Strength Training - How To

   Strength. How much you need is based on your lifestyle. City dweller with a tech job living in an apartment – not much. Rancher setting railroad tie corner posts and throwing calves- much. Regardless of lifestyle, strength is important to support healthy movement and allow us to perform activities of daily living without undo strain or injury.
   Additional reasons you might choose to include 2-3 strength sessions in your busy week:​

• Pulling and pushing against resistance puts a strain on your bones. The result; osteoblasts are sent to build more bone and thus a reduced risk of osteoporosis.
• Harvard Health estimates a 155 pound person will burn 430 calories in an hour of vigorous strength training.  Twice a week is 860 calories. Add to that, excess post-exercise oxygen consumption ( calories burned to return your oxygen levels, HR, body temperature, hormone and blood sugar levels to normal) and you could lose 1/3 –1/2  a pound a week without changing your nutrient intake. That’s 25# a year with increased muscle tone!
• Joint stability allows you to move in a coordinated way without compensation patterns. A stable joint will wear evenly and thus is less likely to develop arthritis with age. The primary stabilizers are your bones. Ligaments are second, muscles and their tendons are third. If your ligaments have been stretched or torn then your muscles become a primary stabilizer. EG. ACL deficient knee needs muscles to help control unwanted joint motion.
• It’s motivating! When done following the parameters found in this article, strength gains will happen quickly, regardless of age. In an age where a lot of people can’t see concrete evidence of what they’ve accomplished in a day, going from #20 to #30 dumbbells rocks!

   The science behind gaining strength.
   The S.A.I.D. principle applies to strength training, endurance training and more. It stands for Specific Adaptation to  Imposed Demands. Let’s break it down.

• Specific: Want stronger legs? Get after squats and lunges. Bench press isn’t going to help you. Want to be a faster swimmer? The prime movers are core and upper back muscles.
• Adaptation: Your body will adapt and come back stronger following a workout if:

1. Strength training is performed two to three times a week.
2. The demand is heavy/intense enough to force the adaptation
3. The demand is changed often enough to keep the body adapting (different exercises)
4. Your nutrition intake supports muscle growth

• Imposed Demands: As was mentioned in #2 under adaptation, to gain strength you need to train with enough resistance to force change.  An adult woman doing overhead press with #5 dumbbells isn’t going to fatigue in the 8-15 repetition range. The last repetition needs to be very close to momentary muscular failure to elicit a change in strength.

      A few more fundamentals:

1. Regardless of whether I design your specific program or you copy some random program off the web, your body is going to adapt to the exercises in 4-6 weeks. (Periodization – Tudor O Bompa, PhD.) To continue to gain strength one must impose a different demand. EG. –A squat performed at 2 sets of 15 repetitions with #25 pound dumbbells, is switched to a lunge at 3 sets of 8 reps with a weight that couldn’t be completed 10 times.
2. For most individuals the goal is to develop strength. If you’re a shot-putter the goal is power; an Olympic rower- muscular endurance. To develop strength, your programs should be in the 8-15 rep range. ( NSCA- Essentials of Strength and Conditioning) So 3 sets of 8 repetitions, 3 x 10, 2x15 or pyramid of 12, 10, 8 reps where weight increases each set would be good programs to cycle through. Initiate a different program every 4-6 weeks.
3. If you’re doing 3 sets of 10 reps and the weight gets light increase the weight vs. the repetitions. More resistance/weight = more adaptation.
4. Ensure you follow my last blog’s recommendations on protein intake. Carbs fuel your workout and protein builds and rebuilds muscle.

   Looking for someone to design a program specific to your goals? [email protected]
   Happy training!