going for that searing, burning sensation in your muscles that you get from lactic acid build up.

• No huffing and puffing. While your strength training routines will be very difficult, it's not an aerobics class. You'll use longer rest periods between sets than you would in your favorite muscle building program. Instead of 1 - 2 minutes between sets, you'll most likely rest 3 - 5 minutes between sets of the same exercise.

• Weight Increases. While on a muscle building program, sometimes weight increases are secondary to things like dro sets, supersets, going for the burn, etc. However, in strength training, weight increases are the only thing that matters. That's what the whole routine is designed to do - increase the weight you use on your exercises, thus increasing your strength.

One great strength building program uses 5 sets per exercise with 3 - 5 reps per set (continued below).

TIME OUT: Brand New! Grab your FREE Copy of the new Ebook FAST MASS! Includes muscle building techniques and tips on how to build muscle fast, strength training routines, weight lifting routines, weight training programs, mass building nutrition tips, and more. Get Fast Mass Your Name: Your E-mail Address: Don't worry -- your e-mail address is totally secure. I promise to use it only to send you Fast Mass Tips.

You'll want to focus on exercises like benching, deadlifting and squatting. Here's an eight week strength cycle you canuse today.

You'll be performing five sets each workout. Two of these setswill be warm up sets and the final three will be your work sets.Let's say you start your bench press cycle with 170 pounds. Each workout you'll warm up sets will look something like this:

125 x 10 followed by 140 x 6

Your work sets will follow:

Week 1: 170 x 5 x 3 (3 sets of 5 reps each)
Week 2: 175 x 4 x 3
Week 3: 180 x 3 x 3
Week 4: 175 x 5 x 3
Week 5: 180 x 4 x 3
Week 6: 185 x 3 x 3
Week 7: 180 x 5 x 3
Week 8: 185 x 4 x 3

Depending on your current strength levels, recovery ability,and whether you're overtrained at all from your previous routine, you might be able to make better progress by implementing two bench press workouts per week.

After you work through a successful eight weeks on strength training routines, you'll want to shift gears for a few weeks and perform sets with some higher repetitions. Shoot for 4 or 5 sets of eight reps per set.