Strength Training – Is It REALLY Important?

First, let me make sure you know: I am in no way a professional or expert about fitness and/or nutrition.  I am simply some one who is struggling with her weight and is continually researching articles, books and any other form of media I can get my hands on, to give myself the best edge in trying to win the battle with my weight. I created this blog so that I could share what I have found with others that are trying to lose weight and get fit.  But it is all my opinion on things I have read – that is all!  Always, consult your doctor before trying anything new for you.

I keep hearing about how you need to add strength training to your work out routine – “you’re not getting a complete workout with out it”.  But I don’t want big muscles or those hideous veins.  So do I still want to strength train?

Apparently YES!  The more muscle you have, the more calories your body uses at rest and during exercise.  Strength Training aka – weight lifting, weight training, body sculpting, toning, body building and resistance training – is not only strengthening your muscles but your tendons, ligaments and bones.  Plus, the more muscle you have, the faster your metabolism is while at rest.  You NOW have my full attention!!!

Did you know that with out consistent strength training, muscle size and strength declines with age?  It’s true!  An inactive person loses half a pound of muscle every year after age 20?  Fantastic!  So I’m gaining wight and losing muscle all at the same time – talk about multi-tasking! BUT, with regular strength training, muscle mass can be preserved through out your life, and the muscle lost can also be rebuilt.  Well, that’s a bit of good news, right?!?

So, how do you decide on how much strength training you need to do?  Well, I think it’s different for every one, but here is a general break down I found on SparkPeople.com.

Keep the FITT principles in mind. (Frequency, Intensity, Time and Type)

Frequency:  You should train each muscle group at least two 2-3x per week.  Making sure you rest 1-2 days in between each strength training day (never strength train on back to back days).

Intensity:  Okay, this one is complicated and you should really talk to your Doctor first.  Personally, I have started by using mostly resistance bands and my own body weight.  I will slowly work into free weights as I build up my strength.

Time:  Most people do 8-15 reps for 1-3 sets, making sure your rest in between each set for 60sec.  But how do you decide?  I mean that is quite a range.  Well, from every thing I have read: If you want to build the strength and size of your muscle you need to do fewer reps (8-10) and if your goal is for fitness and endurance you aim for more reps (10-15).

Types:  You should be doing an “all body” strength training to keep you proportioned properly.  So you want to make sure you work on: your arms (biceps & triceps), shoulders, chest, back, core (abs, obliques and lower back), and legs (quads, hamstrings, glutes and calves).  But don’t forget your opposing muscles: obliques, hips, abductors and adductors (outer and inner thigh).  Your goal should be to achieve balance with your body.  If you’re looking for a fantastic resource on Exercise Demos check out: SparkPeople Exercise Demo

*Make sure you warm up and cool down before ANY workout routine you decide to do.  Your body will thank you later!

This is just a small amount of information I have come across about strength training. There truly is a ton of information out there.  I hope this was useful for you!  If you would like to read more info on this subject please check out: Reference Guide to Strength Training  It goes it to so much more detail about all of this and I think it will be a great help to you!

Now, it’s time for me to re-plan my strength training schedule for next week – need to make sure I’m working ALL of my muscle groups!

Do YOU strength train?  What plan do YOU follow?