What You Need to Know About Strength Training!

Now that we’ve talked about the importance and benefits of stretching, lets chat about strength training. Strength, or resistance, training is exercise that builds lean muscle mass, endurance, and strength. There are many ways to strength train at home or in a fitness center. Some of the common ways are by utilizing body weight, free weights, weight machines, and resistance bands or tubes. A regular strength training routine can increase muscle mass, improve bone density, improve balance, and protect joints from injury.

There are a few things to consider before you start strength training. First, if you have concerns about starting a strength training routine you should check with your doctor to see if this is the right type of exercise for you. Second, you’ll want to pick exercises that align with your goals. If you need help finding the right exercises for you it may be helpful to ask, or work with, a personal trainer. Lastly, you should not be in pain when you’re strength training. The mindset “no pain, no gain” may be helpful in learning how to work through slight discomfort, but strength training should not be painful.

Now that you’ve decided to begin strength training, it’s important to start slowly to see what your body can handle.  To avoid injury, you should warm up for 5-10 minutes before strength training. Once you’ve warmed up your muscles, you’ll want to chose a resistance level or weight that will tire the muscle out after 12-15 repetitions. Doing your routine consistently 2-3 times a week for 20-30 minutes you will start to see improvements in your muscle mass and strength.

You will likely feel some muscle soreness when you start, and this is perfectly normal! Everybody builds muscle the same way: breaking it down a little bit to build it back up. Muscle soreness typically lasts for 1-3 days. There are many ways to manage and prevent soreness such as warming up before exercising, adequate rest, and staying hydrated. 

 

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