A few weeks ago I wrote about the importance of strength training in relation to the youth athlete, you can find it here. Today, we’re going to talk about how strength training is important for all of us and why higher levels of strength are more desirable versus low strength. I’m going to try and arm you with information that will hopefully break the stigma that weights are for women and that they make you bulky. Women can gain incredible health benefits from being strong, just like their male counterparts. But first, life update.
This week, one of the members at my gym, Amy, gave me a loan of a book she thought I should read and honestly she was spot on! Many of you may have heard of this book and hopefully have read it, if you haven’t I recommend getting on Amazon (Here) and buying it RIGHT NOW. The book, Who Moved My Cheese tells the story of two mice (Sniff and Scurry) and two little people (Hem and Haw), each of which represent an attitude towards change. One morning they realize their Cheese has been moved and they have a choice to make. The story was told in such an engaging fashion I had it finished in a day. The message behind the words didn’t fall on deaf ears though, in a time where a lot of pieces around me are changing I understood loud and clear.
With that in mind, it’s time to change the attitude many people still harbor towards strength training and put to bed the nonsense that exists in the public eye. This post is not 100% directed at women because most of the benefits are the same for men but I’m sick and tired of seeing women being harassed and abused in public for following a decent strength training programme, instead it’s time to celebrate those who are taking their health into their own hands! Look at Vouge Williams and Kate Upton, two women in the public eye who continued to strength train right through pregnancy, like many women I’ve worked with. They are pioneering a way for future women and showing that this sort of exercise is safe and can help with the birth. Today, I’m going to try and hit 3 different points that I believe are extremely important when it comes to strength training. 1) The benefits, 2) What to focus on and 3) Busting myths.
Benefits of Strength Training
I think this is a two-part process, there are many health related markers that benefit from strength training but also aesthetic benefits to be gained as well… now that I’m thinking of it you could throw in a third point on day to day life improvements.
The health related benefits of strength training are exceptionally large. I’ve had this conversation many times before, but I just don’t understand why drugs are prescribed willy nilly for every single illness and physical activity and exercise is not, well I do understand… money talks. There’s a saying in our industry, popularized by a great coach doing terrific work with the older population, Movement is MEDICINE! It’s so true, when you look into the research it hits you square in the face!
Strength training (and structured physical activity to a greater extent) can reduce the risk of many chronic illnesses such as high blood pressure, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and arthritis.
Following a structured training protocol can help decrease frailty and combat osteoporosis in the aging population. This is so important as we age. The stronger you are the less likely you are to fall. Even if you do fall, you’ll have stronger bones from your time doing weight baring exercise and hopefully that’s enough to avoid getting a broken bone. Think of muscles as supports for your skeleton. The stronger the support, the better chance it has of staying up right. Small, weak supports don’t make for a great structure.
Did you also know strength training helps increase the quality of sleep and may even help fight off depression? Exercise has an incredible chemical impact on the brain that causes this fight, like if I was given the choice of taking an extremely manufactured pill with side effects to fight my illness or train a few times a week, I know what I’d choose.
Last point on this particular sub topic, strength training makes you look great. At the end of the day, everybody wants to look good naked. Strength training and good food habits will get you there.
What Should I Focus On?
When I wrote the blog on youth training I did a similar sub-section. To be perfectly honest I could probably copy and paste the same thing here because this doesn’t really change. Mobility, movement, technique, load. It’s that simple but let me elaborate.
When training someone I always put a beginning emphasis on increasing their mobility and movement, if they physically cannot move into a certain position or do an exercise because they’re too tight they won’t get the maximum benefits from training. The majority of people will be quite locked up and tight around their hips and hamstrings due to the nature of modern societies work. Sitting down all day is not what man (and woman) are intended to do. We are built to move. That’s why increasing movement quality (through mobility) is so important.
So you’ve gotten more flexible and you’re able to control your range comfortably. Nice job. The next step is to improve your technique on the exercises you’re training. I’ll let you in on a little secret, get a coach! Then you don’t have to worry about this part because your coach will do that for you. Simple.
Finally, when your technique is flawless and mobility is good you’ll find that you should progress quite steadily. You should be able to increase the load by a couple % every week or so. I think it’s important that I stress, the actual load is the last thing to worry about. Trying to build strength on poor foundations won’t end well.
Stupid Myths You Should Forget
There are so many myths when it comes to strength training that it’s hard to know where to start on this one. I’m going to try and hit the big ones and that way if you guys have any other reservations or questions you can just reach out and I’ll try my best to answer your questions.
The biggest one I’ve had to face mainly comes from women, weights will not make you bulky. I think the image of an extremely dedicated physique model comes to mind for a lot of women when they think of weights. In reality, to get into that shape you need your nutrition down to a tee, be unbelievably dedicated, give up your social life and basically live in the gym. Also, as we know from previous blogs, you CANNOT put on muscle size and weight unless you’re eating surplus calories (taking in more than you’re using). So what will happen? You’ll get stronger, increase muscle tone, improve your body composition and hopefully get all the benefits I’ve already discussed! No point in doing a mountain of cardio trying to ‘burn fat’ if you’ve nothing there to show off when it’s gone?
The second one relates a little more to a sporting situation and athletes but here we go anyway… weights don’t make you slow. Fat makes you slow. Just ask around and you’ll find out, Fat don’t fly. This myth came from someone who was uneducated and did not know what they were when it came to strength training. Done properly, in addition to proper sprint mechanics and regular high speed running, strength training can be an incredible asset to speed.
The last thing I can really think of is injuries related to certain exercises, like deadlifting is bad for your back (or even worse, a back exercise) or squatting is bad for your knees or if you don’t squat ass to grass you don’t get the benefit. All wrong. There is a place for everything as long as it fits your goals. The best way to overcome this problem, get a coach who knows what they’re doing.
That’s all I have for this week folks, i’m pretty excited to get this week’s blog out, I’ve been pumped about this one all week! I have next week’s blog lined up already and it’s something I feel really passionate about and I will not be holding back. I am on a mission to educate as many people as I can through this blog and through coaching. Next week I will be tackling the toxic comments that show up in the media every few weeks with regards to strength and conditioning and proving why uneducated individuals will always resort to placing the blame on something they don’t understand. If you don’t understand it, just stay quiet and learn to adapt with the times. More on that next week.
Finally, please share this around and help me spread the word. I will be going as far as sending next week’s blog into several online media outlets but if you guys help we might make a bigger splash.
Have a great week,
Rory.