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Strength Training – What’s the big idea?

Published: May 29, 2020

Exercise. It’s a crucial component of lifelong health and should be a key element in all healthy lifestyles.  It comes in many forms; from running to circuit training, Pilates to weight lifting, yoga to swimming, and that’s just to name a few. The list is seemingly endless. There are thousands of different ways to move and exercise the body and they all share numerous benefits; benefits that are much more than just losing weight or building strength.

So, let’s look at one type of exercise in particular; Strength (or resistance) Training.

For a long time, the idea of strength training immediately conjured images of sweaty gyms and heavy dumbbells, an activity performed only by those looking to become ridiculously buff and resemble a certain Austrian movie star who ‘will be back!’. Thankfully, those ideas have begun to date and the image of ‘muscles’ is no longer only reserved for body builders. The idea of ‘strong’ being the new ‘healthy’ has quickly risen to popularity, and you only need to open social media to be inundated with images and videos of people performing different types of strength training.

So, strength training. What’s all the fuss about?

There has been extensive research performed on strength and resistance training and its many benefits to health and wellbeing. Moreover, there is an abundance of evidence that demonstrates that strength and resistance training plays key roles in preventing, treating and managing a wide range of health conditions. As physiotherapists, we frequently use strength and resistance training as part of our management when seeing and treating clients. While strength and resistance training is an integral element in the rehabilitation of many of the conditions that we as physiotherapists see, it has a multitude of other benefits including:

1. It makes you stronger & fitter!

This benefit is obvious, but shouldn’t be disregarded! Regular strength and resistance training improves muscular strength and overall fitness which can certainly be translated over into everyday life! Stronger muscles means you can lift heavier objects (Lifting your 15kg child suddenly doesn’t seem as hard as it used to, does it?) and increased overall fitness means you have greater capacity for exertional activities (backyard cricket anyone?)

2. Injury Recovery

Exercise and in particular, strength and resistance training, assists in the recovery of many injuries – which is why your physio is always pushing you to move! Among others, strength training strengthens muscles, promotes tissue healing and improves flexibility.

3. It aids in weight loss

For a long time it was thought that cardiovascular exercise (or ‘cardio’) was the best way to lose the kilos - spending hours on the treadmill or exercise bike, or sweating it out by running kilometres on the pavement. Research now shows however, that strength and resistance training is actually more helpful for weight loss because it assists in increase your resting metabolism (the rate at which your body burns calories when you’re just going about your day, not exercising).

4. It boosts your mood and energy levels

Just like the famous Legally Blonde quote by the always bubbly Elle Woods; “Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don't shoot their husbands, they just don't”.

Okay, we might not be talking about something as dramatic as she was, but Elle was right on the money with the first part of her quote. Endorphins are natural chemicals produced by the brain that lift energy levels and improve mood. While it is true that all types of exercise increase endorphin production, additional research looking at neurochemical and neuromuscular responses to strength and resistance training suggest an even greater positive effect on the brain.

5. It’s age defying!

Okay, that may be a stretch. But still, as we age, our bodies naturally lose muscular strength and size as well as bone density. Reduced muscular strength and size has the potential to lead to greater risk of injury and even falls, while reduced bone density increases our risk of osteoporosis and more seriously, fractures and breaks. Strength and resistance training can help to slow this decline dramatically and therefore reduce the risk of injury, especially as we get older.

If you're not yet convinced that strength training is the way forward, then check back in with us next week, where Bianca will fill you in on the next installment of why Strength training is MORE than it's cracked up to be :)