Many of us use the New Year as a fresh start and embark on a new fitness regime. If that sounds familiar, it pays to heed this tried-and-tested advice from strength coach and yoga teacher Alex Silver-Fagan.
The new star trainer on Chris Hemsworth’s Centr app recently launched a 12-week training program called The Foundation, which she says follows four key phases that will guarantee long-lasting success.
In Silver-Fagan’s plan, each phase lasts three weeks, but can be adapted to suit the timeframe you’re working with.
What’s important, she says, is that you build consistency and challenge yourself incrementally because repeating the same workout over and over while sticking with the same weights will see any progress stall.
Here are the four phases Silver-Fagan says you can apply to your workout routine that will build more strength than you probably thought you were capable of building.
Phase 1: Learn the ropes
Whether you’re following her Foundation program on the Centr app or a DIY plan you’ve devised yourself, the first week or two should be all about refining your technique.
“Phase one is really the foundation where you’re learning all of the movements,” Silver-Fagan tells Fit&Well. “You should keep everything pretty simple, pretty light, slow and controlled.”
Take your time with each lift, tune into how your body moves, and learn to master each exercise while you’re fresh so that when you’re fatigued later in the plan, your form doesn’t fall apart.
Phase 2: Add volume
Once you’ve refined your technique, Silver-Fagan says it’s time to crank up the volume.
“Phase two is where you might lift higher reps or add a little bit more weight,” she says. “Progressively building strength should be the main focus of this block.”
To achieve this in her Foundation plan, Silver-Fagan introduces a 5×5 rep range.
“Five by five is a proven strength training modality,” she explains. “Five sets, five reps each, plenty of rest.”
It’s best to use this 5×5 rep range with mult-joint lifts, including the squat, deadlift, hip thrust, bench press and bent-over-row, where you can focus on generating maximum power.
Phase 3: Introduce variables
“Phase three involves a little more complexity,” says Silver-Fagan.
“You might introduce unilateral exercises that challenge one side of your body at a time to identify and address weaknesses or imbalances, or simply improve functional strength.
“You might play with the tempo of your lifts, introducing a little bit more explosiveness.”
The key is to harness the strength you built in phase two while exposing your body to new stimuli so you don’t tread water.
Phase 4: Test your limits
The fourth and final phase of a well-structured training plan is when you should hit your peak, says Silver-Fagan.
“It’s when we knit everything together, test your maximal strength with lower reps and sprinkle in a little more conditioning and play,” she continues.
Now is the time to build on everything you’ve learned over the previous three phases and see what you’re capable of.
“Lifting well is really an emotional journey,” adds Silver-Fagan. “By taking the time to build strength sustainably and consistently, by the end of a well-structured plan you should feel like you can handle anything.”
