This week's blog is, yet again, by James Kennedy. It's somewhat timely as well, as we are looking to announce the return of Grace's Yoga for Strength Athletes in the Barbell Club - more on that later. 

Firstly, the article!

Mobility is an oft-overlooked and poorly understood component of powerlifting, strongman and weightlifting. Firstly, to clear up some confusion straight away, mobility is different to flexibility. Mobility refers to the ability to move through the full ROM with full control and proper technique. Flexibility is the ability to move through a range of motion without actively using the associated muscle group (e.g. static stretching).  Mobility is specific to the movement you are about to do or do regularly - whether you perform a squat through a full ROM with proper control and technique, for example. 

Squat Mobility

Within the squat movement, the ankle, knee and hip are the joints involved in the movement, so improving ankle, knee and hip mobility is essential. Generally, most lifters don’t have a problem with knee mobility and when they experience knee pain it’s due to limited ankle or hip mobility. 

Beginning with ankle mobility, a great exercise is dynamic downward dog. Starting from your hands and knees, press firmly into your hands and feet, raising your knees off the floor into an inverted ‘V’ position. From this start position, bend your left knee whilst pushing your right heel down to straighten the right leg. Then swap from side to side as if you’re walking on the spot. This exercise will stretch out your calves and hamstrings, whilst strengthening the ankle joint. 

A second ankle mobility exercise is the step-back weighted ankle mobility drill. Taking two dumbbells or kettlebells, take a large step back with one leg but keep both feet flat. Bend the knee of the back foot and hinge at the hip to lower the weight slowly to the floor. You should feel a slight stretch in the back ankle. Repeat on both sides for sets of ten. 

For hip mobility, there are several drills which can help. The 90/90 hip stretch is a great exercise to incorporate into a squat warm-up, especially if you’ve spent a long time sitting that day as it targets both internal and external hip rotation.  To perform the 90/90 hip stretch sit on the floor and bend one leg in front of your body with your knee bent at 90 degrees, keeping the outside of the leg in contact with the floor. Position your other leg beside you, with your hip rotated inward and knee bent at 90 degrees. Hold this position for 30 seconds and then switch sides.

Hip mobility can also be improved by utilising a hip circle. A hip circle placed around the knees or ankles can be utilised to help strengthen the glutes and hip muscles. A great drill  for targeting the hip abductors is to start in an athletic stance - feet shoulder-width apart with knees bent and weight over your midfoot. Take a step to the side and slowly bring your foot back. Alternate between the right and left legs. 

The final component of hip mobility is glute and core strength. To help improve glute strength and activate the muscles used in the squat exercise glute bridges and clamshells are two exercises which can help. To perform glute bridges lie on the floor with your back flush against the floor. Push against the floor through your feet and push your hips towards the ceiling, squeezing your glutes at the top of the movement. Perform 10-20 reps. 
Clamshells target the gluteus medius, which helps stabilise the pelvis. To perform them, lie on your side with your feet and hips stacked, with your knees bent at 90 degrees. Draw your knees in toward your body until your feet are in line with your glutes. Keeping your feet together, raise your top knee as far as you can, before slowly returning to the start position. Repeat for 10-20 reps on each side. 

A final great exercise is the cossack squat. This exercise helps develop hip, knee and ankle mobility. Start with a wide stance, with your feet pointing forwards. Squat down to a full deep squat on one side, keeping both heels down. At the bottom position, the squatting leg is fully flexed at the ankle, with the knee out over the toe. The other leg should be straight, with your heel on the floor and your toe’s off the floor. Stand back up to the central position and repeat on the opposite leg. Perform 10 reps per side. 

Bench Mobility

Mobility issues in the bench press tend to be linked to shoulder and thoracic mobility issues. The inability to properly extend through the thoracic spine and retract and stabilise the scapula is a common cause of injuries within the bench press; if you constantly get minor pec strains and tears poor mobility could be the underlying cause.

To address these issues there are several mobility drills which can be done. The first is the banded pull-apart. The basic variation is to take a resistance band with your palms facing up (supinated grip) and extend your arms straight out at shoulder height. Pull the band apart and aim to get it to touch your chest around the base of your pectoral muscles. This exercise targets the rotator cuff and will help develop the muscles which stabilise the shoulder during the bench press. 

