Expert advice
The more you know about training, the better your progress will be. And with the benefit of our trainers’ experience and knowledge – including simple tips for first-time trainees and advanced upgrades for the veteran gym-goers – you’ll get stronger, leaner and fitter in next to no time.
Q Can I get fitter and look better at the same time?
Building an impressive physique and improving your sporting performance aren’t the same thing – but they needn’t be mutually exclusive
THE COACH
Christian Thibaudeau is a world-renowned strength coach and author who has competed as an Olympic lifter and a bodybuilder
First, let’s make one thing clear. It is definitely possible to build a muscular, lean body while making strength, speed and power gains. In fact, I would say that training like an athlete and turning yourself into a performance machine is actually the best way to get an aesthetically pleasing body – you just need to pick the right performance-boosting exercises and tweak the loading parameters to optimise your body composition.
Lift off
If you want to build muscle, forget bodybuilding-style isolation exercises such as dumbbell curls and instead focus on compound lifts such as bench presses, squats and deadlifts. Sprinters and rugby players perform these moves in sets of one to three reps, using as much weight as possible. This is optimum for building maximum strength, but if you want get stronger and add functional muscle, you need to lower the weight slightly and aim for four to six reps per set.
I recommend focusing on one compound exercise per
