How to get very strong in 30 minutes a week

Some bodybuilders lift weights for more than six hours a day, but you don’t have to lose that much time to get really strong. Training for weightlifting is done in series. A set of ten means you lift and lower a heavy weight ten times in a row before resting. If you repeat these sets of ten three times with a rest period between each set, you have done three sets of ten.

Choose 6 to 10 weight machine exercises and do them in three sessions a week. For each exercise, try to lift the heaviest weight you can comfortably lift ten times in a row without hurting yourself. When an exercise becomes easy, increase the weight. In five months, you should be able to significantly increase your strength and be proud of your bigger muscles.

Now you decide that you want to become even stronger. Would you increase your strength more by increasing the number of repetitions or by increasing the weight you lift? For example, should I try to do three sets of ten for each exercise or stay on one set of ten, just try to lift a heavier weight once a week? Dr. Michael Pollock of the University of Florida in Gainesville divided recreational weightlifters into two groups. In one group, they tried to do three sets of 10 three times a week. In the other group, they only did one set of 10 three times a week, but tried to lift progressively heavier weights. Those who did a set of 10 with heavier weights three times a week were stronger than those who did three sets of 10 without increasing the weight.

The only stimulus to enlarge and strengthen muscles is to stretch them while they contract. When you try to lift a heavy weight, your muscles stretch before the weight starts to move. The greater the stretch, the greater the damage to the muscle fibers and when they heal after a few days, the greater the strength gain. The results of this study give a clear message. You get stronger by lifting heavier weights, not by exercising more. If you work too hard, you can’t lift very heavy weights and you don’t get stronger. When it comes to being very strong, less is more.

Most competitive bodybuilders spend hours trying to do multiple sets over and over again. You don’t need to do that. Several studies show that you can gain up to 80 percent of your maximum strength by choosing four to eight specific lifts, lifting a set of ten of the heaviest weight on each, and repeating your program twice a week. The reduced workload causes fewer injuries and leaves you with plenty of extra time to do other things.

Lowering a weight slowly, called a negative lift, is more of a stimulus to make you stronger than lifting it. You can lower much heavier weights than you can lift. As you lift a weight, you have to slow down because gravity works against you, so the weight feels heavier as you continue to lift it. On the other hand, when you lower a weight, you tend to move faster as gravity works with you and the weight feels lighter.

This negative lifting workout should only be done by experienced lifters no more than once a week. Pick 10 to 15 lifts that you do regularly. Start by lifting the heaviest weight you can lift ten times in a row. You will have a hard time getting past the last three or four lifts. Then add five to 15 pounds, which may be too heavy for you to lift. Two spotters must lift the weight for you and you try to lower it six times. It will hurt a lot and you will want to leave it. Add another ten pounds and try lowering the weight three times. Then lift your arms off the ground, return them to your shoulders, and take at least two days off.

Lifting weights makes your muscles bigger and stronger, but it doesn’t make you fitter. Fitness refers to your heart and is achieved by engaging in an activity that keeps you moving, such as running, biking, rollerblading, dancing, walking, or swimming. A complete exercise program should include lifting weights two or three times a week and continuous sports practice three times a week. Alternating your activities gives your muscles a chance to recover and helps prevent injury.