A lot of people look at corrective exercise as a way to not really get strong. In fact, I have a client who thinks he’s not nearly as strong since we started doing correctives with him, but today I saw him press a weight I’ve never seen him do before.
Sometimes you have to “step back” in order to move forward. I think a lot of times people tend to think if they aren’t lifting heavy weights, they aren’t getting strong. It’s actually something else that is keeping you from lifting even heavier weights. If you don’t OWN your foundation, then how can you own producing force on top of it?
Generally, owning your foundation requires you to really tune in to what your body does on its own first, and then add external resistance. There are plenty of small bodyweight movements that can actually increase the force you produce with external weight IMMEDIATELY after doing the bodyweight exercise!
Before you decide that the only way to get strong is to lift heavy, ask yourself if your foundation is ready for that load.