How to Build Muscular Strength & Power: A Simplistic Practical Guide

If you're serious about building strength and power, it's essential to understand the science and structure behind an effective training program. Dr. Daniel lays out a clear, actionable framework for developing both strength and explosive power. Here's a breakdown of the key variables and principles he recommends:

1. Exercise Choice: Movement Over Muscle

When training for strength and power, focus on compound movements and movement patterns, not individual muscles.

• Think: Push, Pull, Hinge, and Rotate.

• Example structure:

  • Push: Bench Press, Overhead Press

  • Pull: Row, Pull-Up

  • Hinge/Lower Body: Deadlift, Squat

  • Rotation: Cable rotations, medicine ball throws (mimicking swinging or throwing motions)

The goal is to train explosive, athletic movements that engage multiple joints and planes of motion—not isolated muscle work like tricep kickbacks.

2. Exercise Order: Power Comes First

Power and strength exercises require maximal intent and neurological freshness. That means:

• Always perform strength and power work at the beginning of your workout, when you're most fresh.

• Avoid fatigue-inducing activities (e.g., cardio, high-rep hypertrophy sets) before power training.

• Power = quality. If you’re tired, your nervous system won’t be able to deliver max output.

3. Volume & Intensity: Stay Within the Sweet Spot

Both strength and power benefit from moderate total volume and high intensity.

• General guideline: 3 to 20 sets total per workout, depending on training level and goals.

• Typical strength/power session: 3–5 sets per movement

• Supersets can save time, but may sacrifice ~5% of your potential strength gains.

  • If you're okay with that trade-off, it’s a great strategy for time efficiency.

  • Just know it’s not ideal for maximizing output.

4. Frequency: As Often As You Can Recover

• Power movements (e.g., med ball throws, kettlebell swings) can be done almost daily, provided volume is low and recovery is intact.

• Max strength training often needs more recovery—every other day or even less frequent depending on intensity and training age.

• Avoid overdoing sprint-based power work without adequate rest to protect hamstrings and joints.

5. Progression: Gradual Increases for Long-Term Gains

To build strength and power over time:

• Increase intensity (weight/load) by 3–5% per week.

• Increase volume (sets/reps) by up to 5% per week.

• Run this progression for 4–8 weeks, followed by a deload or recovery week.

Final Thoughts

Training for strength and power isn’t just about lifting heavy—it’s about smart, structured programming that respects your nervous system, recovery, and performance goals. Think movement patterns, prioritize quality, and train with intent. Whether you're an athlete or just trying to perform and feel better, these principles apply across the board.