A more advanced variation involves beginning with the band overhead. Instead of starting with your hands at shoulder height, elevate your hands above your head. Then perform the pull-apart, touching the resistance band to the same point on your chest. This variation works the muscles which rotate the scapula in both the horizontal and vertical planes, improving scapular mobility and stability, which are essential for the bench press. 
Thoracic extension is also essential for the bench press. This, combined with hip flexibility, is what controls how big your arch is. Being stable when you arch for the bench press is also essential; if not your arch can collapse as you perform the exercise. 

The first exercise to improve thoracic mobility is the cat-camel exercise. Starting on your hands and knees, with your hands underneath your shoulders and knees underneath your hips, sink your bank towards the floor and lift your head at the same time to make a curve with your spine. Slowly reverse the position, tucking your head and driving your upper back high as if a string is pulling your shoulder blades towards the ceiling. That’s one rep. Repeat 10-20 reps. 

A second exercise to help improve thoracic mobility is the dynamic wall t-spine extension. Begin by placing your palms at shoulder height on a wall, window ledge or smith machine, with your arms fully extended. Keeping your hands on the wall, push your hips back to lower your chest, arching the segments of the spine. Hold the bottom position for 30 seconds and repeat 2-3 times. 


Deadlift mobility

Of the big 3 power lifts, the deadlift has the lowest mobility requirements. The conventional deadlift is sometimes limited by thoracic mobility, which can be targeted using the cat-camel stretch and the dynamic wall t-spine extension. The sumo deadlift has higher hip mobility requirements than the conventional deadlift. Alongside the hip mobility drills outlined for the squat, two additional hip mobility drills can be used for developing the required hip mobility for the deadlift. 

Firstly, is the kneeling glute activation. Start on your knees, with your hips stacked over your knees. Then, slowly sit back onto your heels while maintaining a tall torso before using your glutes to drive yourself back into a kneeling position, squeezing your glutes at the top. Repeat for 10-20 reps. 

The second mobility exercise is the active frog. Assume the frog position and slowly rock back and forwards, stretching and strengthening the hip abductors. If you are new to the Sumo deadlift, this exercise is excellent for helping your hips handle the transition. 

Sample Routine

We’ve provided a basic, 10-minute, mobility workout that can be done before a workout or as part of your daily routine. These exercises target general mobility for the big 3 - squat, bench and deadlift - and will keep you mobile and strong for your training. 


Exercise


Cossack Squat
20 reps

90/90 Hip Stretch
45s per side

Dynamic Downward Dog
20 reps

Weighted Ankle Step Back
10 reps per side

Couch stretch
45s per side

Supinated grip band pull
20 reps

Active thoracic extension
45s

Cat Camel
20 reps 

Summary
These mobility exercises will help you develop the muscles and joint stability that will help minimise your injury risk. Generally, the muscles used to stabilise the joints are not directly trained during powerlifting and muscular imbalances can develop. These mobility drills will help strengthen the muscles responsible for stabilising joints during powerlifting. These drills can be used individually, as warm ups for the individual power lifts or as a daily mobility routine to help enhance recovery and allow you to keep progressing with your powerlifting career.

I hope you've enjoyed this week's blog! 

As mentioned above we are in the process of resuming Grace's Yoga for Strength Athletes, so if you want to be involved let me know and we'll keep you updated on where we're up to. 

Also! 

You may have seen that we've announced a Charity Deadlift-Only competition. 

(Just) Stand Up to Cancer - Deadlift Only - you can find more information here.

Or if you want to enter - 

The latest blog post, as is often the case, is by James Kennedy. Who has recently passed his PhD, so a massive congratulations to him! 

​Enjoy!

Pre-workout. An essential component to a good workout or an expensive placebo? Pre-workouts are ubiquitous in gym culture, especially on TikTok. For strength athletes, it's rare to see someone *not* using pre-workouts in the warm-up area before a big lift. So does it work, and if so, why? An essential component to a good workout or an expensive placebo? Look at the back of a pre-workout supplement, and you'll find a list of ingredients with scientific-sounding names, but what do they do? Do you need them? Are they dosed correctly? 
​
To find out, we googled and picked a generic-looking pre-workout from a significant player in the UK supplement market. The ingredients are listed below:

The first step is to evaluate the ingredients (behind the fancy ® brand names). What is the ingredient meant to do, and is there evidence that it does this? Is it a WADA-approved supplement (a critical point for our IPF and IWF competitors!)? If the ingredient works, is it correctly dosed? Does the ingredient need to be 'loaded' (i.e. taken daily) to produce optimal results? Finally, when should this ingredient be taken to boost performance best? 
Ideally, at the end of this article, you will know what to look for in a pre-workout, what ingredients are necessary and how to take pre-workout supplements to best optimise your performance in the gym. Let's break it down!

