Why should I work on my strength? This is a question that I have answered many times over the years, and I have always given the same answer: “No one ever said they didn’t want to be stronger. “
Strength is a very broad term that gets used loosely around the gym. It comes with a stereotype of being bulky, muscular and slow, but it’s far from it. Strength is a skill in the same ways that double unders, handstands, and muscle-ups are skills. It takes a lot of time to develop, you can always improve on it, and the more efficient you can become at it the easier it will be. The skill development process can be applied to any movement to get stronger at. If an athlete is looking for better pull-ups, you can bet they will be doing more pull-up drills, pull-ups, and perhaps even adding weight to pull-ups to make them more challenging. Regardless of what an athlete wants to get stronger at, it takes time, dedication, and the development of more strength.
When looking at movements performed in the gym, they can be narrowed down to three basic, broad actions: pushing, pulling, or moving an object from A to B. Yes, I know there are many ways to interpret this statement, but bear with me. By developing those basic three actions, you can establish an incredibly strong foundational base that provides the ability to perform hundreds of different movements with ease. Take the squat for instance. The squat is a foundational movement of life. We do it multiple times a day when by just sitting down and standing up. Now, if we took the time to truly develop the skill of strength in our squat with proper form, would it transfer to other movements performed in the gym and life? The answer is yes. Daily life requirements would become easier, as well as movements in the gym. Movements like squats, cleans, snatches, wall ball shots, kettlebell swings, and etc. would all become easier to perform. Many aspects of life along with working out would be directly affected in a positive way by having a better foundational base, and having more strength.
There are so many reasons why strength is an important skill to develop across many different movements. Not only does it make an athlete stronger and more stable, but also gives them more confidence to complete workouts, achieve new personal records, and challenge themselves daily.
If you’re interested in developing more strength and working on that as a skill, contact Coach Mike for more details or click the button below to learn more and register. Mission CrossFit has a new strength cycle starting Monday, January 4th.
