Strong, Fast & Fit: Building Strength (Part II, Month 5)

There’s a lot to be said for strength training. It can build physical and mental resiliency while improving performance in a variety of activities. It can also prevent injury and help you rehab if one should occur. Overall, it can enhance longevity and quality of life.

And these benefits are accessible to almost anyone willing to give it a try.

With effort and commitment, you can improve your strength. A weight that felt impossible to budge or a move that seemed out of your wheelhouse — whether due to physical or mental factors or a combination of the two — can suddenly become possible.

This month, your effort and commitment will be put to the test as you home in on four full-body moves that will build your overall strength:

• Rear-foot-elevated split squat
• Incline-bench dumbbell press
• Trap-bar deadlift
• Band-assisted pull-up

These moves hit almost every muscle in your body. And these particular variations are among the most body-friendly versions of the squat, press, deadlift, and pull-up. They allow you to focus on quality of effort and increased weight without stumbling over the intricacies of a challenging movement.

While these four lifts form the backbone of this month’s programming, other exercises will fill in gaps to prevent injury and ensure a cardio load each week. But the main focus is lifting heavy stuff.