Why you need to do strength training

If you are not already doing any type of strength training, I recommend that you get started.  Strength training's wide range of benefits can help all of us, whether we are trying to perform a sport better, trying to lose extra body fat, or fight the effects of aging.

When you think of strength training, what kind of picture comes to mind?  Does it conjure the image of "meat heads?"  The guys at the gym who concentrate on lifting large weights, walk around in tank tops, and have more muscle than my whole family combined?  That is one type of strength training called body building.  And if you want to take your training in that direction you are welcome to.  But you don't have to train like a meat head or look like one to get the benefits of weight training.

Weight training can help the average person who is trying to be fit and healthy in the following ways.

First, it can improve your mood and self image.  As your muscles become better toned, you will feel better about yourself.  It's not all just about vanity.  A body that looks toned is one that looks healthy.  When you see a healthy looking person in the mirror you will feel good about yourself.

Second, it can help you fight two of the effects of aging.  Two things happen naturally as we age, our bones lose density, and our muscles atrophy.  Strength training a muscle helps to increase the bone density of the associated bone.  So doing an exercise like running or cycling, or leg strengthening exercises will increase the density of the leg bones.  I saw a study of tennis players where they compare the bone density of their playing arm with their non-playing arm.  What they found was that the playing arm had a higher bone density than the non-playing one.  This will decrease the likelihood of fracturing a hip or leg bone as you age.  As far as fighting muscle atrophy, I think that is self explanatory.

Here is one for those of you trying to lose weight, or fight future weight gain.  The body expends energy(calories) to maintain both fat and muscle, just like any tissue in the body.  But muscle burns more calories than fat does.  A pound of fat burns about 50 calories more each day than a pound of fat does.  While that number isn't big enough to help you lose weight quickly, it will help in the long run.  50 calories a day is 1500 in a month.  That's extra calories you're burning with no extra effort.  A few extra pounds of muscle can go a long way to helping you maintain a healthy weight.

Other benefits include increased strength, improved posture, and a reduced risk of everyday injuries.  Muscles and tendon that are strong are less likely to be injured, and will help you perform your cardio workouts more easily.

You don't need any equipment to get started.  Exercises like squats, lunges, and toe raises will benefit your lower body.  Push-ups, sit-ups, planks, and supermans will benefit your upper body.  If you have a little money to spend, I suggest getting a set of resistance bands, a wheel, and a chin-up bar.  You can find youtube videos that show how to use each one.  They can all be stored in a closet, and can all be purchased for less than $75.  The chin up bar that hangs in a door frame can also be used for push-ups and  triceps dips.  For those with a little more space and who want to get a little more versatility, a set of dumbbells and a dumbbell bench in your garage will be all the equipment work just about any muscle.  I picked up pretty good set of dumbbells on Craigslist for $65, and a dumbbell bench from Sports authority for about $100.  Of course, you could just get a gym membership and go work out with the meat heads.

Again, you don't need to do a bodybuilder workout to improve your health and fitness.  Personally, I only strength train 2 or 3 days a week.  My workout consists of push-ups, planks, supermans, sit-ups, lunges, squats, toe raises, and some exercises with resistance bands.  Sometimes I add a few things in with dumbbells.  You can see that I don't use very much equipment at all.  I'm not going to be selling many tickets to my gun show, but I still get the benefits of improved muscle density as well as improved strength for swimming, running, and cycling.

There's really no reason not to get started today, so get after it….