So you've started stretching your pecs and squeezing your arse, and your shoulder and back pain have gotten better. You're managing to squeeze some more activity into your daily routine and you're no longer huffing and puffing after climbing a flight of stairs or walking the kids to school. It's time to turn our focus onto the most important aspect of training: Strength.

Who doesn't want to be stronger?

It's cool for your your kids to continue to look at you as a superhero even after they've reached their teens and decided that you're the cause of all their woes. Or for your friends and family to know that they can count on you to help them move house or shift the leaking washing machine. For yourself, to know that you can lift objects that other men would look at and run to the neighbour for help.

A better question might even be, who doesn't need to be stronger?

How much easier would your life be if everyday objects seemed lighter? Moving furniture, changing or rotating tyres, carrying the shopping in from the car (In a single trip if you're a man), picking your kids up (and thinking about throwing them out the window)... all child's play when you're strong.

Being strong is an amazing feeling and it's about as useful a physical attribute as you can find. Not only that, but it will help you remain independent in later life and reduces the risk of illness and disease, (More on that next month!). But there's a catch, there's always a catch.

Getting strong, really strong, takes time and consistency.

You can make some really great strength gains just by starting some form of resistance training. In the first few months everything will get easier, inside and outside the gym, and you'll soon feel like you're making great progress. Much of these strength gains are neurological, your body is learning to use your muscles more efficiently, and after a while they slow down. To go from a person who trains to a truly strong person takes years of consistent, well-planned effort. But it's worth it.

Get Started!

The perfect solution to all of your strength woes would be to sign up for my Fit Father's Programme or for the mixed classes at Complete Fitness Trim (Shameless Self-promotion!!!). If you don't have access to a gym, you can still get stronger using some basic equipment or even with simple body weight movements.

An effective strength training programme includes the four basic human movements : Hinge/Hip dominant (Deadlift variations, Glute Bridges, Kettlebell Swings...), Squat/Knee dominant (air squat, lunge, single leg squat...), Upper body Push (Push up, bench press, overhead press...) and Upper body Pull (Barbell row, horizontal row, pull up...) and some form of progressive overload (more reps, heavier load, larger range of motion...).

Check out next months article aimed at getting us active.