Strength training, weight lifting, body sculpting, body building ... whatever you call it, the act of using your muscles against some resistance to increase strength and muscle tone has been the subject of controversy for decades. Women fear bulky muscles or injury. Endurance athletes and sprinters worry that too much muscle will slow them down. The truth is, just about everyone can benefit from some resistance training. (And just to put your minds at rest ... women do not have enough testosterone to build the bulky muscles of our male counterparts.)
The benefits
There are a number of good reasons to add some resistance work to your fitness program:
- Fat burning: Muscle uses more energy than fat. By increasing your muscle mass, you can increase your metabolism and burn more body fat both during cardiovascular exercise and when you're at rest.
- Injury prevention: The beauty of joints like our shoulders, knees, and hips is that they provide a wide range of motion that allows for movement in all planes. This movement is what makes sports like tennis, skiing, volleyball, and baseball possible. However, these joints need to be surrounded by strong muscles to keep everything in line and prevent injury.
- Better posture:When muscles are strong and symmetrical, posture falls right into place. Over 40% of American suffer from back pain; well-aligned posture is the only way to avoid back problems.
- Osteoporosis prevention:Research has shown that weight-bearing exercises increases bone density for stronger bones and connective tissues.
- Sleek appearance: While physical appearance is not an ideal motivation for exercise, there's no denying that toned muscles are attractive, and for athletes in competitive environments, the psychological edge of "looking the part" can be an important one.
In addition, a 1995 study published in the National Strength and Conditioning Association Journal announced some impressive results. Timothy Quinn, Ph.D., studied the effects of weight-training on six female distance runners who had never lifted weights regularly. After 10 weeks of strength training three days a week, the women increased their lower-body strength by 34 percent and their upper body strength by 24 percent. Even better, though, was the effect on their running. The efficiency with which their muscles produced oxygen (their "running economy") improved by 4 percent. For a woman that runs about an 8-minute mile in a 10k race, that means a minute and a half savings in total time. Says Quinn, "You can see significant improvement even if you lift just two days a week."
When combined with aerobic conditioning, resistance training can dramatically improve your sports performance and endurance. Increased strength, especially in the large muscles of the torso, can help you maintain proper form and body alignment during exercise. This can mean less fatigue and a more enjoyable workout. Sports that require quick, explosive moves -- voleyball, tennis, hocky, basketball -- show marked improvement when weights are used in training.
General guidelines
Like stretching, there are a number of safety and effectiveness guidelines that are essential to successful strength training. They are:
- overload
- reps and sets
- exercise selection and order
- speed of contraction and breathing
- frequency & rest
Each of these principles is described below.
Overload
The way we make our muscles stronger is by stressing them, allowing them to rest and adapt to that stress, and then re-stressing them with a heavier weight or a different exercise. This is the principle of overload. In order to continue to progress, you'll need to change your resistance program every 12 weeks or so -- either by increasing the weight you're lifting or by changing the exercises you do.
Reps and sets
A rep is one repetition of an exercise and a set is a designated number of repetitions. For instance, most personal fitness trainers recommend that you start with 2 sets of 15-18 repetitions of a resistance exercise. To add intensity to your program, you can increase the weight you're using and decrease the number of reps, or you can keep the weight the same and do three sets instead of two. In each case, you're increasing the overload on the muscle.Exercise selection & order
To maintain symmetry in your musculature you should work muscles in pairs: biceps/triceps, chest/back, all three heads of the deltoids (shoulders), quadriceps/hamstrings, calves/shins. In general, it's best to work the larger muscle groups first (chest, back legs), then move on to the smaller muscles. The larger muscle groups depend on the smaller muscles as facilitators; if the small muscles are fatigued, they aren't much help in the larger movements.Speed of contraction & breathing
We've all seen the musclemen of Venice Beach, pumping their giant dumbbells as quickly as they can. Too bad they're using momentum instead of muscle power. To get the most out of resistance exercises, it's important to contract and release the muscles slowly. Try to contract the muscle for a count of two and release for a count of four, exhaling as on the concentric (contraction) phase and inhaling on the eccentric (relaxing) phase. Our strength is really built on that eccentric phase, as we fight against gravity's pull on the weight. The breathing pattern may be difficult at first, but as you increase your resistance your breathing can actually help you focus and lift increasingly heavier weights.Frequency & rest
The number of times you lift weights every week depends on the program you choose. It's important to allow at least one day of rest after working a muscle group with weights. If you plan to work both upper and lower body on the same day, you should lift 2-3 times per week. If you'd like to lift weights everyday, you can work your upper and lower body on alternating days. The imporance of rest cannot be overestimated. Without sufficient recovery time, your strength, endurance, and coordination cannot improve.Body parts
In case you're still not convinced that a resistance training program is for you, here's a round-up of where each muscle is located and how we use each of them.
Biceps
With palms of your hands facing front, your biceps are located on the front of your upper arm. If you imitate Popeye and "flex your muscles," you are contracting your biceps. These muscles are used in everyday activities like turning doorknobs, opening spaghetti sauce jars, and lifting a glass of water to your lips.
Triceps
A friend of mine refers to her triceps as the "Hi, Janes" because when she waves to her friend Jane across the room, her triceps wave, too. These muscles, located on the back of the upper arm, are essential for removing objects from shelves, as well as sinking a free throw from the foul line and throwing a ball to catch a runner at home.
Chest and back
As the primary muscles of the upper torso, this power pair is used in every upper body movement. Throwing, lifting, pulling, and pushing actions all originate from these large muscle groups, and strength here translates into increased endurance in every sport.
Deltoids
There are actually three muscles that make up the shoulder: the anterior (front), posterior(rear), and lateral (side) deltoids. Responsible for providing power to your arm movements and maintaining the stability of your rotator cuff, deltoids are also used in just about every athletic activity: swimming, boxing, softball, baseball, volleyball, tennis, and basketball, just to name a few.
Quadriceps
The four thigh muscles known as the quads are found on the top of your thigh. They are responsible for proving power to your legs and stabilizing your knees. Sports like skiing, in-line skating, fencing, hiking, step aerobics, and a swimming kick all rely heavily on strong quadriceps.
Hamstrings
Located in the back of your thigh, the hamstrings are used extensively in walking, running, and sports that require jumping and kicking: soccer, kick boxing, field events, and American football. Training these muscles for power not only improves sports performance, but helps prevent injury in this hard-working, vulnerable muscle group.
Calves
One of the most shapely muscles in the body, the calves are abused by the high heels required by many careers. It's essential that this muscle be stretched regularly, in addition to keeping it strong to prevent injury and discomfort. The calves get a workout in activities like fencing, jump rope, water aerobics, and dancing.
Lift weights to lift your spirits
With a minimal commitment to weight training you can improve your strength, endurance, posture, sports performance, and even your state of mind. Regular resistance training has been shown to increse self-esteem and alleviate depression and anxiety. It can also be a great stress-reducer. Why not print out the Basic Training Program, grab a pair of dumbbells, and commit to trying a resistance program for 12 weeks? A little strength goes a long way.
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