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Strength Training

Of course everyone recognizes the importance of regular exercise for good health. We know how aerobic exercise protects and strengthens the cardiovascular system. We know how exercise burns calories and can help us to win the “battle of the bulge”. We know how important exercise is in helping to improve our cholesterol levels, particularly by raising the HDL, or so-called “good” cholesterol level. What you might not know, however, is how important it is to add strength training to your current exercise program. Strength training, or resistance training, is exercise specifically meant to build muscle. Many people consider strength training a form of exercise that’s only for body builders or trainers, but it’s not. We all need to incorporate some strength training into our exercise programs. Why?

Although you may not have heard of it, all of us will suffer from the condition known as sarcopenia. Sarcopenia (from the Greek meaning “muscle deficiency”) is the process of losing muscle as we age. Every year after the age of 30 we all lose about ½ pound of muscle mass – by the time we’ve reached 40 we’ve lost about 5 pounds of muscle and this trend accelerates with each successive decade. This loss of muscle, unfortunately, is almost always replaced with fat, leading to a steady accumulation of excess body fat. The loss of muscle and replacement by fat is a slow, but steady process that ultimately produces a number of undesirable health problems including the following:

• A drop in metabolism leading to weight gain
• Loss in bone density leading to osteoporosis
• Increasing difficulty in regulating blood sugar, leading to diabetes
• Degenerative arthritis as a consequence of losing muscle that supports and protects our joints, especially the knees
• A drop in the “good” or HDL cholesterol leading to cardiovascular disease
• An increased tendency for injury to our bodies after minor trauma due to loss of protective muscle tissue

Strength training can prevent these problems by its role in building and restoring muscle mass. Strength training is the only antidote for sarcopenia. Aerobic exercise alone tends to fatigue the cardiovascular and respiratory systems before building adequate muscle. This is great for the heart and lungs, but does little to counteract the process of sarcopenia. Building muscle is also the one effective means of improving our metabolism.

Muscle is the engine that burns most of the fuel in our bodies. The amount of muscle that we has a significant effect on our basal metabolism. Basal metabolism can be thought of as the number of calories our bodies burn every day just to keep our bodies functioning – our hearts beating, lungs breathing and so on. Basal metabolism accounts for almost 75% of all of the calories we burn – the remaining 25% is burned by all of the rest of our daily physical activities. What this means is that even small increases in the basal metabolism produce significant increases in the number of calories our bodies burn every day.

Building muscle could be compared to adding two cylinders to your car’s engine – your car would burn more gas both when you are driving as well as idling. Building muscle is the best way to boost your body’s metabolism both with exercise and at rest. Strength training is the only way to counteract the effects of sarcopenia and protect our body’s metabolism while helping to prevent a variety of serious health problems. Having an ideal lean body mass (muscle) has been associated with protection from a number of health conditions including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and some forms of cancer.

What is strength training? Strength training requires pushing or pulling against resistance. Lifting your body against gravity is also a form of strength training, so exercises like walking steps or hills, squats, lunges, or lifting weights in a gym are all forms of strength training.

How often should we perform strength training? Studies suggest an hour two or three times weekly is sufficient. It’s best to consult with a certified personal trainer when designing an exercise program that’s right for you.

Tip of the Day: When strength training, don’t forget about your legs! The lower body is where the biggest muscles are, so strengthening the thigh, hip, hamstrings and buttock muscles pays off the most! Of course strength training should be done along with a regular program of aerobic exercise, as well. Adding strength training to your exercise program will continue the progress in your pursuit of optimal health.