What Determines Your Strength

Your strength is determined by the number of muscle fibers that you have and the ability to turn on all of those muscle fibers. So there are two ways to get stronger. You can increase the size of the muscle or you can get better at turning on the muscle that you already have. The way to increase the size of the muscle is to use weights that are challenging for 6-12 repetitions, and the way to increase your ability to turn on the muscle is by using weights that are challenging for 5 or fewer repetitions. Most people spend their time using repetitions between 6-12 trying to make the muscles bigger but there is a lot of benefit in lifting heavier so that you teach your body how to turn on all of its available muscle. Most people never reach their true potential when it comes to turning on all of their muscle fibers. Being able to turn on all of your muscle fibers is a function of your nervous system and the way to improve this ability is by challenging your body to lift heavier loads. One of the best ways to improve these two areas of strength is by alternating between periods where your focus is on lifting heavier loads and periods where you try for more repetitions. When you do this you build more muscle for a period and then you teach your body how to use that new muscle.