Strength Training Basics — How to Train for Strength Not Size
Strength Training Basics — How to Train for Power
If your goal is to increase your one-rep max, build denser muscles, or just feel powerful in your movements, you’re in the right place.
In this post, we’ll cover the basics of strength training: how to structure your workouts for maximum strength without gaining much size, what rep ranges to use, how much rest to take, and which exercises give you the most bang for your buck.
Strength Training 101
Below are the basics to training for strength rather than size. Using these guidelines, you can build muscular density and increase the weight on the bar without getting too big and heavy - a critical balance for endurance athletes.
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Volume: 3–5 sets of 3–5 reps, performed 3–5 times per week per muscle group. The emphasis here is intensity—not just how much work you do, but how heavy you lift.
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Weight: Lift at 70% or more of your 1-rep max. This should allow you to hit the 3-5 rep range. These sets should feel heavy and require full concentration.
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Reps: No need to train to failure. Instead, focus on high-quality reps with perfect form. You want to train your nervous system, not just fatigue your muscles.
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Rep Tempo: Cadence isn’t critical, but if you want guidance, I suggest a 3-1-1 tempo (3 seconds down, 1-second pause, 1 second up) to ensure control and force production.
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Rest Between Sets: 2–5 minutes. This gives your body time to restore ATP so you can bring full power to your next set.
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Exercise Selection: Stick mostly to compound movements like squats, deadlifts, bench presses, overhead presses, and rows. I recommend balancing push/pull movements (horizontal and vertical) for full-body development. For example, choose a horizontal push exercise like bench press, and then a horizontal pull exercise like bent-over rows. This helps keep your body in balance and reduce the potential for injuries or limitations as you try to increase weight over time.
Nutrition + Recovery for Strength
Strength training at the gym is only one part of the equation. You get stronger when your body adapts to the stimulus of your gym session, so focusing on your nutrition and recovery is just as important as focusing on your reps and sets at the gym.
The basics of recovery:
- Protein: Aim for 1g per pound of bodyweight daily.
- Calories: A small (~5%) surplus can help, but it’s not essential. Avoid under-eating if you want to keep getting stronger.
- Recovery: Prioritize sleep and give muscles 24+ hours between heavy sessions. Since you are doing a low volume with high rest periods, you shouldn’t feel too much soreness the day after your gym session (except for when starting a new program and your body is not acclimated to the training movements and weights).
Final Thoughts
Strength training is about consistency, form, and load progression—not chasing soreness or burnout. When done right, it builds a foundation that benefits running, athletic performance, and long-term health.
Next up: we’ll explore hypertrophy training—how to build muscle size and structure your workouts to support growth.
References
These guidelines are based heavily on Andy Galpin, PhD’s ~15 hour podcast series on the Huberman Lab podcast, in addition to my own experience training and lifting. Dr. Galpin is a professor of kinesiology at California State University, Fullerton and trains professional athletes in addition to researching the latest in sports science.
