Although packing on muscle increases strength and size, helping you look younger, your joints end up taking a beating causing them to not only ache but age.
While this is true for many lifters, especially those who focus on gains, joint pain doesn’t always have to tag along with your hard-earned results.
In fact, there is a way to safely increase size and strength without compromising your joint health. Here, this workout plan incorporates careful programming, mobility, and corrective exercise to help you safely and effectively build size and strength one move at a time.
Why it works
Lifting weights compresses the joints, and can lead to injury. There are two main ways to prevent lifting-related aches and pains:
- Master perfect technique so your body can bear the stress of heavy weights as safely as possible.
- Vary the loads you use so you never undergo too much stress for too long.
This program improves technique by way of mobility, with exercises such as the face-pull that activate and balance out the muscles around the shoulder to allow for safe, efficient lifting.
Good to Know: These moves help you perform your bench press better, so we tucked them in between your first few sets. We also change the sets and reps on your main lifts weekly to vary the stimulus. All of these safety precautions make you a better lifter, so it’s easier to add muscle.
How to do it
Perform each workout (Day I, II, and III) once a week, resting a day between each session.
Updated Jan. 9, 2024