What are you waiting for? Strength Training is for Everyone!

"Strength Training." The phrase probably causes you to have visions of large, heavily muscled people straining against stacks of weight plates in some musty gym. In actuality, the incorporation of strength training into your workout routine, regardless of whether you are male or female, can lead to several important health benefits and can be done with many items available in your home.

Health Benefits
As you age, you lose both muscle tissue and bone. The loss of muscle and bone can lead to osteoporosis and sarcopenia. These diseases make even normal activities like carrying groceries or walking very difficult. When you strength train, the contraction proteins in the muscle - called 'actin' and 'myosin' - become thicker and more plentiful. The increased number and size of these proteins help maintain your muscle tissue and makes the muscle more toned. Also, the stress that you put on your bones during strength training stimulates the bones to increase their density which can help offset osteoporosis as you age. The increase in bone density is a critical reason that every female should consider putting strength training into their exercise routines.

However, you do not have to wait until you are older to enjoy the health benefits of strength training. With strength training you can tone and increase the amount of muscle tissue you currently have. The increase in muscle tissue and tone will not only help your body appearance, but will also help increase your total metabolism. Muscle burns calories but fat does not. Therefore, if you develop more muscle, you will burn more total calories. This is why a strength training program can help manage your body weight. Additionally, strength training is great for your self-esteem because you can see results quickly. While you will not start seeing increases in muscle size for approximately 12 weeks, you will notice strength gains and your muscles will start to look more toned within two to five weeks.

Simple strength training
You are probably thinking "Sounds great! But how do I get started?". First, get clearance from your physician and seek the advice of a qualified exercise professional. Some individuals, especially those with orthopedic limitations may need to have specially supervised programs. However, most strength training programs have several common characteristics. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends that most people start by strength training two to three days per week with at least 48 hours between training sessions.

In your program, you will need something to provide resistance for your muscles to work against. You do not need large weight machines or stacks of weight plates and steel bars to get started strength training. While these devices are often used in strength training programs, any item that provides resistance can be used effectively. Simple, inexpensive items like a stack of books or filling an empty milk jug with sand may be all the resistance you need to get your program started. Even pushing on a wall can provide a strength workout.

But how much resistance do you need? An easy way to determine this is to use the weight that you can lift for 8-12 repetitions, or 'reps', of each exercise. In the early stages of your program, you should only do one set of 8-12 reps of each exercise. However, as you get stronger, you can add another 1-2 sets of each exercise to your workout program.

During your training you should do at least one exercise with each of the major muscle groups: the chest, the shoulders, the arms, the back, the abdomen, and the legs. For example, holding a book in your hand with your arm hanging by your side and then bringing the book up to your chin would be an exercise for your upper arm. You can combine movements to work several muscle groups at once. Sitting in a chair and then standing up over a five second period exercises the lower back and the legs.

Make sure that as you exercise, you use proper technique during all movements and that you do not hold your breath. Also, make sure that you perform both a warm-up and cool-down period with your workout. This will help your body adjust to the activity and will help prevent injuries.

So, no matter what your perception, there are important health benefits to regular strength training. Since strength training is easy to start the only question remaining is "What are you waiting for?".

References (all used extensively throughout article):

1) ACSM Current Comment. Resistance Training in the Older Adult. April 2001

2) ACSM Current Comment. Resistance Training and Injury Prevention. May 2002

3) ACSM Current Comment. Overtraining with Resistance Exercise January 2001

4) ACSM Current Comment. Strength, Power, and the Baby Boomer. January 2002

5) ACSM Current Comment. Strength Training for Bone, Muscle, and Hormones. July 2001