Strength is defined as the ability to produce force to overcome an external resistance. I use the barbell lifts as my metrics for strength. If your squat is going up, that means you are getting stronger. Fact. Plain and simple. To get stronger at squatting, you must squat.

Although physical activity in general will produce small strength increases the transference from non-specific to specific movement are disjointed. On the contrary if your squat improves your running will improve. This is because now you can produce more force per stride potentially allowing you to run faster.

Getting stronger requires that we pick exercises that use the most muscle mass, train the appropriate energy systems and has the greatest transference to all other physical attributes.

We live in this world by physically interacting with our environment. When we are strong life becomes easier; almost everything physical requires strength. Use the barbell lifts to build strength because it uses the most muscle mass, over the largest range of motion with the most weight possible.

Teaching the body to do the strength lifts while progressively overloading the system forces the body to build the necessary architectural structures (thickening and strengthen of the bones, muscle fibers, tendons, ligaments, cartilage) simultaneous to creating physiological adaptions (mitochondrial density improving ATP-CP regeneration rates, glycolytic storage and to a lesser extent aerobic conditioning) within the cell to increase efficiency of the body’s energy system production.

As the body adapts it becomes capable of producing more force. The evidence of strength is simple, how much weight is on the bar. If the weight on the bar is going up over time, we are therefore producing more force.

Why do should we focus on strength and use the barbell lifts? Because having the ability to produce more force makes life physically easier to live.