First up, Creatine Monohydrate, at 3500mg (3.5g). Creatine is well-researched and has a moderate boost in performance outcomes. It's safe, effective and cheap. Creatine is stored in the muscles and allows for rapid replenishment of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in the muscle during intense exercises, allowing the muscle to continue to work at a higher intensity and thereby improving athletic performance. Creatine builds up in the muscles over time and requires daily supplementation to maintain high muscle creatine levels. Usually, the recommendation is for 3-5g, taken daily (supplement guide link). 

Within this supplement, the dosage is on the lower side. In addition, there is no specific time window to take creatine. The benefits from taking creatine accumulate from a daily intake and is likely best sourced from a creatine powder rather than a pre-workout (the same supplement company selling this pre-workout for £1.33 per serving is currently selling creatine monohydrate for £0.40 per 5g serving …. spend your money wisely guys!) Overall, it's good that an effective supplement like creatine is in this pre-workout. However, the dosage is low and buying creatine monohydrate and taking 5g daily is probably more cost-effective. 

The second ingredient is L-Citrulline (3g). Evidence shows that L-Citrulline improves nitric oxide metabolism, increasing muscle blood flow and enhancing the pump you get from training (https://examine.com/supplements/citrulline/#effect-matrix). Additionally, studies have shown a performance increase from L-Citrulline supplementation - as it improves reps to failure performance. This is where the good news ends, however. L-Citrulline is a second-tier supplement with the potential to move into the top tier (supplement article link) - meaning it's currently either understudied or underwhelming but with potential benefits worth exploring. 


Where L-Citruline is effective, the minimum dosage is 6g daily, with typical recommendations of 8-10g. This pre-workout provides half the dosage required to see a benefit. The second issue is timing. Pre-workout supplements are commonly taken immediately before or during warm-ups. L-Citrulline requires 1-2 hours to enter the bloodstream and reach the muscles. Within this supplement, the combination of dosage and recommended usage (30 minutes pre-workout) means you will get minimal benefit.

An alternative option would be buying some L-Citrulline (roughly £10/100g) … although this works out at around £0.80 per serving. You could also not buy it; the magnitude of benefit from taking it is small, and it's doubtful you're missing out by not taking it. It's also worth remembering not to fall into the trap of thinking that taking the small doses present within this supplement will be enough to see a benefit and use that to justify buying the pre-workout! 

The third primary ingredient is Beta-Alanine, with 1.5g per serving. Beta-Alanine acts as an acid buffer in the body, preventing lactic acid build-up in the muscles, primarily when performing exercises in the lactic-aerobic zone (for example, a 400m sprint). For powerlifters, doing relatively low reps, you are almost exclusively using the anaerobic system with minimal lactic acid build-up; therefore Beta-Alanaine supplementation will likely be of minimal benefit to you. However, suppose you are a CrossFit athlete or bodybuilder. In that case, studies have shown an improvement in reps to failure in the 10-15 rep range (Effects of β-alanine supplementation on exercise performance: a meta-analysis - PubMed). 

Like creatine, the benefits of taking Beta-Alanine come from the build-up of Alanine in the muscles. Unfortunately, whilst the ingredient is beneficial, it is underdosed again within this supplement. It would be best if you took a larger daily dose to benefit from Alanine supplementation - similar to L-Citrulline, meaning the amount of Alanine in this supplement is too low for you to help your performance.

The Nootropics

The following two ingredients, L-Tyrosine and L-Theanine, belong to a group of substances called nootropics. Nootropics, as a group, improve cognitive function and mental performance. Typically, L-Tyrosine and L-Theanine are used to offset the stress and anxiety associated with higher dose caffeine consumption, thus allowing you to benefit from the caffeine (improved focus and alertness) without suffering the downsides. The pre-workout contains a well-dosed amount of both substances, which will enhance the benefit of caffeine. 

