Making Time for Strength Training
By Chad Tackett
Strength training is critical for achieving your fitness goals and this
article discusses the many benefits of a strength training program. In
addition to this helpful article, be sure to take our FREE Fitness Analysis!
Once you've completed the brief questionnaire, you'll receive specific
recommendations based on your responses, including a sample strength
training workout with exercise instructions! As a special thank you, you'll
also receive the new e-book, Big Fat Lies, absolutely FREE of charge.
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Strength training is exercise that uses resistance--for example, weights--to
strengthen and condition the musculoskeletal system, improving muscle tone
and endurance. "Strength training" is used as a general term synonymous with
other common terms: "weightlifting" and "resistance training."
Physiologically, the benefits of consistent strength training include an
increase in muscle size and tone, increased muscle strength, and increases
in tendon, bone, and ligament strength. Strength training has also been
shown to improve psychological health as well, by increasing self-esteem,
confidence and self-worth.
These improvements have a great influence on our physical performance,
metabolic efficiency, physical appearance and risk of injury. I'll go into
each of these in detail, outlining some very exciting benefits of a good
strength training program that most people overlook or don't realize.
Strength Training Improves Physical Performance and Appearance
One important result of strength training is increased physical performance.
Muscles quite literally utilize energy to produce movement, functioning as
the engine or powerhouse of the body. Strength training increases the
muscles' size, strength, and endurance, which contribute to improvements in
our work, our favorite sports and hobbies, and our general day-to-day
activities.
Another benefit of a good strength training program is its effect on our
overall appearance and body composition, which can directly influence
self-esteem, self-worth, and level of confidence. Take, for example, a
170-pound man who has 20 percent body fat--34 pounds of fat weight and 136
pounds of lean body weight (muscle, bones, organs, water, etc.) By beginning
an effective strength training program, he replaces five pounds of fat with
five pounds of muscle. He still weighs 170 pounds, but he is now 17 percent
fat--with 29 pounds of fat weight and 141 pounds of lean body weight.
Although his body weight remains the same, his strength, muscle tone, and
metabolism have improved, giving him a firmer, more fit appearance.
Both our physical appearance and our physical performance can be improved by
muscle gain through strength training or hampered by muscle loss. Research
indicates that unless we strength train regularly, we lose more than
one-half pound of muscle every year of our lives after age 25. Unless we
implement a safe and effective strength training program, our muscles
gradually decrease in size and strength in the process called "atrophy."
Strength training is therefore important for preventing the muscle loss that
normally accompanies the aging process. A common misconception is that as we
get older, it is normal to stop being active and to start using ambulatory
aides like canes and wheelchairs. Many people think we have no choice; they
think this is normal.
But this couldn't be further from the truth. There is absolutely no reason
why all of us can't be physically, mentally, socially, and sexually active,
living a healthy vibrant life until the very day we die! The reason many
elderly people rely on ambulatory aides and become slower and fatter is
simply that over the years their muscles are decreasing, so their physical
performance and metabolism also decrease, becoming less efficient.
Strength Training Improves Metabolic Efficiency
That one-half pound of muscle loss every year after age 25 produces a
one-half percent reduction in basal metabolic rate (BMR) every year. A
reduction in BMR means that our bodies are less able to use the food we
consume as energy--thus more gets stored as body fat. Everyone has an
individual basal metabolic rate. "Basal metabolic rate" refers to the energy
used by our body at rest to maintain normal body functions.
Our muscles have high energy requirements. Even when we are sleeping, our
muscles use more than 25 percent of our energy (calories). When you
implement the principles of effective strength-training, and if you are
consistent in your program, you will achieve an increase in lean muscle mass
throughout your body and increase your BMR. In other words, you can actually
condition your metabolism through strength training to work better and more
efficiently even when you are at rest. An increase in muscle tissue causes
an increase in metabolic rate, and a decrease in muscle tissue causes a
decrease in metabolic rate.
Once again: adults who are not on a safe, effective strength training
program will experience an annual half-pound loss of muscle and half-percent
reduction in metabolic rate unless they begin some form of strength
training. The gradual decrease in muscle and BMR is related to the increase
in body fat that most people gain as they get older if they do not strength
train. With a decrease in muscle, less energy is used for daily metabolic
function, so calories previously necessary to perform the activities of
daily living now end up stored as fat.
You can see that anyone interested in decreasing body fat percentage--and
their risk of disease--as well as in increasing physical performance and
appearance, should be strength training to help condition their metabolism (BMR).
One of the biggest mistakes people make when starting a weight-management
program is not including a strength training program with their
cardiovascular exercise and low-fat eating regimen. This is unfortunate
because when we cut calories without exercise, we can lose muscle as well as
fat. Many do not choose to do strength training because 1) they mistakenly
think they are going to make their body big and bulky, and 2) they do not
realize how beneficial and important strength training is in a
weight-management program. Whether it is strength, endurance, muscle size or
muscle tone (or a combination) you desire, all are very realistic and
obtainable.
Strength Training Decreases Risk of Injury
Our muscles also function as shock absorbers and serve as important
balancing agents throughout our body. Well-conditioned muscles help to
lessen the repetitive landing forces in weight-bearing activities such as
jogging or playing basketball. Well-balanced muscles reduce the risk of
injuries that result when a muscle is weaker than its opposing muscle group.
For example, jogging places more stress on the hamstrings and calves than it
does on the quadriceps, creating a muscle imbalance that often leads to knee
injuries; so it is very important that runners be on a good strength
training program that includes training the quadriceps as well as the
hamstrings and calves.
To reduce the risk of unbalanced muscle development, you should make sure
that when you are training a specific muscle group, the opposing muscle
groups are being trained as well (though not necessarily on the same day).
For example, if you are doing strength training exercises for your chest,
you should include back exercises in your strength training program as well.
By now you have probably realized that strength training should be an
important part of your exercise routine. Strength training provides many
important benefits that cannot be achieved by any other exercise or
activity. When you begin achieving great results, the excitement and fun you
experience will make the change well worth the effort. Action creates
motivation! Good luck: I hope you enjoy all the wonderful benefits of an
effective strength training program.
And don’t forget,
click here
to take our FREE Fitness Analysis for a free
sample strength training program and for the book, Big Fat lies!
Strength Training Exercises Part 4 >>>
Strength Training Exercises Part 2
Strength
Training Exercises Part 1
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