By: Jim Stoppani, PhD

Most of us don't particularly care how strong we are, but rather, how strong we look. Although our goals involve putting pounds on our body rather than putting pounds on the barbells we lift, increasing strength should also be a priority, as being stronger can lead to bigger muscles. Enter the 5-3-2 Plan for Insane Strength.

5-3-2 Plan For Insane Strength

The 5-3-2 Plan for Insane Strength is a simple 10-week program guaranteed to make you stronger. At the end of this program, expect an incredible increase in strength. That's a 25% strength gain over nine exercises for an incredible overall strength increase.

Why Strength Training?

Getting stronger now means that when you return to your normal workouts, you'll use more weight than before, thus placing greater overload on the muscles for more growth.

Just take a look at the thickest and freakiest muscled bodies on IFBB Pro League stages - men such as Ronnie Coleman, Johnnie Jackson and Branch Warren, to name a few. The majority of the most massive physiques in bodybuilding have their roots in powerlifting and it's no coincidence that these men sport muscles that really are as strong as they look.

Click To Enlarge.
Ronnie, Johnnie & Branch All Have Their Roots In Powerlifting.

Power Moves:

These basic, free-weight, compound exercises are the bread and butter of the 5-3-2 Plan. Here are some general tips to apply to all of the exercises for maximum benefit.

• Create a solid connection to the bar by squeezing it as hard as possible, transmitting the force developed by the target muscles to the bar.
• On bench presses, overhead presses, squats and close-grip bench presses, take a deep breath in and hold it as you lower the weight and start to push. This causes an increase in pressure in your chest and abdominal cavity to support your body and generate more power. Exhale after passing the most difficult stage of the lift or after you reach the top position.
• Explode from the bottom position with as much speed and power as possible (imagine that you're using a mere 10 pounds). In reality, the bar will move quite slowly, but the neural drive that results from the force of effort will amplify power.

For all the details of the 5-3-2 Plan for Insane Strength, including workout tips and your nutrition plan, grab a copy of the May issue of FLEX on newsstands now.

Jim Stoppani, PhD

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