Most people have at least a general understanding of what strength training is. Not everyone knows why it’s important though, or how to strength train safely and effectively.
Strength training has a number of benefits and requires consistent participation to achieve them. Benefits of strength training include: improved bone density, increased muscle strength, reduced risk of injury, and elevated HDL (good) cholesterol. There are also functional benefits associated with strength training like improved posture. Also, strong muscles are better able to support joints thus making them function more efficiently and with greater range of motion. Strength training can help reduce your risk of bone diseases like osteoporosis.
A general guideline for strength training is that it should be done twice a week. Your strength training workout should consist of at least eight to ten exercises that utilize the major muscle groups of the body. For each exercise, eight to 12 repetitions should be completed. The weight you choose for these exercises is important. You want a weight that will challenge you, but not so much that you cannot perform the exercise with the proper form. An appropriate weight will be one in which you can complete each set with proper form, but feel like you wouldn’t be able to complete more repetitions without a break. Proper form during strength training is essential. Without proper form, you are not only likely to injure yourself, you’re also not getting the benefit of the exercise.
Keep in mind that the above guidelines are broad and apply mainly to beginners and those desiring to maintain their current muscular fitness. If you have a specific goal, your strength training program will be altered. If your goal is to increase muscle mass for example, you will want to change your repetitions and even the format of the workout. For building muscle mass, super sets are useful. This entails working muscle groups back to back with no rest. For these super sets, you use a heavier weight and do fewer repetitions, usually between six and eight. This is fast paced and intense. This same process would not be appropriate for someone trying to improve their muscular endurance. Endurance is the ability to sustain activity over a long period of time, so a fast paced, few repetition strength training program would not produce the desired results. To improve muscular endurance, you can probably guess, it would require higher repetitions with lighter weights (more similar to the general guidelines I listed above). Your strength training program will vary depending on your specific goals, your limitations, and your experience level. Sport specific strength training will require yet another program format. If you’re a sprinter (requiring short bursts of high intensity and muscle firing from the legs) it would be beneficial to train your muscles a similar way in the weight room. In this case, it would come in the form of explosive and powerful lifts targeting the muscles of the legs.
If you’ve never done any strength training before, it is recommended you choose eight to ten exercises and complete two sets of ten to 12 repetitions for each one. When you first start out, this should only be done once a week. Once you see how your body responds to the new program and you learn what weights are appropriate for each exercises, you can gradually increase the number of days you strength train and the number of exercises you complete.
Your muscles need 24 hours to recover between workouts. Not allowing for this recovery time does not give your muscles the chance to heal themselves and grow stronger. In general, this means that you shouldn’t strength train more than four times per week. There are exceptions though. For example if you do split body workouts (meaning you work lower body one day, and upper body the next) since you’re working a different body part the next day, you’re still allowing for recovery in the muscles you worked the previous day.
The key things to remember, no matter the strength training program you follow or the desired results, are your form and your recovery. Pay attention to form on every single exercise and if you are unable to complete a repetition without compromising your form, choose a lighter weight. Allow your body the time it needs to repair the muscles as it is during that time your muscles gain strength. Strength training requires consistency, dedication and focus, but offers numerous benefits.
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