With the advent of social media reels and pictures of fit bodies and a rising trend to hit gyms, the public has forgotten the difference between bodybuilding and strength training. The former is a sport mainly focusing on aesthetics and body looks, while the latter focuses on strength and endurance.
For those looking to build strength, CrossFit games are the best option. However, many don’t understand what strength is. It is the ability of a person to endure vigorous activity in minimum time and maximum intensity. It is very different from similar-looking sports like bodybuilding and aesthetics. Unlike these sports, CrossFit sports focuses mainly on maintaining strength. This is where Mahmood Shalan steps in. A BBA student and qualified fitness trainer, Mahmood Shalan is an eight-time Dubai CrossFit championship participant. This is not all! He is a two-time CrossFit game championship participant, standing as the 57th fittest man on earth in 2019.
According to 29-year-old renowned fitness trainer, having an experience of more than eight years of fitness training and nutrition, the biggest mistake people make for building strength is not showing consistency in exercising and not following proper diet plans. “Good dietary plans and sleep cycles, consistency, and many other factors are the key factors impacting fitness,” says Mahmood Shalan.
The expert suggests avoiding sugar, consuming simple food and eating only when hungry. Simple and natural carbohydrates like corn, beetroot, and green vegetables have a low glycaemic index that releases glucose molecules slowly and steadily, causing minimum insulin surge—a factor that causes fat synthesis. These types of food produce satiety and provide glucose for a very long time, thus sustaining high-energy demanding activities like running, weightlifting, and skipping without getting fatigued.
Increased fuel may improve strength, but that is only possible when you also focus on building muscle mass. For that, you should increase the protein intake in your diet by including eggs, beans, or protein powder. This will cause more muscle protein synthesis—as opposed to breakdown—inducing hypertrophy in your muscle mass and increasing the number of load-bearing fibres.
The most important organ of your body associated with improving strength is the muscle. In fact, muscle strength—for lifting heavy weights for a prolonged time and increased reps—also requires supplements like creatinine, a protein naturally stored in muscles. Creatinine provides ATPs (Adenosine Triphosphate) to the cells. On taking them artificially as a supplement, the energy-holding capacity of muscles increases exponentially. Moreover, this supplement provides energy to muscles while lessening their time of fatigue. If not done correctly, this may damage your health, especially your kidneys, but choosing good brands and taking them under the prescription of expert nutritionists may lead to reduced side effects.
As far as strength building is concerned, the Emirati CrossFit champion posts exercise images with clear instructions and frequencies of exercises on his Instagram account. This not only serves as a complete guide for those on a journey to build their strength but is also very accessible and convenient for anyone who doesn’t want to go to the gym.
Upon sharing his daily routine, Mahmood said that he starts his day with gymnastics and cycling in the morning and does strength and weightlifting in the evening. It is important to remember that lifting heavy weights is not the only way to become strong. Around 100 reps with a 1kg dumbbell might equal 10 reps with a 10 kg dumbbell. However, increased muscle mass is not a surety of high strength.
Practising CrossFit is also a great way to build strength, as it involves a mixture of various sports like high-intensity interval training, plyometrics, Kettlebell, and Olympic weightlifting. Regarding the key factors for building strength, Mahmood Shalan, on a parting note, shared that it includes good nutrition, adequate rest between lifts, increasing weight successively, and doing exercises involving multiple joints. Good posture during exercise is also essential, as not having one may not target the muscles you want to build, making the training ineffective.
