Strength isn’t a goal as much as it is a habit. Practice it regularly, and it will come naturally. For the next four weeks, forget about all the fancy newfangled exercises you learned from YouTube and rededicate yourself to the basics—you’ll need only a handful of lifts to change your body and set big personal records. By this time next month you’ll be putting up huge numbers in the gym, and seeing new muscle in the mirror as a result.
To build total-body brute strength, you need to squat, bench, and deadlift. These lifts let you load the most weight, and activate the most muscle. The only drawback is that they’re hard on the body. To get good at them, you have to do them a lot. But how can you get the practice you need without overtraining and getting injured?
The answer is to vary the intensity. You can train all three lifts in a workout, and repeat them several days a week if you change the sets, reps, and weights you’re using every time. The goal is to feel fresh at each workout so you ingrain good technique that allows you to handle heavy weights proficiently when you test your maxes. Be prepared for it to feel too easy at first.
The weights and volume will increase each week, so even if you’re not leaving the gym feeling crushed, trust that your training is working. You’ll know for sure in four weeks when you lift weights that would have flattened you before.
Directions
Perform each workout (Day I, II, III, and IV) once per week, resting a day between each session. The weights you use for the squat, bench press, and deadlift will be based on your max in each lift—the heaviest load you can handle for one rep. Test these numbers before you begin the program or take your best guess. (But be conservative; it’s better to go too light than too heavy.) The volume and intensity will change each week.