Taurine

Dosed here at 0.5g, Taurine is an amino acid with diverse bodily functions. It is most relevant to energy metabolism and its anti-inflammatory properties here. Whilst the extract mechanisms are unclear, Taurine does increase fat burning for fuel and improve mitochondrial function (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34039357/). In addition, it is beneficial in treating inflammatory diseases, such as arthritis (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5933890/). In studies, the effects of taking Taurine are relatively minor to non-existent with doses of ~3g. Sadly, as this ingredient works, it is massively underdosed in this supplement. 

Caffeine 

Caffeine is an effective stimulant - as anyone who's tried to function before having a morning cup of tea or coffee can test - which occurs naturally in tea and coffee. Alongside the obvious mental benefits, it also improves strength and endurance. The literature, and probably everyone's personal experience reading this, is that caffeine is an effective and relatively safe performance enhancer and should be used in pre-workouts. The dosage present in this pre-workout is reasonable - 200mg - broadly the same as a double espresso. 

At higher doses, caffeine can interfere with sleep - hampering recovery. The sleep interference effect is especially pertinent if you take caffeine within ~8 hours of trying to go to sleep. So, suppose you're tired before a workout in the evening or afternoon. In that case, there are better options than reaching for a pre-workout. Get through the workout, get some sleep, and recover; caffeine will temporarily mask the problem without addressing the cause.

The Vitamins

The next group of ingredients are the vitamins - Vitamin C, B6,9 and 12. Vitamin C does (slightly) reduce muscle damage (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15024666/); however, that study used a 200mg dose to achieve a small impact. In what should not be a surprise, Vitamin C is underdosed in this pre-workout, with only 80mg present. 

Vitamins B6,9 and 12 are common ingredients of pre-workouts and energy drinks, included to improve energy metabolism. The theory goes that they help you metabolise more energy, making you feel more energetic. Sadly, this is untrue. If you have a Vitamin B deficiency, you will likely have low energy, as a Vitamin B deficiency stops your body from breaking down food, leading to low energy levels and potentially anaemia. If you don't have a vitamin B deficiency - your body will filter the excess out into your urine, making this ingredient a waste of time. 

The Proprietary Blend - EnXtra

EnXtra is a proprietary extract of the Alpinia galanga plant, sometimes known as Blue Ginger. This plant is part of the ginger family and is used as a herb and spice in South Asian and Arabic cuisine and traditional medicine. Its use in traditional medicine has led to it being investigated for various properties - most pertinently as a stimulant. A study has shown that EnXtra can improve alertness and limit or prevent post-caffeine energy slumps when consumed with caffeine (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07315724.2017.1342576). The caveat? This study was funded by the company that sells EnXtra. This doesn't make it wrong, but it is context! This ingredient is harmless and potentially beneficial, although its purpose overlaps significantly with the well-researched and non-proprietary nootropics within the pre-workout. 
Conclusions / Discussion

This pre-workout does contain practical, well-studied and effective ingredients. However, it underdoses most of them, and the benefits of these ingredients come from long-term, daily usage - not 3 or 4 times a week before a workout. In addition, the performance-enhancing impact of these supplements is related to when you take them around the workout. With that in mind, let's learn how to use these ingredients to optimise your training. Firstly, creatine monohydrate and beta-alanine. Both of these supplements build up in the body over time - 5-10g of creatine and beta-alanine should be taken whenever is convenient throughout the day. 

The next group of supplements are time dependent. L-Citrulline needs to be taken 1-2 hours before the workout to maximise the benefits of using the supplement and needs to be dosed effectively to guarantee to achieve this. Ideally, you would take a 6-8g dose around 90 minutes before training. Around the same time, you should take the nootropics and Taurine, as these can take up to 2 hours to begin working. 

Moving closer to the workout is where you should start to take the stimulants. It would help if you consumed caffeine 15-30 minutes before starting the activity to give you the ergogenic benefits but prevent the caffeine crash from happening mid-workout. This outline of how much and when you should take these supplements shows the fallacy of cramming all these ingredients into one super pre-workout. If you took this pre-workout and began drinking it on the way to the gym, the only ingredient which would benefit you in the workout is the caffeine. Besides being underdosed, the other ingredients would only help you at the end of the workout or on the journey home. Overall, this is an important point. The ingredients in this pre-workout are fine if underdosed. But taking them in one go at the start of the workout likely inhibits the benefits you should feel from taking them. If you are determined to use these ingredients, follow the protocol outlined in this article and ensure you hit the effective dosage outlined. However, if that sounds like too much effort for minimal reward, take creatine monohydrate every morning in your water and have a cup of coffee before your workout. Save your money - hire a coach instead! Your performance, progress and achievements will be because of your hard work and dedication - not your supplements. 

