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Performance Meets Muscle Growth
Build more muscle and perform like an athlete. Get the best of both worlds with these six strategies.
Whether your goal is to build a strong physique or become a well-rounded athlete, it’s possible to train in a way that supports performance and builds muscle. In fact, it is necessary for longevity and optimal results.
Here are six ways to achieve this goal:
1. Replace traditional compound lifts with more versatile variations
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Squats are great, but it’s even better when you change up your approach. Adding a few different versions gives you unique advantages that traditional front and back squats lack.
this Checher location, for example, is rarely used. It’s a bit uncomfortable and doesn’t have the same weight-bearing capacity as traditional back squats and split squats, but it transfers well to everyday strength and performance.
Because of the bar’s position, the core and upper back work harder to stabilize the weight and execute the movement with good form. Core strength and upper-middle-back strength are two key characteristics of a more resilient body, and Zercher pose brings it all together.
This positioning is more practical for everyday lifting than backloading. Think about moving the couch, moving the refrigerator, hugging the trash can, or bringing your dog back inside the house. In modified Zercher pose, the weight is almost always on your chest and sternum.
Zerchers can also work some firm muscles in your lower body. You will feel it especially in the hips and legs due to the high demands required to maintain correct posture.
2. Do things that rotate
Performance training without spinning exercises is almost an oxymoron. Your body needs to learn the art of control and stability as you spin. This results in better athletic performance and a body that looks like a part.
Spin training is an underrated method of building muscle because it’s a novelty for many lifters. The subtle movements are great for building strength and muscle. Rotational movements also place a great demand on the muscles of the LPHC (lumbar pelvic hip complex), which builds a more elastic muscular trunk.
Rotational muscle exercises can be simple. Imagine turning a single arm mine press into a rotary mine press.or you can take a dumbbell rear foot raised squat And make it a rotated rear foot raised split squat.
I also like to use mine Use for core exercises such as the Rotating Landmine Incline Twist.
You don’t have to reinvent the wheel through crazy exercises to reap the benefits of spinning. Instead, look for ways to sprinkle the spinning element on a proven muscle and strength builder.
3. Enhanced mobile lift
Traditional strength exercises can improve flexibility, but it’s wise to include exercises that demand more true full-body stability and flexibility. A great exercise to add to your performance/muscle-building program is the bending press.
Curls are great for total body flexibility, chest mobility, core strengthening, improving posture, functional stability and building a base of raw strength. It still requires you to perform quite challenging concentrics, but you have to coordinate your body in a way that requires more flexibility.
this turkish dress up is another solid option, but it’s more of an isometric one when it comes to muscle and strength building.
4. Combining Plyometrics with Heavy Lifting (comparative training)
Adding contrast training (heavy weight training paired with plyometric movements of the same muscle) is one of the most effective tools for combining performance with muscle and strength gains. Contrast training increases upper and lower body strength output. Most notably, it will improve sprinting and jumping performance while increasing total body strength.
example:
upper body
| exercise | set | represent | rest | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A1. | Bench Press with Chains (using 80% of 1RM) | 5 | 3 | |
| A2. | medicine ball chest | 5 | 3-5 | 3 minutes |
lower body
| exercise | set | represent | rest | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B1. | Band Zercher Split Squat (75-80%) | 6 | 5 | |
| B2. | single leg box jump | 6 | 3 | 2.5 minutes |
5. Add some front plane work
Frontal training is essential if you want to move with superior control and develop a greater degree of baseline strength. It’s also a great way to build muscle, especially in neglected areas of the body that support our big lifts, such as the glutes, hamstrings, hip adductors, and hip abductors. Lateral lunges, side squats, and even more unique moves like side sled pulls should be a staple of your program.
You can also keep it interesting throughout your training sessions. Consider tools and load locations: overhead extension, single-arm goblet, dumbbell or kettlebell front rack by your side. For example, you can use either of these while doing side lunges.
ease. When introducing an exercise like this, your stabilizers will kick in, so be conservative and prioritize form and technique.
6. Sprint!
Sprinting is a great way to build muscle and performance at the same time. Nothing compares. It is one of the most effective ways to engage fast-twitch fibers, which are directly related to muscle growth and have major transferable effects on performance, coordination, and overall athleticism.
Sprinting is a youthful sport. It can help you if you want higher levels of testosterone, greater strength production, and better vitality in your life.
Find a hill, run it 5-10 times, and watch how your body adapts. Do sprints like any new exercise, starting slowly, being conservative in overall volume and intensity, and honing great technique.
programming:
- Do 5-10 sets of 8-12 second hill sprints
- Rest: go back
- Repeat twice a week on non-lifting days
- Add a set or a second to each hill sprint each week
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