1127 Highway 35 Ocean Township, NJ 07712 | 147 Markham Place Little Silver, NJ 07739 You always hear people saying, “How much can you lift?”
While most of us do not have any aspirations of becoming world champion weightlifters, it is very important to work on your Muscular Strength, especially as you age.
Muscular Strength (how much you can lift) is the maximum amount of force a muscle can produce in a single effort. Muscular Strength is used as a general term that’s synonymous with other common terms, such as strength training, weight lifting, and resistance training.
Strength training not only makes you stronger, it also increases your lean mass (muscle tissue). When you’re stronger and more muscular, you’re less prone to illness and injury.
Every physical task you need to perform is easier and safer.
To get started on building your muscular strength, click here to learn more about our NEW 21-Day Personal Training Program.
Benefits of Muscular Strength Training
Strength training will improve many parts of your body, and many aspects of your life…
Maintaining Muscle Tissue: Around the age of 30, growth hormones decrease dramatically in the body. Because of this you lose 8-10% of your muscle tissue every decade-making you weaker and lowering your metabolism. By strength-training twice per week, you will change that 8-10% to ONLY 1-2% every decade.
That means if you simply strength train twice per week…at age 80 you will be only 5-10% weaker as you were when you were 30 instead of 50% weaker!
Increased Strength: Increased strength allows you to lift heavier objects and decreases your chances of becoming injured. It makes daily activities such as climbing stairs or chores much easier and less tiresome.
Improved Bone Health: Weight-bearing exercise has been shown to be effective in increasing bone density and strengthening tendons and ligaments. Developing strong bones reduces the risk of developing osteoporosis and decreases the risk of bone fractures.
Controls Body Fat Percentage: Building muscle helps improve your metabolism. The more muscle tissue you have, the faster your metabolism is and the faster you burn off those extra calories, keeping them from being stored as fat. Having more muscle tissue lowers your body fat percentage.
Decreased Risk of Injury: Improving muscle strength decreases the risk of falling and other related injuries. Developing strong bones and muscles can help to reduce the severity of falls.
Helps Maintain Correct Posture: Strong muscles help to brace your spine to improve posture. This helps to alleviate aches and pains in the neck and low back.
How Long & How Often Should I Perform Strength Training
According to the American College of Sports Medicine, adults should train each major muscle group 2-3 days per week, using a variety of exercises and equipment.
Very-light to light intensity is best for older people or previously sedentary adults beginning exercise. Two to four sets of each exercise will help adults improve their strength and power.
For each exercise, 8-12 repetitions improve strength and power, while 10-15 repetitions improve strength in middle-aged and older persons starting exercise. Adults should wait at least 48 hours between strength training sessions. (The guidelines change for children and adolescents — speak to your child’s pediatrician for more advice on this.)
Beginning a strength training program can be confusing. Knowing how many exercises, sets, reps, the amount of weight to use, when to increase weights and how long to rest in between exercises is an exact science.
Every exercise you do requires a different amount of weight and you need to learn how to perform each exercise correctly. Using too much weight, not resting enough between sets, or lifting weights without proper form can all lead to less desirable results and injury.
If you need help starting a strength training program, an experienced, certified personal trainer can help teach you how to begin properly so that you get the best results in the shortest amount of time without getting injured.
Not Sure What to Do? We Can Help!
We’re kicking off our NEW 21-Day Personal Training Program in Monmouth County, NJ. Our Program, which will be happening at our studios in Ocean Township and Little Silver, will give you skills in each of the 5 components of physical fitness — no matter what your situation is now.
When it comes to Strength Training we will:
- Show you how to warm up properly
- Determine how many sets and reps you should be doing
- Set your beginning weights for each exercise
- Demonstrate and teach proper form for each exercise
- Determine how long and how often to workout
- Move from beginner to intermediate or advanced
- Set up a strength training workout for you to follow
During the Program, you will work with an educated, experienced personal trainer who will take you through a workout in each of the 5 components to make sure you thoroughly understand each one.
In only 21 days, you’ll have a complete understanding of each component — and a balanced workout will be written for you to use on your own once the program is complete.