Our 1 Week Trial is free again for this month - with which you will get - 

• 1 Week of Open Gym Membership.
• Access to 2 group sessions of your chosen discipline. 
• A fun time. 

​Get in touch here.

The latest blog post is written by Coach Beá, and it's about a very important topic - Cutting for Competition. 
If you've been coached by me you will know that I feel quite strongly about cutting, or rather not cutting, for competition - particularly in your early competitions. 

​I'll let Beá explain the rest.

You'll see Beáta next competing in Olympic Weightlifting in July, but if you'd like to be coached by her then get in touch via the website or find her on instagram @prhousecoaching. 

Online Coaching allows lifters from all over the world work with us, as well as lifters who may be local to our gym and even want to join. The main thing that links them is that they want a successful programme, excellent communication and consistent accountability - which you will get with all of our Online Coaching options.

Whether you're in Liverpool, Los Angeles or Laos we can help you achieve your goals. We've had online lifters in England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Canada, America, as well as a number who literally train within feet of us in our gym. 

We have a number of Online Coaching options here at the Barbell Club.  While these options are mainly aimed at people wanting to train towards, or who are actively, competing in Powerlifting or Olympic Weightlifting, they can be adapted to your own goals. 
Our options differ in price but also differ in how much help you would like. If you're just starting out and want something that will get you going to test the waters, we have you covered. If you want a plan to follow with weekly accountability, we have that too. If you want something more hands-on then we can help you with that too. 

This one is mainly aimed at the competitive athletes. With this option you will get - 

• Ongoing bespoke programming. 
• One hour Skype call per week. 
• Weekly check in via email. 
• Weekly video form analysis. 
• Weekly Updates.
• Goal setting. 
• Access to Online Community. 
• Nutrition help.
• Weekly nutrition check in. 

As you can see, practically everything is covered here. Whether that be programming, nutrition, support, accountability or specific Skype/Zoom session to plan out goals - it's all here. 
This option also comes with free competition day handling. 
​You can also choose for just training and no nutrition in this option for a cheaper rate. 

This one is definitely the most hands-on for the lifter. If you want to leave no stone unturned on your way to the top of competitions, or even to just get stronger and feel better about yourself, then this is the one you should consider. 

This is the most popular option of the Online Coaching currently. With this one you receive - 

• Online bespoke programming.
• Weekly updates.
• Weekly check ins via email. 
• Access to Online Community. 
• Nutrition help and check ins optional. 
• Optional gym membership.

This one is a little less hands on, and relies mainly upon the training app, checking in and emails. 
A number of our successful powerlifters have benefited greatly from this option in the past, and still do today. 
While this one is a little less hands-on than the full package, you can still achieve your goals comfortably with this one.

This one was built upon years of experimentation with powerlifting programmes, and it has gone on to provide to foundation for the University of Liverpool team programmes that James Kennedy and I have put in place for their Varsity winning powerlifting team this academic year.

With this you get a 4 week plan, which initially will be a little bit general*, but as you go on and we get to know you better it will develop over time. 
*The numbers and programming are still unique to you, however. 

​For this option you will receive - 

• An online team plan.
• Monthly updates.
• Access to Online Community. 
• Gym membership optional. 
• Group sessions available on a PAYG basis.

You might be wondering what some of the phrases used above actually mean. Here, we'll delve into it a little bit more. 

This refers to the creation, progression and maintenance of your training plan. While there is often a long term plan when you're given your training programme, real life can get in the way and cause it to pause, rewind or even fast forward. Weekly, or monthly, updates allow for you to progress at the best possible rate for you and your goals. 

An absolutely crucial aspect to Online Coaching. Depending on the Online option you choose you will either do a formal check in once a week or once a month. This allows for your coach to assess the current programme and whether to progress, maintain or regress certain movements etc. 
Your coach needs to know how your week has gone - they are not a mind reader. And they certainly need to know when things have gone badly, or just not gone at all - it is in those cases where their expertise can be invaluable. So do not feel as though there's no point to checking in - there always is. 

