Strength training has been long identified as an activity that has a lot of health promoting benefits. It’s a form of exercise that I have learned early in my teenage years and have adopted it not only into my daily life but into my practice as a health and exercise coach. My clients have seen a complete change in the way their body looks and performs after only a couple of weeks of strength training. This encourages them to make it a daily routine.
What is strength training? Strength training or resistance training is any form of activity the promotes body strength and endurance. People often think of heavy weights when they hear the term, but strength training can also include techniques such as body weight exercises, resistance bands, isometrics, and plyometrics. You can see that you have a good selection to choose from when starting a strength building routine.
Why people choose strength training. As mentioned, building strength has been shown to provide outstanding benefits to your health. These include
-increasing bone density and muscle mass. This becomes ever more important as we age as bone mass and muscle mass become a factor in risk of falling in older populations.
-weight loss- Lifting weights consistently can improve lean muscle tissue and your metabolism. More muscle tissue and a healthy metabolism means you can burn fat more efficiently.
-More energy and better performance- Strength training can have a positive impact on functional movement. Learning how to bend, twist, squat, and similar movements while can help prevent you from become stiff and immobile.
Resistance training is medicine: effects of strength training on health – PubMed (nih.gov)
Inactive adults experience a 3% to 8% loss of muscle mass per decade, accompanied by resting metabolic rate reduction and fat accumulation. Ten weeks of resistance training may increase lean weight by 1.4 kg, increase resting metabolic rate by 7%, and reduce fat weight by 1.8 kg. Benefits of resistance training include improved physical performance, movement control, walking speed, functional independence, cognitive abilities, and self-esteem.
When you look at the reasons to introduce strength training into you routine you can see how much it can change your life for the better. Despite the many benefits we still find people are apprehensive for a few reasons.
You may not know where to start– In a world with thousands upon thousands of exercise, it’s understandable to feel confused on what to do.
You think you need to spend a fortune on equipment or gym memberships– On the contrary, resistance training can be done using inexpensive equipment such as bands and swiss ball. You can even use your own body which is free.
Your afraid to start– Starting anything new can be scary, but what when you take that first step and do your first workout, you will feel an immediate confidence boost.
How to start resistance training today.
If you are at home and want to start resistance training, look up some how to videos on some of the movements we mentioned above such as squats or pushing exercises. Pick 1-3 exercises and do those on a specific day. Allow rest days when working the same muscle groups. Did you work legs on Monday? You’ll want to allow recovery for those muscles by taking the next day off from the same movements. That doesn’t mean you can’t work other muscle groups on that day.
Start building your home gym. Some great resources you can have are some dumbbells, swiss ball, resistance bands, and a workout mat. These items can be found at most sporting goods and even yard sales for a good price.
And of course if you still need help starting a resistance training program, we invite you to set up a free consultation with our lead exercise Coach. You’ll be guided through an exercise training program designed by a qualified coach. You will find how to simplify the process so you can enjoy the strong body that you deserve.
You deserve a body that supports you and your dream. When you are able to move pain free in a functional body, you can’t help but feel amazing. Booking a consult only takes a moment and you will be helped setting up an exercise program you can follow with confidence.
