How to get stronger?

There is a study that shows when you compare people with high strength to low strength there is a decrease in call cause mortality by 3-fold. It might be because being strong means you can hold onto things easier, get up and off the ground easier, and just do more. Well you might be saying, I can already do those things so why do I need to get even stronger? The issue is that no matter what, we will all lose strength as we get older. It is the nature of life. However if we can get our baselines really high, then even though as time takes it toll on us, we can end at higher percentage and enjoy our life more. I certainly want to try to be independent and able to do as much as I can as long as I can so I can enjoy life and my family does not have to help me. 

So how do we get stronger? The first answer is simple: Exercise? However the nuance is in how we do that. If our goal is to simply get stronger then what we want to do is challenge our body just under our 1-rep max (1RM). 1-rep max means, how much can you perform a certain lift and not be able to do a second time without resting. There are ways of calculating that without having to fully test it but many people will get a coach or a physical therapist to help them test that. Once you figure out your 1 rep max number you want to be doing 3-5 reps of that exercise but only 70-85% of that 1 rep max. Essentially you are going below the level of your maximum but doing more reps of that.

 Then the follow up questions are: How many times? How often? Rest? How many days a week? Dr. Andy Galpin is a famous exercise science research and on an episode of the Huberman lab explained the 3-5 principle. It goes: 3-5 reps (70-85% your 1RM), 3-5 sets, 3-5 minutes of rest between sets, 3-5 days a week. So when in doubt…3-5 is the answer. 

How long till we see results? In general, strength changes take 6-8 weeks. That’s because our body wants to prove that we’re going to be doing this a lot in order to make changes. Consistency is key.

Let’s get strong so we can enjoy our lives and be independent. Remember, always consult with a physical therapist or healthcare professional to get better results and be safer.

García-Hermoso A, Cavero-Redondo I, Ramírez-Vélez R, Ruiz JR, Ortega FB, Lee DC, Martínez-Vizcaíno V. Muscular Strength as a Predictor of All-Cause Mortality in an Apparently Healthy Population: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Data From Approximately 2 Million Men and Women. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2018 Oct;99(10):2100-2113.e5. doi: 10.1016/j.apmr.2018.01.008. Epub 2018 Feb 7. PMID: 29425700.