The online community we have created within the Barbell Club and within the individual coaches's groups is second to none.
Our groups are all excellent eggs, meaning you'll have a lovely time meeting and sharing this journey with them. There are also a number of them with a lot of invaluable experience who can help you out in terms of accountability or support. 
These communities can be found in person, via the WhatsApp chats and the Facebook group. 

When you've communicated and checked in with your coach they will be in a far better position to move your training plan on to the next phase. Whether it be weekly or monthly you will have consistent updates so that you're not left to spin your wheels. 

These are a recent addition to our Online Coaching, and due to the added time they are restricted to the more robust coaching packages. 
These can be seen as a more in depth check in with your coach, where you can discuss your week's training, your progress, your goals and bring up any concerns you may have. 

The weekly Skype/Zoom calls also allow for a more in-depth technique analysis of any videos you may have gotten throughout your week of training. 
If you are on a different coaching option, one without the calls, you are still welcome to send the videos over for your coach to assess. 

While goal setting as an avenue to explore in every coaching option, you can take advantage of the weekly Skype/Zoom calls in order to use these sessions specifically for goal settings. 
It always works out best for both coach and lifter to be on the same page regarding goals and future plans. 

Nutrition is an optional addition to our Online Coaching options. A focus on the fuel you use for training, as well as your relationship with it, can take your training and competitive goals to the next level. 
The nutrition operates on a similar level to the coaching, in that you will work out a plan with your coach - whether that be macros, habit based or a mixture of the two - and then send the coach a weekly check in. The coach will then use this information to guide you towards your goals. 

Interested in working with us? Check out this link for more information. 
​Or email us to chat.

Welcome back to the blog, this week we're focusing on the how and the why behind us getting stronger. 
And, as usual it's a piece by James Kennedy, fresh off the back of the University of Liverpool's win at Liverpool Varsity this year. 

For competitive strength sports athletes, the aim of the game is to get as strong as possible. A key question then is, how and why do we get stronger? This question is essential to understand; without understanding this it is difficult to understand what we need to do in training and why it will work. 

There are a large number of factors which influence strength output for a given muscle group, from innate physical characteristics (such as limb length or muscle insertion sites) to adaptive characteristics (neural adaptations to force output and skill with lifting). These factors can change over time as well. New lifters tend to make rapid strength gains due to a combination of neural adaptations and skill development; the so-called noob gains. However, once you have passed through this phase (although this can last for a long time in some lucky people) there is a very strong relationship between muscular hypertrophy (muscle growth) and strength gains. 

To understand why this occurs, let's first delve into what’s happening in the muscle during a contraction to produce force.

Muscles can be broken down into a hierarchy of structures. The base of the hierarchy is two proteins - actin and myosin - which interact during muscle contractions. The myosin converts chemical energy released from amino triphosphate (ATP) into mechanical energy which pulls the actin filaments along the myosin filaments, causing muscle contractions. Thousands of actin and myosin proteins are found within a single sarcomere; a collection of sarcomeres forms a muscle fibre and a muscle is formed of thousands of muscle fibres. 
The microscopic level contraction - relaxation cycles of actin and myosin leads to the macroscopic level muscular contractions. The muscles are attached to the skeleton by tendons, and as they contract the skeleton moves. 

Muscles generally attach to the skeleton at two points - the origin and insertion. The origin of a muscle is the attachment site which doesn’t move during contraction. The insertion of a muscle is the attachment site which does move during contraction. Taking a bicep as an example; when you perform a bicep curl, the bicep contracts. This results in the forearm moving around the elbow joint, where the bicep muscle inserts. The shoulder remains still, which is where the bicep muscle originates.

Depending on the muscle group and type of joint they insert into - muscle fibres run at different angles. This angle, known as the pennation angle, controls the number of sarcomeres which can contribute to a given contraction. As pennation angle increases a greater number of sarcomeres can contribute to a given contraction - therefore a muscle with a larger pennation angle will be stronger than a muscle with a smaller pennation angle. Taking a line perpendicular to the pennation angle across the largest part of a muscle allows us to calculate the muscle's physiological cross-sectional area. Muscle cross-sectional area is directly proportional to the amount of force which can be produced by a muscle. 

