The Strength Guide:

Many people at the gym focus on comparing lift numbers, but true strength goes beyond that—it's about building practical fitness that supports daily life. Strength plays a key role in health and vitality for both men and women. My latest article dives into the importance of functional strength and features intuitive tabs to guide your exercise selection and goal-setting. These tools let you see where you currently stand, set clear goals, and track your progress toward building functional strength that truly benefits your life!

To reach optimal health, establishing a foundation of strength in functional movements is essential. These movements mirror daily tasks, enhancing confidence, control, and injury prevention. This guide focuses on fundamental barbell exercises, targeting multiple muscle groups to build balanced strength, as well as bodyweight exercises, which are just as important for practical fitness.

What is Strength?

Strength is the ability of your muscles to generate force, enabling you to perform tasks that require physical effort—like lifting, pushing, or pulling. It’s more than just lifting heavy weights; it encompasses practical, everyday movements and builds the foundation for tasks as simple as carrying groceries or as demanding as running and jumping. People often confuse strength with muscle size, but they’re different: muscle strength is about the force a muscle can produce, while muscle size (hypertrophy) is about its growth. Strength training focuses on increasing the efficiency of your muscles and nervous system to improve power, stability, and resilience in daily life.

Why Functional Strength Matters

Functional strength directly translates to real-world tasks, such as:

• Carrying heavy bags or groceries

• Lifting items overhead, like storage boxes

• Maintaining stability and balance when moving quickly or reaching

Incorporating these exercises into your routine can help reduce the risk of injury, improve posture, and increase your energy levels for daily life.

The Benefits of Strength Training for Both Men and Women

Strength training offers valuable health, energy, and confidence boosts for both men and women, helping them move better and feel more capable in daily life. For many women, it’s less about building large muscles and more about feeling empowered. For instance, one of my female clients started strength training with the goal of simply feeling stronger, not necessarily looking more muscular. As she progressed, she achieved her first pull-up and improved her bench press, milestones that made her feel not only physically powerful but also more self-assured and energised. Strength training, in this way, enables both men and women to develop the resilience and strength needed for life’s daily challenges.

Essential Barbell and Bodyweight Exercises

Here are some core exercises to consider, along with their real-life benefits:

• Squats: Build lower-body strength, supporting tasks like lifting and carrying.

• Deadlifts: Boost overall power for safely lifting heavy items.

• Bench Press: Improves upper body pushing strength, aiding in pushing or lifting.

• Overhead Press: Strengthens shoulders and core, helpful for reaching or lifting overhead.

• Push-Ups: Enhances upper body and core endurance for stability in daily movement.

• Pull-Ups: Builds back and arm strength, useful in pulling tasks.

Progress Tracking Table

Tracking your progress is key to maintaining motivation and assessing improvement. Here’s a sample progress tracking table you can adapt to your goals:

Strenght standards for male

Strenght standards for female

Notes: These standards are approximate and can vary slightly based on specific training goals and individual factors. Use this table to set achievable milestones. For instance, if you're new to deadlifts, starting with a lighter weight and working your way up by 5 kg every few weeks can help you gradually achieve your target.

Takeaway

The strength standards and tables provided are based on widely accepted benchmarks recommended by exercise science authorities. These standards serve as a foundational guide to help you gradually build strength, focusing on both progress and the practical benefits of each exercise.

Setting specific goals aligned with these benchmarks can provide a useful roadmap, especially if you’re just starting out or unsure where to begin. Identifying target levels for each exercise allows you to set clear, measurable objectives that are easy to track over time. This framework helps you see where your current capabilities align within beginner, intermediate, or advanced levels, offering a structured approach to monitor your progress.

Regularly revisiting these goals enables you to recognise improvements, adapt your routine as needed, and stay motivated as you achieve each new strength milestone. However, it's essential to adjust these benchmarks based on your unique factors, such as age, activity level, and training background. Research increasingly supports personalised strength programs, aligning with the NSCA’s emphasis on customized training based on individual characteristics rather than rigid standards.

Remember, strength is unique to each person. It’s less about comparing your numbers to others and more about setting meaningful, personal milestones to mark your progress. By focusing on attainable benchmarks in essential exercises, you can steadily build functional strength, enhancing your everyday life and achieving a fitness journey that reflects your personal goals and capabilities.