Strength training: adding variety

A couple of months ago I decided to add some variety to my strength training program.

The main change has been to alternate between front and back squats. The higher frequency with the back squat has brought some much needed practice to an exercise I find mechanically more difficult to perform, quite possibly due to difficulties with my right knee I had when I was a teenager.

Through the influence of stronglifts.com I’ve developed an interest in the olympic-style lifts and have been practicing the power clean twice a week. This has brought an extra dimension of power, speed and technique to my training and proved a “tonic,” buoying my enthusiasm for lifting.

The final change has been to train all the different pull-up/chin-up grips: neutral, supinated and pronated. The pull-up has been quite a challenge and I’ve really had to focus on progress, not perfection, leaving my ego at the weights-room door and emphasising strict form at all times.