Strength only, strength

[Goin_Big]

For those of you that are serious powerlifters, whether you compete or just do it for fun.

I wanna know what kind of routine you would do to gain strength and only strength. Not worrying about muscle at all, but only to gain strength.

What would your routine look like?

Part of the reason I'm asking is, it seems that many pl'ers are small, so I got to thinking about this, and figured that you could probably gain strength while losing fat if you were training right. Although I'm not sure that's true, I would like to find out, so please post yer routine

[Destram]

I would assume you could still gain strength when dropping fat, because its not like the fat is helping with your lifts at all. I'm trying to gain strength and drop fat as well, so good luck man.

[Goin_Big]

BUMP!!!!

He who looketh, but not replyeth is evil.

[Jedi Knight]

You're right, I know this guy at my gym and he looks like the biggest poindexter in the world, I mean this guy is kind of small. He has some good muscle size, but he doesn't have a ton of definition. I was talking too him, and he told me he uses olympic lifts. He sticks with the core lifts, dead lifts are really important, and hi bench is heavy heavy heavy..... he has a spotter there all the time. His squat is a$$ to the floor, and up. He bounces at the bottom. He doesn't do a lot of fluid movements...... kinda strange, you can tell, he throws up alot, but not too defined.

[TMan]

I'd be interested in what a "strength only" routine would look like as well. I don't really care about powerlifting per se just building overall strength.

There's a book called "Dinosaur Training" by Kubiks (?) that comes to mind. I haven't read it but I've been told it focuses on building "real world" strength ala strong man as opposed to PL routines which focus on the 3 lifts.

[PowerManDL]

I'd base it around the core movements, and probably do each more than once a week. I'd do accessory work, but not focus on it.

I'd also go heavy, use multiple sets on the targeted exercises, and probably use some form of cyclical intensity.

[RG570]

cyclical training? elaborate please?

[PowerManDL]

Basically just percentage-based training. Say 85-90-95-100-95-90 or something to that effect. Don't keep going balls-to-the-wall all the time.

[RG570]

::nods head::

[RG570]

got any articles or sample training programs?

[Blitzforce]

Using periodization, you'd start out at a higher rep range of, say, sets of ten reps. Do that for two or three weeks, then drop it down to a week or two of eights, then a week or two of fives, threes, and then down to one rep. Take a week off, and go back up.

you could also experiemnt with cluster training - which I will towards the end of my next training cycle - currently on my 10 day layoff

[PowerManDL]

I'm not a big fan of using terribly higher rep ranges, nor of using linear periodization.

I like to keep it all heavy, and just cycle the percentages in that outline. I don't even necessarily adhere to the percentages, either, if a weight is too heavy or too light.

[TMan]

PowerManDL - Would you recommend something like Bill Starr's Heavy/Medium or Heavy/Light/Medium routine for strength training?

[PowerManDL]

Sure. I love Starr's stuff.