What are the BENEFITS of STRENGTH TRAINING?
When asked the question, “Do you include weight/resistance training in your training regime?” So many people have the same ridiculous answer, “No, I don’t want to bulk up!” To best understand the benefits of strength training, it is important to understand the science behind the process!
Strength training is exercise that uses resistance to strengthen and condition the musculoskeletal system. This in turn improves your muscle tone and muscle endurance. Now, before you attempt to push your car to work (or carry it), base conditioning is important to reduce the risk of injury and long term damage. We can improve our strength in various ways, but most common are: weightlifting and resistance training. These you will find are a lot safer than pushing/carrying your car to work (traffic is so hectic nowadays)!
Now that you better understand what strength training is, it is important to grasp the physiological benefits. Physiologically the benefits of consistent strength training include:
- An increase in Lean Muscle
- An increase in Muscle Tone
- An increase in Muscle Strength
- An increase in Tendon Strength
- An increase in Ligament Strength
- An increase in Bone Density and Strength
- Improved Physiological Health
- Increased Self Esteem and Confidence
So, we have established that Strength Training improves your physical appearance and performance. In essence the muscles use energy to produce movement, functioning as the engine of the body. The increased size in your lean muscle, new found strength and endurance will have a direct affect on improving daily function (work, sport and general activity). Another benefit of a good strength program is the effect on your body composition and overall appearance – this in turn has a direct influence on your self esteem and confidence. Learning NOT to use the scale (weight lost) as a measure of RESULTS and rather looking at the change in the body’s composition is essential! To explain using an example, I have taken one of my clients results over a 10 Month period (below). You will see that initially her weight actually increased, but her body fat and fat mass decreased.
Even though she picked up 0.2Kg’s (on the scale) during her first month of training, her body fat had decreased, her strength, muscle tone and metabolism had improved – giving her a leaner, fitter appearance. This is a clear indication that ‘weight on the scale’ is not an indication of TRUE RESULTS!
It is now clearly evident that a gain in lean muscle improves our physical appearance and performance. This being said, a loss in muscle (atrophy) can hamper your appearance and performance. Research indicates that people not engaged in a strength training regime – lose roughly 3kg’s of muscle per year after the age of 30! What makes matters worse is – for every 3kg’s of muscle lost, there is a direct reduction in your basal metabolic rate (BMR) of 0.5% per year! The reduction in our BMR means that our bodies are less efficient at using the food we consume for energy, it is thus stored as body fat. BMR is the amount of energy that the body needs at rest to perform and maintain normal body functions. An increase in lean muscle will in turn increase your BMR (due to the high energy demands of your muscle), therefore you can condition your metabolism to speed up and work more efficiently even when you are at rest!
Estimating your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)
- Age: years
- Height: cm
- Weight: kg
- Male = 66+(5xheight(cm)) + (13.7xweight(kg)) – (6.8xage(years))
- Female = 655+(1.7xheight(cm)) + (9.6xweight(kg)) – (4.7xage(years))
Note that an increase in lean muscle causes an increase in your metabolic rate. Conversely, a decrease in lean muscle will cause a decrease in your metabolic rate. Bearing this in mind – if you are interested in REDUCING YOUR BODY FAT, REDUCING THE RISK OF DISEASE, increasing physical performance and improving your physical appearance, you should engage in a strength training program to help condition your BMR! Don’t be fooled into thinking that cardiovascular exercise and diets are enough – sure you will lose weight on the scale, some of which is fat, but most of which is unfortunately muscle! No need for me to reiterate the IMPORTANCE OF LEAN MUSCLE! For the most effective, time saving, intense cardiovascular and strength workout, I recommend KETTLEBELL training. This is a great way to improve overall condition, vaporize body fat and demand new strength.
The list of benefits associated with strength training are clearly evident, and who knows… after you have developed this new found strength, perhaps then you will be able to push the car to work!











