Only The Strong Survive

We all have many reasons we exercise and take time out of our busy schedules to focus on our health. But, I believe, that we all have one thing in common when it comes to choosing our health and fitness goals. Looking and feeling good is really what we all want. Everyone wants to look good, and everyone wants to feel good. It’s plain and simple. There’s one very important component that many people try to avoid at all costs when it comes to achieving this.

I’m talking about strength training. Weights tend to be the least used equipment in most exercise routines. Go in to any commercial gym and you’ll constantly see people all over the cardio equipment like two frisky teenagers all over each other in the back of the movie theatre. These are usually the people (not the frisky teenagers, or maybe, who knows) that always wonder why they aren’t losing weight or getting tone when the elliptical machine or treadmill says they burned 1,379 calories. These are usually the people that are always complaining about their back and/or knee hurts from all the repetitive motion day in and day out without any attention to building stability or mobility in their joints. Now, don’t get me wrong, steady-state cardio is definitely a great form of exercise and it has a place in everyone’s routine, respectively. But, we can all benefit from doing a little strength training. I’m not saying everyone should go to the gym and pick up the biggest dumbbell they can find and try to lift it (trust me, you don’t want to do this, you’ll just end up with black and blue toes!), but preferably something heavier than your purse.

"Plus it's not a purse, it's called a Satchel.  Indiana Jones wears one."

So, let’s take a look at the benefits of resistance training.

Let’s take a look at strength training can benefit someone who wants to look good, or what most people label as “tone” or lose weight. First off, there’s no such thing as “toning” your muscles. Your muscles are either anabolic (growing, but not necessarily bulking) or catabolic (breaking down). The “tone” look your body may get is from improving body composition, or in other words, decreasing body fat and improving lean muscle tissue! Secondly, the following equation explains whey resistance is so important for “looking good”

Work = Force x Distance

Whether you’re a science guru or not, you can see that this equation demonstrates that the greater the force (strength) needed to move the weight, the greater the work (energy expenditure) that is being done by your body. Therefore, this greater force being used by your body, the greater the energy expenditure (calories) used. To give you a visual, simply plug in someone who lifts 20lbs of force on any given exercise/lift, and then compare it to if that individual could lift 40lbs of force on the same given exercise.

Work = 20lbs x distance

Work = 40lbs x distance

And, when your strength is improved, not only are you using more energy while you are actually exercising, this increase in lean muscle tissue also increases your metabolic activity throughout the day! Meaning, you’ll burn more calories throughout the day compared to if you had less lean muscle tissue!

Now that you know that increasing strength can lead to opening the floodgates to greater metabolic demands, imagine how much easier it is going to be to keep the weight off once you focus on getting your strength up first rather than trying to do the typical steady-state cardio or the common “light weight with high reps” routine, or any routine for that matter. (Also, note that is been shown that strength training 2-3 times a week can improve aerobic capacity as well!) Whether you are doing steady-state cardio, or you are doing resistance training, increasing your strength will induce a greater metabolic demand before, during, and after your workout than someone who has less lean muscle mass.


Now, let’s take a look at how resistance or strength training can help make you feel good. Honestly, I could go on and on about the benefits of strength training, but I’ll focus on a few. Some of the benefits to note right off the bat is how it can reduce signs and symptoms of such diseases and chronic conditions as arthritis, diabetes, osteoporosis, obesity, back pain, heart disease and depression. You’ll notice, most of these conditions I just listed (if not all of them) require medication of some sort. Strength training has similar improvements on signs and symptoms to medication. The only difference is that strength training is cheaper! Pretty, pretty, pretty powerful stuff if you ask me!



 It also decreases the aging process. One of the main reasons for this is how it improves bone density and strengthening of bones. The stronger your muscles and the greater the amount of lean muscle mass, the stronger the bones have to be. Also, post-menopausal women can and usually do lose bone mass (1-2%) annually. And, another reason it decreases the aging process is its positive effects on balance, stability, and flexibility. So, no more falling and cracking your hip!


Another great benefit is improved sleep quality. Falling asleep quicker, deeper sleep, waking up less often, and longer sleep are all interrelated with people who regularly exercise. Again, this shows that exercise is a helluva lot cheaper than sleep medication or comparable treatment. Just sayin’.




The low-down on the sitch (situation)

Strength training can be (if properly instructed how to do so) and is beneficial to all who participate in it. Two to three days a week of strength training has been shown to be more than enough frequency to the get positive results listed above. Frequency should vary depending on individual goals. One general rule of thumb is to never strength train the same muscle groups on consecutive days, allowing 48 hours of rest for your muscles. Before participating in a strength training program, consult a qualified professional and get proper instruction, especially if you are inexperienced or have any injuries or limitations. Working out with a group of friends can make it enjoyable and more productive, and also can help improve consistency.


Alright, ‘nuff said. Does anyone know where the weight room is?