What is the secret to getting stronger?

Many, if not most, people have this belief that there is this secret - some sort of special program, a certain exercise, some special technique, some supplement or drug - that is going to transform their body, like magic, into an absolute monster in the gym.

The longer you spend thinking about this magic that is going to transform you, the more time you are going to waste. The time would have been much better spent on actually training hard.

There are no secrets to getting stronger.

What do you actually need to do to get strong? Well, that is actually quite simple:

1. Perform exercises with perfect technique
   Get feedback from a professional on your technique, take a video of yourself and have a look at how you move. The difference between what you see and what you feel you are doing might surprise you.

2. Lift the weight and lower it down
   That sounds easy enough, but that is not what you see in a typical gym. Do not allow yourself to make the weight feel “easier” by using inertia/momentum. Allow yourself to feel the weight all the way up and down through the lift. Use the lightest weight possible making it feel as heavy as possible.

3. Find a decent program
   A program that covers all of the major muscle groups that you perform once or twice a week is all that you need. As long as you perform the exercises correctly and increase the resistance on a regular basis - it will work.

4. Train hard
   Explore your limits, dig deep and find out what you are really capable of really lifting (and lowering), no matter how much your mind and body are screaming for you to stop.

5. Eat well
   I am not going to cover all of the various diets here, but I am sure that you can decrease your carbohydrates and increase your good fats and fiber.

6. Make small changes
   Then “tweak” things as needed to improve/continue your progress. You can always improve on your form and load the muscles throughout the full range a little better.

7. Don’t get injured
   There is nothing that kills your progress more than an injury. All those slow, hard-earned gains will be gone fairly quickly with inactivity and any required rehabilitation.