How to Get Stronger

Scenario: "Dude, jocks are stupid. If you want to be perceived as stupid, lift weights. If you'd like to be a nerd, read books. Done. Yay!" It's such a warped conventional wisdom. If you want to be a kick-ass CEO/CFO/manager/marketer/etc., you'll need to increase your energy capacity. That helps you do things much faster, more efficiently, and more passionately. Then to boost that energy capacity, you'll need strength training (a.k.a. lifting weights). According to energy guru Jim Loehr:

Physical energy is fundamental to every aspect of our lives. Anything that [you] can do to build and sustain physical energy increases the chance that [you] will perform at [your] best. Increased physical capacity influences the ability to control emotions, to focus attention and even to persevere on a mission.

So how do you do it?

Start by working six of your basic muscle groups: shoulder, biceps, triceps, shoulder, chest, and legs. Then here's what the author of this article does:

1. First, think "habitual improvement."
2. For instance, you'll start with 15-pound dumbbells this week.
3. Then, you'll use 20-pound dumbbells the following week.
4. Etc.

Dramatic changes don't happen overnight.

It's such a common scenario:

1. Skinny Bobby wants to be buff.
2. He tries to lift a million pounds during his first day of workout.
3. He sees no changes.
4. Disheartened, he quits.

Forget the overnight thing.

Use what really works: Habitually improve how much you lift. According to the Harvard Medical School:

If you wish to significantly increase a muscle's strength and size, you'll need to do resistance exercises with that muscle on a regular basis (one to three times a week).

The moral:

If you want to be the nerdiest of nerds, habitually lift more weights.

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