What is Strength?
Strength is the ability to apply force against an external object.
That’s it.
It doesn’t have to be complicated, and it doesn’t need a fancy definition. If you can apply more force, you are stronger. Whether you’re lifting a barbell, pushing a sled, or picking up a bag of dog food, it’s all the same principle—your muscles generate force to move something outside of your body.
Building strength is about improving this ability over time in a way that’s efficient, sustainable, and useful.
Strength is also a skill. The better you are at using your body to apply force, the stronger you’ll be—even before you add any muscle. That’s why good technique and neurological efficiency matter so much in strength development.
With that in mind, let’s look at three key habits that help you build strength without unnecessary obstacles.
1. Honor the Strength Continuum
Not all exercises build strength equally. Some are more effective because they involve more muscle, move through a greater range of motion, and allow for progressive overload.
The most effective strength-building exercises:
- Recruit the most muscle. Think squats, deadlifts, presses—these movements engage multiple muscle groups, making them more efficient for getting stronger.
- Move through a large range of motion. More movement = more work = more strength. Half-reps don’t count.
- Allow for progressive overload. If you can’t gradually add weight over time, your strength gains will stall.
If your training is built around machines and isolation exercises, you might be making the process harder than it needs to be. That’s not to say smaller movements have no value—they do—but they should complement, not replace, the big lifts.
2. Develop Strength in the Right Order
Strength isn’t just about lifting heavier—it’s about learning to move well under load. If you rush this process, you set yourself up for stalled progress, suboptimal results, and a higher chance of setbacks.
The Strength Development Path:
- Motor Control & Neurological Control – If you can’t do it well when it’s light, you won’t do it well when it’s heavy.Strength starts with learning the movement patterns and refining technique. The better you are at doing it right from the beginning, the more likely it is to stay right as you add weight. Plus, even as you’re accumulating motor control adaptations, you’re already getting stronger.
- Strength Endurance – Once technique is solid, the next step is building the capacity to maintain it under moderate loads and higher reps.This phase reinforces good habits so that when intensity increases, your movement stays efficient.
- Absolute Strength – Now that you have the foundation, it’s time to progressively load up. Strength built on quality movement has fewer plateaus, fewer setbacks, and lasts longer.
One key thing to remember—neurological improvements don’t stop being important once you move into later stages. Strength is a skill, and the better your nervous system is at coordinating movement, the stronger you’ll be. You’re never done fine-tuning your motor control.
3. Make Load the Variable—Not Technique
Adding more weight isn’t the only way to measure progress—it’s just one way.
What matters more is that you’re lifting with quality at every stage. If your form breaks down as the weight increases, you’re not actually getting stronger—you’re just finding ways to compensate.
Instead, focus on:
- Owning the movement at every load. Your reps should look just as good at 60% of your max as they do at 90%.
- Progressing weight when movement quality allows. If your squat depth is shrinking or your deadlift is turning into a backbend, you’re not progressing—you’re compensating.
- Thinking long-term. The goal isn’t just to lift more this week—it’s to keep getting stronger for years to come.
Final Thoughts
Strength is a process, not a destination.
Every phase of development matters. The key to long-term progress is layering strength on top of solid movement patterns—not just throwing more weight on the bar and hoping for the best.
By focusing on movement quality, respecting neurological control, and treating load as a variable rather than the main priority, you set yourself up for strength that isn’t just impressive—it’s sustainable.