The Fitness World is Obsessed with Muscle Gain, Fat Loss, ‘6 Pack Abs’, Cannonball Shoulders, and ‘Big Guns’… But STRENGTH is So Much More Important Than All Of That! Read On To Find Out Why…

By Adam Armstrong

The Fitness Industry is a mess. Full of lies and deceit.

For instance:

• The Bodybuilding magazines tell you to copy your favorite Pro Bodybuilders ‘Arm Routine’ or ‘Leg Workout’ (but they fail to tell you that you’ll never get the same results because you don’t have the same genetics, and you’re not on ‘Performance Enhancing Drugs’

• If you want to lose weight, and get Ripped ‘6 Pack Abs’ – you’ll be encouraged to copy the ‘Ab Workout’ of some top Male Fitness Model or Bodybuilder (yet, the author of this crap won’t point out that those guys often take FAT BURNERS that are as illegal, powerful, and dangerous as many steroids)

• People will tell you that you need to feel ‘The Pump’ if you want to build muscle (yet that’s not entirely true, and feeling ‘The Pump’ isn’t always a good thing, especially if you want to perform well, and not be so SORE you want to SCREAM, outside of the gym)

• Supplement Companies will tell you that their latest ‘Wonder Supplement’ is the key to GETTING BIG & RIPPED (while simultaneously forgetting to remind you that HARD WORK is also a necessity)

However, despite all these LIES (and 1,000 more I could tell you about) the worst trend in the Fitness Industry is the lack of focus on…

STRENGTH.

Strength is the Master Principle. Period.

Want more muscle? Get STRONGER.

Want to lose fat? That’s easier when you’re STRONGER.

Want to build work capacity? Being STRONG makes that easier.

I don’t care what your physical goal – be it physique (building muscle and losing fat), or performance (hitting a golf ball further, throwing a harder punch, or simply running faster, throwing further or jumping higher) – STRENGTH will make it easier to achieve.

Here’s why:

How Strength Helps Muscle Growth:

If you can Bench Press 225lbs now, do you think your chest, shoulders and triceps would be more MUSCULAR if you built your Bench Press up to 300lbs in the next 12 months?

If you can Military Press ⅓ of your bodyweight now, do you think your Shoulders and Triceps would be more MUSCULAR if you built that figure up to ½ your bodyweight, then 75% of yoru bodyweight, and even bodyweight?

If you can only Squat your bodyweight, do you think you’ll add muscle mass to your legs, gluts and lower back if you double than number?

Of course you would.

It’s obvious.

The easiest way to get BIGGER – and add MUSCLE, not fat – is to get STRONGER, and support your workouts with real food.

Remember:

Strength + Real Food (including a slight surplus of calories each day over what you need to maintain your current bodyweight) = gains in Muscle Mass.

It’s that simple.

But, no one wants to get STRONGER because it’s HARD!

How Strength Helps Fat Loss:

It’s not as obvious how STRENGTH how FAT LOSS, as it is how strength helps muscle growth. But, mark my words:

Strength does help fat loss.

I’ll show you one of my favorite examples of a proven ‘Fat Loss Workout’ and you’ll see why strength makes fat loss easier:

The workout involves the Kettlebell Swing.

10 reps, Every Minute On The Minute.

Do 5 sets in session 1.

Add a set each session until you’re up to 10 sets of 5.

Next, add a rep to each set, each session, until you’re up to 10 sets of 10.

I’d do this twice a week (though you could do once a week if you want to go slower, or three times a week if you want really FAST results). Here’s how it looks:

• Week 1, Session 1: 5 x 5 sets

• Week 2, Session 1: 5 x 6 sets

• Week 3, Session 1: 5 x 7 sets

• Week 4, Session 1: 5 x 8 sets

• Week 5, Session 1: 5 x 9 sets

• Week 6, Session 1: 5 x 10 sets

• Week 7, Session 1: 6 x 10 sets

• Week 8, Session 1: 7 x 10 sets

• Week 9, Session 1: 8 x 10 sets

• Week 10, Session 1: 9 x 10 sets

• Week 11, Session 1: 10 x 10 sets

Now. Here’s the thing:

Imagine if I do this workout with a 48kg Kettlebell. But, you do it with a 16kg Kettlebell.

48 / 3 = 16

So, I’m doing 3X as much work as you, in exactly the same time.

All other things being equally, I’ll torch body-fat much faster than you!

Clearly, STRENGTH helps fat loss.

How Strength Helps Build Work Capacity:

One of my favorite ways to build ‘Work Capacity’ (while also building muscle and strength and losing fat) is Sled Dragging.

Let’s say you only have two 20 minute sessions each week, to work on Work Capacity.

In that time frame you’ll do 8-12 trips with the sled.

60 yards per trip.

If Athlete A can only handle 20kg for those trips, but athlete B can handle 60kg – it’s fairly obvious who is going to have the higher Work Capacity as a result of these workouts! Hint: it’s NOT the WEAKER guy!

How Strength Helps Improve Athletic Performance:

Louie Simmons is perhaps the greatest Strength Coach to ever live, and I once heard him talking about Football/Rugby and say something like:

“15 strong athletes are gonna hurt 15 weak athletes”

Correct strength training not only makes you bigger, stronger and faster – it makes you more resilient too.

In any CONTACT sport – a big, strong, fast, resilient, highly conditioned and highly skilled opponent is your worst nightmare.

And, even in non-contact sports, Strength RULES.

As an example, look at Golf.

Who dominated that for years, around the year 2000?

Answer:

Tiger Woods.

And, Tiger was easily the most impressive physical specimen on the USPGA Tour – and it’s well documented that he loved working out and being STRONG. Plus, you can just see it from his physique – he went from scrawny to brawny, and is the greatest player to ever swing a club.

So yeah – all athletes need to be strong, and resilient (though not necessarily BIG – because many sports rely on an athlete staying in a weight class – not constantly getting heavier).

Oh, and one final point…

Why Being Big and Weak is a Bad Joke:

Many bodybuilders talk about how strength doesn’t matter.

But, the best Bodybuilders always had a background in Strength (this is true of Arnold, Franco Columbo, Ronnie Coleman and more. They had a density and hardness to their muscles that the weaker guys didn’t have).

In contrast, I once spoke to a bodybuilder who took pride in pumping his arms up using a tin of beans! He didn’t think strength mattered.

But, being WEAK is a joke.

Women like STRONG men.

STRENGTH can save your life.

In days gone by – people WORSHIPPED strength (just read up on how the Spartan’s viewed strength as an example).

Strength makes everything easier. But, strength requires you to work hard.

I urge you to work hard in the gym, and spend most of your time focusing on building strength. When you do – everything else will fall into place so much easier.

Talk to you soon..

Your friend,

Elliot Newman