Strength training is defined as working your muscles against RESISTANCE to improve strength.
This doesn’t have to be weights – bands, gravity (bodyweight), rocks, logs, water jugs, babies, etc., add resistance.
In order to improve strength you must be stressing the muscle tissue through a concept called progressive overload – or the slight but gradual increasing of stress on the body in a way that the body can adapt to the demands placed on it.
This is usually done by going up in weight or reps over the weeks of a program, but can also be done through increasing time under tension (TUT) – the amount of time a muscle is under mechanical tension with load. We’ll get into this more later.