Why does this matter for lifters? You can’t change the pennation angle - the angle at which muscle fibres insert into joints. However, you can increase the number of muscle fibres you have. The more muscle fibres you have, the larger your muscle cross-sectional area is and the greater force you can produce with that muscle. 

So how do we increase the number of muscle fibres? Resistance training! 


So, if you want to get stronger consistently over an extended period, you will need to increase the amount of muscle mass you have. As a strength athlete, you will also want to increase the amount of force your muscle can produce - so you have a larger muscle with more muscle fibres and each muscle fibre can produce more force. Training style can influence this; it is possible to have muscular hypertrophy and have fewer strength gains due to the muscle producing less force relative to the muscle size. Muscle force production is measured using Normalised Muscle Force (NMF); studies have mostly shown that it increases due to strength training. However, it does not increase the same for all groups. Comparisons between the amount of NMF produced by weightlifters' triceps, who train them primarily with a low rep, high weight movements like the jerk and overhead press, and bodybuilders, who trained triceps primarily with a higher rep, low weight movements, found that the weightlifters produced more force per unit area of muscle than the bodybuilders. 

Translating that into plain English; per unit of tricep muscle mass, weightlifters were able to generate more force than bodybuilders. This is likely due to the nature of the training differences between the groups. Note, that NMF is independent of muscle size - it is just related to the strength of the muscle. Ideally, we would like to be able to get a bigger muscle which could produce the same amount of force per unit area - growing both NMF and the number of muscle fibres.

To increase the number of muscular fibres and overall muscle size, there are two broad strategies - focussing on high reps with lower intensities or training with higher loads and slightly lower rep ranges. As strength athletes, we want to increase both the number of muscle fibres we have and the amount of force we can produce per unit area of the muscle, the NMF. Consequently, hypertrophy-based training for strength athletes should be focused in the range of 70-85% of one-rep max, aiming to get 20-35 reps per exercise. This would lead to some classical ‘power building’ rep ranges such as 3x10, 4x8 or 5x5. 

The weights used should also increase over time; progressive overload is essential for driving hypertrophy. The simplest way to achieve progressive overload is to just add a small amount of weight to each workout. Alternatively, you can keep the weight the same, but just increase the number of reps per set. Combined with eating a diet high in protein this will lead to muscular hypertrophy. As larger muscles have the potential to be stronger muscles, over time progressively overloading and growing muscles will make you stronger. Further, training in a higher intensity style will help you increase the amount of force your muscles are capable of producing per unit area, increasing the carryover from muscular hypertrophy to strength sports.

Summary

Whilst multiple factors influence strength beyond muscle size and force production, there aren’t a huge amount of things you can do about them. The innate physical characteristics, such as muscle insertion sites, limb length, and the angle of insertion of the muscle, are fundamentally unchangeable. New lifters typically make very quick gains in strength without experiencing a large amount of muscular hypertrophy due to neural adaptations and rapid skill acquisition and development. However, once this phase is over and lifters move from beginners to intermediate-advanced trainees, muscular hypertrophy is much more important to strength gains. Fundamentally, strength athletes should be attempting to grow as much muscle as possible to produce the most muscular force possible and lift the most possible weight. The training style is also important - training in lower rep ranges with higher intensities is essential to maximising the amount of force muscle can produce. Subsequently, strength athletes should be training in the 70-85% of one-rep max, with 20-35 reps per workout. 

Chasing muscular hypertrophy whilst lifting heavy weights will help you keep progressing in your strength sports career. A bigger muscle has more muscle fibres, which can be trained to contract harder, allowing you to lift more weight and break more PBs. Fundamentally, the more muscle you have the more weight you should be able to lift and the stronger you will be!

​

Have you checked out the latest YouTube video - it's getting a lot of views at the moment. 

You can see it here. 

Also, an update here too. The page will be updated to reflect the changes!

Continuing on with our training focused blogs recently, we have this one on periodisation. If you're not sure what it is, or ever wondered what your coach means when they talk about different blocks then this will surely clear that up for you a bit. 
As is most often the case, this one is written by James Kennedy. 

For more on training go ahead and check out the rest of our blog. Or even get in touch with one of our many highly qualified coaches. 

We also still have a deal on for the rest of February. Sign up for Grace's Tuesday session, or the evening Olympic Weightlifting Sessions and get your first month's membership free. You just need to sign up by the 28th.
More information on February deals here.