When trying to up your game you should always be prepared to plan ahead, and in order to get the best possible result, you might wanna read this article as we will break down on what you need to work on to get more power. Here, we will give you the best advice, but, if you still need some help to improve your performance, we spoke to Steroids Evolution, and they shared some pretty good ideas of their own.
The beauty of using these stages is that great bodybuilders like Serge Nubret (the Black Panther) relied on them to excel in the 1960s and 70s. Likewise Francesco Columbu (Franco) who scooped many bodybuilding awards in the 70s relied on such as approach. The five stages of power development was and still is, the bodybuilding anthem for most successful bodybuilders of all time.
So, below are the golden stages you need to develop power as a bodybuilder.
- Initial Explosiveness:
Going from zero to your max is what it is all about here. Making yourself accelerate from a stop, producing as much energy as you can. Working on your start will help your explosive movements like improving your jumps, the speed of your punches, even the start of running. You have probably already seen people work on this in the gym before. Pushing up from dead as fast as possible and then laying down again for the next exercise, jolting up from a seated position, doing everything as fast as they can at the beginning of the exercise.
- Keeping it up
This stage is pretty much the opposite of the previous one, instead of using a single burst of movement you want to keep up your movements. So, instead of just jumping up from a squat, you want to either speed up as you move or, at least don’t slow down. Accelerating progressively will greatly increase your power.
The Black Panther recommended something like downhill running, pushing a car or swimming to keep it up at all times. Furthermore, during that great bodybuilding documentary, Pumping Iron, he recommended the use of a positive increment method as one means of generating more power for bodybuilders.
- Power and numbers
For this stage, you will want to pay attention and jot down the numbers. The numbers you might want to follow are related to weight, time and speed. This will be the easiest way to track your progress. Logically, if you lift 100 pounds 10 times and it takes you 40 seconds you are less powerful than the person who can do it in 20. Same would go for doubling the weight or the reps. Choose a goal at a time and work on improving the numbers. Slowly add up the weight. Work with the same weight but take fewer and shorter breaks, or try to move a bit faster when performing exercises (depending on the exercise, safety is still the priority).
In the final weeks leading up to his show in 1975, Franco would perform deadlifts in six sets and then decrease the number per set from six to one. While at the gym, this legend valued the numbers and all the algorithms he had set to become one of the best bodybuilders of all times.
- Stabilizers
To avoid injury and get the optimal results you must work on your stability. This is not something that usually needs to be focused on since they will be strengthened passively while working out. But, if you are noticing that you are out of balance when performing some exercises you could always pay some attention to stability…exercise standing on one leg, move a bit slower and keep the form perfect.
While the Black Panther did not have many stability issues due to the nature of his intense workouts, he could still be seen doing some squats with one leg while carrying a lighter load on the shoulders. In the same manner, he would repeat with the other leg until both had done the same work.
- Muscle memory
You might want to work on re-coordinating your muscles. Generally the best time to do this is while your muscles are at their peak from exercise. If you want to improve your punches, it is the perfect opportunity to work with the bag. But don’t over exert yourself as it is the end of your daily workout. Just try to remind your body of what the goal is for the daily workout.
Conclusion
To improve your training you can always follow these as pointers. Our suggestion would be to spread them out over the weekly exercise routine and keep them up until your numbers are satisfying.
Franco and Serge are two good examples of bodybuilders who used these five stages to succeed in their efforts. Today, we have better gyms and workout equipment which makes it easier to achieve goals as far as these power building stages are concerned. So what’s stopping you?
As always…Happy lifting!
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