This article will help you master the fundamentals of strength training and will point you to the resources you need to make the gains you want. You will find articles and books on strength training.
Let’s define strength training.
Strength training is an important part of an overall fitness program. Here’s what it can do for you — and how to get started.
USE IT OR LOSE IT
Lean muscle mass naturally diminishes with age.
You’ll increase the percentage of fat in your body if you don’t do anything to replace the lean muscle you lose over time. Strength training can help you preserve and enhance your muscle mass at any age.
Strength training may also help you:
- Develop strong bones. By stressing your bones, it can increase bone density and reduce the risk of osteoporosis.
- Manage your weight. It can help you manage or lose weight, and it can increase your metabolism to help you burn more calories.
- Enhance your quality of life. It may enhance your quality of life and improve your ability to do everyday activities. Building muscle also can contribute to better balance and may reduce your risk of falls. This can help you maintain independence as you age.
- Manage chronic conditions.It can reduce the signs and symptoms of many chronic conditions, such as arthritis, back pain, obesity, heart disease, depression, and diabetes.
- Sharpen your thinking skills. Some research suggests that regular strength training and aerobic exercise may help improve thinking and learning skills for older adults.
CONSIDER THE OPTIONS
Strength training can be done at home or in the gym. Common choices include:
- Bodyweight. You can do many exercises with little or no equipment. Try pushups, pullups, abdominal crunches and leg squats.
- Resistance tubing. Resistance tubing is an inexpensive, lightweight tubing that provides resistance when stretched. You can choose from many types of resistance tubes in nearly any sporting goods store.
- Free weights. Barbells and dumbbells are classic training tools.
- Weight machines. Most fitness centers offer various resistance machines. You can also invest in weight machines for use at home.
GETTING STARTED
If you have a chronic condition, or if you’re older than age 40 and you haven’t been active recently, check with your doctor before beginning a strength training or aerobic fitness program.
Before beginning your journey, consider warming up with brisk walking or another aerobic activity for five or 10 minutes. Cold muscles are more prone to injury than are warm muscles.
Choose a weight or resistance level heavy enough to tire your muscles after about 12 to 15 repetitions. When you can easily do more repetitions of a certain exercise, gradually increase the weight or resistance.
Research shows that a single set of 12 repetitions with the proper weight can build muscle efficiently in most people and can be as effective as three sets of the same exercise.
To give your muscles time to recover, rest one full day between exercising each specific muscle group.
Also, be careful to listen to your body. If an exercise causes pain, stop the exercise. Consider trying a lower weight or trying it again in a few days.
It’s important to use proper technique in strength training to avoid injuries. If you’re new to weight training, work with a trainer or other fitness specialist to learn the correct form and technique.
WHEN TO EXPECT RESULTS
You don’t need to spend hours a day lifting weights to benefit from strength training. You can see significant improvement in your strength with just two or three 20- or 30-minute weight training sessions a week. If you’re still not sure about how often you should workout per week, you might want to read this article.
The Department of Health and Human Services recommends incorporating strength training exercises of all the major muscle groups into a fitness routine at least two times a week.
As you incorporate these exercises into your fitness routine, you may notice an improvement in your strength over time. As your muscle mass increases, you’ll likely be able to lift weight more easily and for longer periods of time. If you keep it up, you can continue to increase your strength, even if you’re not in shape when you begin.
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