Benefits of Strength training
The Benefits of Strength Training
by Doug Walker
Public health guidelines primarily focus on the promotion of
physical activity and steady-state aerobic exercise, which
enhances cardiorespiratory fitness and has some impact on
body composition.
However, research demonstrates that resistance exercise
training has profound effects on the musculoskeletal system,
contributes to the maintenance of functional abilities, and
prevents osteoporosis, sarcopenia (loss of body mass),
lower-back pain, and other disabilities. More recent seminal
research demonstrates that resistance training may
positively affect risk factors such as insulin resistance,
resting metabolic rate, glucose metabolism, blood pressure,
body fat, and gastrointestinal transit time, which are
associated with diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.
Research also indicates that virtually all the benefits of
resistance training are likely to be obtained in two 15 to
20 minute training sessions a week. Sensible resistance
training involves precise controlled movements for each
major muscle group and does not require the use of very
heavy resistance. Along with brief prescriptive steady-state
aerobic exercise, resistance training should be a central
component of public health promotion programs.
Copyright 2001 American Health Foundation and Academic
Press.
An effective program can benefit your body in the
following areas:
Health:
Increases HDL - High Density Lipoprotein (good cholesterol)
and
decrease LDL - Low Density Lipoprotein (bad cholesterol).
Reduces risk of diabetes and insulin needs.
Lowers risk of cardiovascular disease.
Lower high blood pressure.
Lowers risk of breast cancer - reduces high estrogen levels
linked to the disease.
Decreases or minimizes risk of osteoporosis by building bone
mass.
Reduces symptoms of PMS (Premenstrual Syndrome)
Reduces stress and anxiety.
Decreases colds and illness.
Strength:
Increased muscle strength, power, endurance and size.
Enhanced performance of everyday tasks. You will be able to
do everyday tasks like lifting, carrying, and walking up
stairs with greater ease.
Flexibility:
By working the muscles through a full range of motion,
weight
training can improve your overall body flexibility.
Increased
flexibility reduces the risk of muscle pulls and back pain
Likelihood of Injury:
Strong muscles, tendons, and ligaments are less likely to
give way under stress and are less likely to be injured.
Increased bone density and strength reduces back and knee
pain by building muscle around these areas.
Body Composition:
Boosted metabolism (which means burning more calories when
at rest). Reduced body fat. Your overall weight may not
change, but you will gain muscle and lose fat. Over time you
should notice decreases in waist measurements and body fat
measurement.
Muscle Tone:
The conditioning effect will result in firmer and
better-defined
muscles.
Posture:
The way you sit and stand are influenced by the health of a
network of neck, shoulder, back, hip and abdominal muscles.
Stronger muscles can help you stand and sit straighter and
more comfortably. Improved balance and stability.
State of Mind:
As you begin to notice the positive physical changes in your
body and develop a regular exercise routine your ability to
handle stress effectively will improve. Weight training
allows you to sleep better, i.e., fall asleep quicker and
sleep deeper. Clinical studies have shown regular exercise
to be one of the three best tools for effective stress
management.
In general, resistance training lowers mortality rates at
all ages
from all causes.
For more information on the benefits of strength training:
Strength training's 7% solution By Nanci Hellmich, USA TODAY
Physical Activity and Older Americans Potential
health-related benefits of resistance training By Winett RA,
Carpinelli RN.
Basic principles
Type of lift - you need
to tailor your workout to address specific body areas. For
example, if you want bigger and stronger arms, you need to
use exercises that target those particular muscles.
Intensity - the faster
the lift, the greater the intensity.
Volume - the greater the
number of lifts, the more profound the increase in muscle
size and strength. You can increase the volume by either
training frequently (say, four times per week instead of
two) or else training for longer per session (such as one
hour instead of 30 minutes).
Variety - switching
around your workout routine, such as regularly introducing
new exercises, challenges your muscles and forces them to
adapt with increased size and strength.
Progressive overload -
gradually increasing your weights forces your muscles to
grow stronger and larger.
Rest - you need to rest
between sets. If your goal is muscle size or endurance, rest
for 30-60 seconds or so. If you want muscle strength, allow
up to 2-4 minutes between sets.
Recovery - muscle needs
time to repair and grow after a workout. A good rule of
thumb is to rest the muscle group for at least 48 hours to
allow sufficient recovery time.
General safety guidelines
Only use safe and well-maintained equipment. Faulty
equipment will significantly increase your risk of injury.
Warm up and cool down thoroughly. Incorporate slow,
sustained stretches.
Wear appropriate clothing - natural fibers 'breathe' better than
synthetics, and multiple layers of clothing are preferable
to one bulky layer.
Don't forget to breathe - exhale at the point of greatest
exertion rather than holding your breath.
Control the weights at all times - don't throw them up and
down, or use momentum to 'swing' the weights through their
range of motion.
Make sure you use correct lifting technique. If you are
unsure, consult with a qualified gym instructor or
physiotherapist. Incorrect technique can slow your progress,
or even cause injuries. Ensure you move the weight through
your joint's full range of motion. This not only works the
muscle fully, but reduces the risk of joint injury.
Common Weight Training Myths
Weight training has no aerobic or cardiovascular benefits.
In
addition to the increase in strength, researchers found that
weight lifting had a beneficial impact on the participants'
cardiovascular system. Tests on an exercise treadmill showed
that their bodies used oxygen more efficiently after weight
training.
I don't want to get "too big".& Women shouldn't lift weights
because they will look like men. People don't suddenly
become "huge" from lifting weights. It takes years of
intense training and the proper genetics to become "huge".
Lifting weights does not make a woman look like a man, male
"androgenic" hormones, naturally occurring or otherwise
determine that. Women can, however, develop a shapely and
well proportioned physique by lifting weights.
Doing ab/stomach exercises will trim unwanted pounds from
your waist. There is no such thing as spot weight reduction.
Doing abdominal exercises only strengthens the muscle; it
doesn't make fat magically disappear. Too much ab work will
only lead to a larger waist. The only way to trim unwanted
pounds from your waist (or any other part of your body) is
to expend more calories per day through activity than you
consume through food.
Muscle turns to fat when you stop working out.
& I want to turn my fat into muscle. Muscle and fat are two
different types of tissues and can no more turn into one
another than wood and glass. When muscle tissue is not used
it will atrophy, or shrink in size. Typically the neglected
muscle becomes surrounded by fat, giving the illusion of
turning into fat.
I want to build long lean muscles. I give credit to the
"info-
mercials" for this one. All muscle is lean, and the length
is
determined by your bone structure and genetics.
Some exercises are good for "shaping" and some are good
for "building mass". It's not the exercise which determines
the type of muscular adaptation. All exercises have the
potential to do both. Your diet and training intensity play
a role, but genetics are the determining factor in the shape
and size of your muscles.
I have to workout for hours a day. These workout routines
lead to over training; the body cannot recover sufficiently
between workouts for real muscular growth to occur. These
routines will only work for steroid users. Workouts should
last 45 minutes maximum.
Too old to start lifting weights. Studies reported in
Science News showed that people in their seventies and
eighties who began a weight training program showed
significant gains in muscle size and strength. Some of the
participants in the study who could scarcely walk before the
program began could walk easily after the program.
Benefits of Strength Training
Copyright © 2003
TheTrainingStationInc.com
About the Author:
Doug Walker is a small gym owner in Indianapolis, Indiana
with over
20 years of weight training experience. Visit
http://www.thetrainingstationinc.com for more information.
