Strength Training Basics

A muscle is like a car. If you want it to run well early in the morning, you have to warm it up - Florence Griffith Joyner

Strength training is one of my favorite forms of exercise so I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to discuss it a bit. It seems most exercise enthusiasts are divided into two camps: they love weight training and the challenges and opportunities it presents, or they despise it and treat it as a nuisance at best and an option at worst.

I've jumped the fence on this issue. I used to fear the weight room because I had no idea what to do, how the machines worked, and why there were so many big strong men (were women supposed to be in here too?). I eased the gap by taking a few BodyPump classes where I'd lift 3-5 pound weights, and then by reading books and lurking in online exercise forums. I then ventured to the room of the weight machines. It's not as scary as it seems because most machines have instructions! The ones that don't have instructions can be intimidating but you can learn what those do by covertly staring at someone using said machine. After I conquered the machine room I moved on to free weights and it feels amazing! There are so many more exercise options, I rarely have to wait to use them, and best of all they're portable.

The Basics

Strength training is one of three essential components of a well-balanced exercise routine, with cardiovascular exercise and stretching/flexibility being the other two essentials. Simply put, strength training is the use of resistance to build strength, anaerobic endurance, or skeletal muscle size (aka hypertrophy). I tend to use the term "strength training" interchangeably with resistance training, as you can use any number of tools to gain strength.

Strength training encompasses a number of apparatuses. Some common ones include free weights (including dumbbells and barbells), plate-loaded machines, lever-based machines, hydraulic machines, resistance bands, and bodyweight exercises.

Strength training recommendations

According to the Center for Disease Control's 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, Adults should do the following: muscle strengthening activities on 2 or more days a week that work all major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest,  shoulders, and arms). That's it! No time frame, no specific exercises, just do something twice a week.

What does the CDC consider muscle strengthening activity?

1. Lifting weights
2. Working with resistance bands
3. Doing exercises that use your body weight for resistance
4. Heavy gardening (i.e., digging, shoveling)
5. Yoga

Strength training benefits

According to the Mayo Clinic and the National Strength and Conditioning Association's Essentials of Personal Training Manual, here are a few benefits of strength training:

1. Develop strong bones  and reduce the risk of osteoporosis and osteopenia.
2. Control your weight. Muscle is metabolically active (unlike fat), so it burns calories all day by increasing your resting metabolic rate.
3. Reduce your risk of injury. Building muscle helps protect your joints from injury by strengthening connective tissue.
4. Boost your stamina. As you get stronger, you won't fatigue as easily.
5. Manage chronic conditions. Strength training can reduce the signs and symptoms of many chronic conditions, including arthritis, back pain, depression, diabetes, obesity and osteoporosis. 
6. Sharpen your mental focus.
7. Increases in muscle strength, endurance, and power.

Check back in for the next entry where I'll examine some common strength training myths and explain why they're false!

                   
Stuck in a rut? Need assistance creating a fitness program or reaching your health goals? Contact me at SeeMeFit for health and fitness coaching!