Benefits of Strength Training

Anyone can benefit from strength training. A well-designed strength-training program can provide the following benefits:

Increased strength of bones, muscles and connective tissues (the tendons and ligaments), this increased strength decreases the risk of injury.

Increased muscle mass—most adults lose about one-half pound of muscle per year after the age of 25, largely due to decreased activity. Muscle tissue is partly responsible for the number of calories burned at rest. As muscle mass increases, it will be easier to maintain a healthy body weight.

Enhanced quality of life—as general strength increases, the performance of daily routines (carrying groceries, working in the garden) will be easier to perform.

Many exercises can be combined into a program that works all the major muscle groups. Neglecting certain groups can lead to strength imbalances and postural difficulties. I can help you develop a safe, effective program. One set of 8 to 12 repetitions, working the muscles to the point of fatigue, is usually sufficient.  When you are able to perform 12 repetitions of an exercise correctly (without cheating), increase the amount of resistance by 5 to 10% to continue making safe progress.

An encouraging aspect of strength training is the fact that you’ll likely experience rapid improvements in strength and muscle tone right from the start of your program. Don’t be discouraged, however, if visible improvements begin to taper off after a few weeks.

It’s only natural that, as your fitness level improves, improvements in strength and appearance will come at a slightly slower pace. To help keep your motivation up, find a partner to train with you.

Aim to exercise each muscle group at least two times per week, with a minimum of two days of rest between workouts. Training more frequently or adding more sets may lead to slightly greater gains, but the minimal added benefit may not be worth the extra time and effort (not to mention the added risk of injury).

Four Exercise Myths

Myth 1: Stretch first.

Many of us were taught to perform stretching before a cardiovascular or strength-training workout. It was part of the warm-up and believed to help prevent injuries. Yet, there’s no scientific evidence linking reduced risk of injury or post-workout soreness with a regular stretching routine. Recent studies indicate that pre-event stretching can actually impair performance in sports requiring explosive power, like jumping or sprinting. While flexibility training helps maintain a full range of motion around joints, for optimal results, stretch after your workout.

Myth 2: Don’t let your knees go past your toes while doing a squat or lunge.

Avoiding excessive forward movement of the knee during a squat or lunge is important. However, in everyday activities such as climbing stairs, the knee and torso naturally move forward slightly in parallel with each other for balance — and to propel the body forward and upward. Restricting this movement when performing squats and lunges increases hip stress and could increase the load on your lower back.

Myth 3: To burn fat, exercise at a lower intensity.

Forget the “fat-burning zone”, or low intensity zone. Just get out there and move. Your body burns both fat and carbohydrate calories to meet the demands of exercise. The proportion of fat or carbohydrate burned in a given workout depends on exercise intensity and duration, but when it comes to weight control, the type of calories burned with exercise doesn't really matter. If you burn more calories than you consume, you’ll lose weight. If you don’t, you won’t.

Low-to-moderate intensity exercise can be sustained for longer periods than higher-intensity exercise, which burns more calories per minute. Base your exercise intensity on your goals, your fitness level, health status and how it makes you feel. Don’t worry about whether you’re burning fat or carbohydrates. For weight control, the key is to choose an intensity level that makes your exercise program sustainable.

Myth 4: Strength training will make you gain weight.

If you’re concerned about preventing weight gain, strength training is actually something you should be doing. On average, adults who don’t engage in any strength training exercises lose about 4-6 lbs. of muscle tissue per decade, silently chipping away at their resting metabolic rates. Unless caloric intake is also reduced, fat weight tends to increase.