Strength training goes by a few names. Some call it resistance training, or weight training. Others go off to the gym to pump iron. Regardless of how you say it, let’s learn why we all should be doing it at least twice a week.
First, let’s define strength training.
Strength training is using weights or resistance bands during movement to increase strength and size of the muscles. Resistance loops and tubes, an assortment of free weights, and even your body-weight are all forms of weight that can be used to perform the work.
When a new client meets with me, I ask if she has free weights at home. If she answers no, I encourage her to begin shopping for three sets: one set each of fives, eights, and tens. It’s also common that when I mention the ten-pound weights her eyes narrow, and she looks at me with skepticism. I smile and say, “That’s only the beginning.”
Everyone benefits from strength training. In my studio and with live-streaming sessions, the classes where we lift weights, use resistance bands, and perform multiple exercises using body-weight are, by far, the most popular I teach. It’s no secret that we all enjoy weight training, especially my younger clients.
Second, don’t waste your time, please.
It’s indeed a little harder to convince my Gen Xers and others to pick up the next set of heavier weights. Let me be honest, there is a real problem if you’re lifting weights that are too light, too little. The problem is—you’re wasting your time. Remember, your body adapts to what you do and to get stronger you must ask it to do more. Lift heavier weights. This may mean you add one more pound to the barbell, or pick up the set of twelve pounders when the ten pounders really do feel easy.
Lastly, when you lift heavier weights, you increase your strength, and this improves your muscle mass. Sarcopenia (muscle loss) is often associated with aging. But well-designed workouts where a combination of body-weight moves, the addition of free weights, and the use of an assortment of resistance bands provides stimulus to increase muscle mass. Just because you’re getting older doesn’t mean you have to age like your grandparents may have.
Lifting weights is a way to increase bone density. Bones lay down more cellular structure in response to exercises performed with free weights, or by using body weight to move up and down from the floor.
Pumping iron improves mood, and it lessens anxiety in general. Other benefits include improved blood pressure, and reduced fat around the peri-cardium. A study from 2019 published in JAMA Cardiology found that previously inactive adults who participated in weightlifting for 45 min 3x week for 12 weeks had a reduction in the fat that sits around and close to the heart. Another study which followed participants in a resistance training program for one full year discovered that women who were overweight but otherwise healthy had improved in overall health measures.
And one more thing—avoid using exercise machines, especially if you have osteoporosis. It’s imperative that you learn to use good form and improve your balance and posture while you’re building muscle and improving bone health. For your bone mineral density to improve you must load the bones.
If you’re new to exercising with weights or resistance bands, I advise seeking out a skilled exercise professional, someone who can guide and work with you to develop a program suited to your needs. I hope you’re intrigued and plan to give strength training a try.
*It’s always advisable to let your physician know what you’re doing to improve your general health. Nowadays, there’s a refreshing move to use exercise as preventative medicine.