Embarking on the quest for strength is akin to embarking on a grand adventure. While the destination—a formidable level of power—is enticing, the journey to reach it is filled with twists and turns. Fear not, for we unveil the sacred training principles that will pave your path to superhuman strength in this article!
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How to gain superhuman strength step-by-step!
Gaining superhuman strength is an ambitious endeavor, but with the right approach and dedication, it’s within reach. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you embark on your journey towards unparalleled strength:
1. Get jacked! (but stay lean)
When muscles grow in size, the cross-sectional area of the muscle fibers increases. This larger muscle cross-section allows for a greater potential to generate force during muscle contractions, resulting in increased strength. If you train for relative (pound-for-pound) strength, which we primarily do as calisthenics athletes, then being lean is also important to improve calisthenics performance.
2. Apply progressive overload
Progressive overload is a fundamental principle in strength training, including calisthenics. It involves gradually increasing the demands placed on the muscles over time to continually challenge them and promote adaptations in strength. This can be achieved by adding resistance through tools like weighted vests or resistance bands, increasing the number of repetitions or sets, progressing to more challenging variations of exercises, and focusing on technique improvements.
3. Focus on perfect form and technique
Proper form and technique allow you to perform movements more efficiently by engaging the appropriate muscles and minimizing energy wastage. As you repeatedly perform exercises with correct form, your nervous system refines motor patterns through a process known as motor learning. This enhances coordination and proficiency in executing movements, leading to improved strength gains over time.
4. Be specific (don’t mess around!)
The principle of specificity emphasizes the importance of training in a manner that closely mimics the desired outcome. Here’s how specificity applies to strength development:
- Exercise Selection: Choose exercises that target the specific muscles and movement patterns relevant to your strength goals. For example, if you want to improve your planche strength, prioritize exercises such as pseudo plance push ups, and static progressions.
- Intensity: Train with heavy loads that are close to your one-repetition maximum (1RM) to stimulate maximal strength adaptations. Performing low-repetition sets with high intensity (around 85-100% of 1RM) helps recruit high-threshold motor units and prime the nervous system for maximal force production.
5. Take long rest periods (but don’t fall asleep)
Long rest periods, typically lasting 3 to 5+ minutes, are essential in strength-focused calisthenics training. Because they allow muscles to fully replenish ATP and phosphocreatine stores, ensuring sustained high-intensity efforts. Additionally, these breaks promote neuromuscular recovery, help maintain proper exercise form, and offer a mental respite, all of which contribute to optimal performance and ongoing progress.
6. Periodize your training for optimal results
Periodization in calisthenics involves organizing your training into distinct phases, each with specific goals and training modalities. This structured approach typically includes strength, hypertrophy, skill, and deload phases. The strength phase focuses on heavy resistance training to build foundational strength, while the hypertrophy phase emphasizes muscle growth through increased training volume. Deload phases allow for recovery and adaptation between training cycles, preventing plateaus and promoting long-term progress. By systematically varying training stimuli and optimizing recovery, periodization ensures consistent gains in strength and muscle size over time (read more about how to apply periodization for calisthenics in this post).
7. Address weak points (or stay weak!)
Identify and target any weaknesses or imbalances in your strength training routine. Incorporate accessory exercises or variations to address these areas. This might involve incorporating exercises such as farmer’s walks or grip strengtheners to improve grip strength if your grip is weak for example. By addressing these weaknesses and imbalances, you can improve overall strength and performance, reduce the risk of injury, and achieve better results in your calisthenics training
8. Be consistent and have patience!
Last but not least, consistency forms the cornerstone of effective strength development in calisthenics. Maintaining a regular training schedule allows for the gradual accumulation of strength adaptations over time. By sticking to a consistent routine, you provide your body with the stimulus it needs to adapt and grow stronger. This means committing to a set training schedule that fits into your lifestyle and adhering to it diligently.
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Anton has been training calisthenics for many years and has experience coaching calisthenics. As a calisthenics nerd, I enjoy diving deep into various topics related to calisthenics.