Strength Training: Use It or Lose It

   

May 1, 2020

Strength training is an important part of an overall fitness program. Here's what strength training can do for you — and how to get started.

Like anything else lean muscle mass naturally diminishes with age. You'll increase the percentage of fat in your body if you don't do anything to replace the lean muscle you lose over time. Strength training can help you preserve and enhance your muscle mass at any age.

Strength training may also help you:

  • Develop strong bones: By stressing your bones, strength training can increase bone density and reduce the risk of osteoporosis.
  • Manage your weight: Strength training can help you manage or lose weight, and it can increase your metabolism to help you burn more calories.
  • Enhance your quality of life: Strength training may enhance your quality of life and improve your ability to do everyday activities. Building muscle also can contribute to better balance and may reduce your risk of falls. This can help you maintain independence as you age.
  • Manage chronic conditions: Strength training can reduce the signs and symptoms of many chronic conditions, such as arthritis, back pain, obesity, heart disease, depression and diabetes.
  • Sharpen your thinking skills: Some research suggests that regular strength training and aerobic exercise may help improve thinking and learning skills for older adults.

Consider the options

Strength training can be done at home or in the gym. Common choices include:

  • Body weight: You can do many exercises with little or no equipment. Try pushups, pullups, planks and leg squats.
  • Resistance tubing: Resistance tubing is inexpensive, lightweight tubing that provides resistance when stretched. You can choose from many types of resistance tubes in nearly any sporting goods store and online retailer.
  • Free weights: Barbells and dumbbells are classic strength training tools. If you don't have weights at home, you can use soup cans, jugs of water or laundry detergent or fill a back pack with books.
  • Weight machines: Most fitness centers offer various resistance machines. You can invest in weight machines for use at home, too.

With times like these it’s even more important to exercise and keep the body moving. Try incorporating one of our live HIIT or Strength classes available @chelseapiersfitness on Instagram.