Getting Big And Strong
A Huge Desire For Athletes
By Dr. Charles A. Simkovich

In dealing with young athletes, the foremost desire they have is to get big and strong.

That should be a big concern for an athlete, as strength (not always size), plays a huge role in athletic success – especially in contact sports such as football, hockey, wrestling and basketball.

If all other athletic skills are equal, the stronger man or woman will dominate. Even in non-contact sports, strength is paramount to success.

I am outlining a basic routine that will pack on strength and muscle size faster than any other routine I am familiar with.

If you are not familiar with the exercises I am about to outline, please seek the help of someone you trust, who is qualified and experienced. The last thing you need to do is hurt yourself. Injury is the single biggest way to slow down progress and possibly even ruin your athletic career. Be smart about it and don't let your ego get in the way.

Here six things you need to know when carrying out this routine:

1. Repetitions – Physiology dictates that the harder a muscle contracts, the stronger it will get. A muscle peaks its contraction somewhere between six and eight repetitions. We are going to perform seven to eight repetitions each set of each exercise in this routine.

2. Training Frequency – One should train two days a week. Monday and Friday or Tuesday and Saturday. This is an intense, heavy-duty workout and ample time is needed for recovery, which is just as important as the training.

3. Exercises –

+    Squats: Full range of motion, no half squats or bench squats. Partial movement in any squat is very hard on the knees. Be careful and have close supervision with this one.

+    Lunges: Hold dumbbells when you need added resistance.

+    Chins: Full range of motion, pulling yourself up to your chest. Rotate using close, medium and wide grips.

+    Deadlifts: Use a medium-width reverse grip and do not have your feet wide as many power lifters do in competition. Keep your butt down through the whole movement.

+    Power Cleans: A medium-width grip.

+    Dips: Most dipping bars are angled to allow different grip widths. The wider your grip, the more the pecs are worked. The narrower the grip, the triceps are worked more. Make sure you do both.

+    Upright rows: Keep your hands six inches apart and pull the bar right under your chin.

+    Seated dumbbell presses: Alternate the presses.

+    Close-grip bench presses: Grip the bar about 12 inches apart. Bring the bar down to the bottom of the pecs.

4. Order – Perform the exercises in the exact order I have listed them above. This works from the largest muscle mass to the smallest.

5. Weights – The weight used in each exercise should be heavy enough to do seven or eight repetitions with perfect form. Make slow, controlled movements, especially the negative portions. It is important to know that as soon as you are able to perform the eight repetitions with perfect form, increase the weight you are working with. Increase the weight in small increments. If you can only perform three or four repetitions with the new weight, stay with it until you get to the seven or eight reps and then increase the weight again. This is progressive resistance training, which is the key to increasing strength and lean muscle mass.

6. Sets – Five sets total per exercise is all that is needed, with the first set being a light warm-up set. It is vital to warm up completely before getting into any type of heavy lifting.

Follow this routine consistently and big strength gains will come.

If you have any questions, e-mail me at: Athleticengineer@aol.com.

Dr. Simkovich is the developer of the Athletic Engineering Program and regarded as one of the foremost authorities on athletic performance enhancement.