It is virtually impossible to find a fitness enthusiast, ardent gym-goer or active bodybuilder that wouldn’t want an attractive physique characterised by lean, hard muscles. It is also a no-brainer that to achieve significant muscle growth and improved performance, you need a training program that consists of strength training.
In this guide, you will get to know why strength training is important to your fitness regimen as well as seven (7) primary benefits that you can derive from having a well-structured strength training program.
Understanding Strength Training
With strength training you have a form of workout in which resistance is used in making your skeletal muscles more durable, powerful, and stronger in the long-run.
The resistance generated during strength training can be derived from a number of sources including your bodyweight like during pull-ups, squats, and push-ups.
Resistance bands also offer the resistance needed to be classified as a form of equipment needed during a strength training routine and the weights you lift like barbells, dumbbells, and machines all offer varying levels of resistance when you engage in your specific strength training protocol.
As you train against a resistive force, your skeletal muscle fibers are exposed to micro-tears. However, these micro-tears tend to heal during recovery leading to improved muscle strength, endurance, and hypertrophy.
Explaining The Different Types of Strength Training
Some of the most popular types of strength training are well known by virtue of the form of resistance that they offer in challenging your skeletal muscles during training.
We have already highlighted a couple already, but let’s expand on the different types of strength training that you can actively engage in.
- Bodyweight Strength Training
This is a form of strength training where the resistance to challenge your skeletal muscles is generated by your bodyweight. The most common forms of bodyweight strength training exercises include planks, lunges, squats, pull-ups, and push-ups.
The beauty of bodyweight strength training is that you can execute these exercises anywhere and not just in the gym.
What’s more, this form of strength training is great for all levels of fitness from beginner to expert level – it doesn’t really matter, everyone can start bodyweight training today.
- Free Weights Strength Training
With free weights strength training, you can freely make use of a variety of equipment including kettlebells, barbells, and dumbbells without the support of machines which are used to guide the movement of users of these equipment. Free weights will greatly enhance both your coordination, and balance while also improving your overall strength.
- Machine Strength Training
Unlike free weights where you get to manage the movement of your use of gym equipment like dumbbells, machine strength training is different as a machine aids your movement during your use of gym equipment.
The most common machine aided strength training routines include lat pulldown, chest press and leg press. The machine form of strength training is perfect for beginners as well as for training isolated muscle groups.
- Resistance Band Strength Training
The use of resistance bands which are basically large elastic bands during your strength training routines will offer sufficient tension all through the execution of the exercises you have lined up to improve mobility, flexibility, and dexterity.
This strength training is great for your rehabilitation during recovery and it is one strength training that you can take with you wherever you go.
- Functional Training
This is a type of strength training routine consisting of workouts that are designed to imitate real-life situations.
The exercises that fall under this type of strength training include squats which mimic the motion for lifting heavy objects from the ground.
Other examples of functional training movements are pulling, pushing, carries, and lifting. This strength training provides stability and strength gains.
- Power Strength Training
This is an Olympic styled form of strength training that places emphasis on explosive strength and speed.
Power strength training is fantastic for advanced bodybuilders and athletes with the most common forms of workouts being push presses, snatches, and cleans.
Benefits of Strength Training
While strength training offers both men and women a host of health benefits, we have picked seven (7) of the most pertinent benefits in our book.
#1. Strength Training Boosts Metabolic Function
Your metabolic function is improved when you engage in strength training. Whenever you run a strength training session, the amount of energy that you burn is usually at the same proportion to your workout intensity.
So, you do not only burn calories when you are engaging in your strength training sessions, but also when you are done with a day’s strength training session and resting.
#2. Strength Training Enhances Bone Density
With strength training you do not only develop strong skeletal muscles, but also strong, healthy bones. The stress exerted on your bones during your strength training routines will cause cells in your bones to repair defective bone tissue and in the process enhance bone density.
#3. Strength Training Helps in Improving Mental Health
When you improve your physique through strength training, you do not only build muscle, but you also enhance your mental alertness and concentration levels. You have a reason to wake-up every morning and this laser focus will greatly help your approach to life and improve your mental health in the process.
#4. Strength Training Improves Blood Pressure
Your blood vessels, arteries and heart are greatly strengthened with each strength training session you complete. Strength training will help to improve blood circulation, reduce bad cholesterol levels, regulate blood sugar, and body weight to protect you from cardiovascular health concerns. .
#5. Strength Training will Improve your Overall Health
Strength training can greatly improve your quality of life by vastly improving your physical and mental health. You will feel stronger and fitter than ever before even if you are middle-aged or elderly. As mentioned already, your muscle, bone, and heart health will also improve allowing you to live a healthy life.
#6. Strength Training Helps you in Maintaining Muscle Mass while Cutting
With strength training you will be able to maintain lean muscle mass even when you are on a cutting cycle and you are trying to shed body fat. Whenever you lift weights you put a strain on your muscles leading to micro-tears that heal up during your rest and time out for recovery causing the repaired muscle to grow stronger and bigger.
You in effect build muscle during rest and recovery even when you are cutting. However, it is important to ensure that you consume enough nutrients to provide your body with the nourishment needed to enable you to effectively execute your strength training sessions.
#7. Strength Training can Reduce your Risk of Diabetes
Whenever you engage in strength training you boost your insulin sensitivity as glucose is converted to glycogen and used as energy fuel by your muscle during your strength training regimen.
The result of this is the regulation of blood sugar in your bloodstream and your reduced risk of type 2 diabetes.
Conclusion
Strength training will boost your muscle and bone strength while lowering your risk of both physical and mental health concerns.
The good thing with strength training is that you can start just about anywhere.
You can begin free weights and bodyweight strength training in your home today and all that you require is your will to go through with your workout regimen. If you need more information about strength training, you can reach out to an IFBB PRO here today.
