What is Strength Training? To put it simply, it is a training type when you use your body weight or different tools like dumbbells, bars, machines, etc. to build up your muscle mass, strength, and in cases muscular endurance. My thoughts on strength training might be different compared to others but when I think of Strength Training I think of bulking up and getting huge. To do that most people prefer to cut down on the amount of reps and build up the amount of weight you will be using. It may take weeks to see your results, which is why so many people fail at any type of training. If you’re determined and strive to be the best you, your Strength training will go well and you will see the results you want. Strength Training has a lot of benefits for your body too.
Strength Training will build up lean muscle and get rid of body fat. As muscle mass increases so does your metabolism. The higher you’re metabolism the more calories your body burns when working out and at rest. It will take hard work and drive so try pairing yourself with someone who will train with you, and you can keep each other’s nutritional intake and workouts on track.
It will also build up your bone density and increase their overall stiffness and strength, along with strengthening the tissues that hold our bones and muscles together. A quote from Sarah Revenig, a CSCS trainer says,
“As we age, especially women, this is especially important because, while it might sound undesirable, these two things are critical to injury prevention. We need the body to be able to stiffen and stabilize upon impact or against an external force.”
Sarah Revenig, Certified CSCS Trainer
There are many different types of strength training that you can do but i’m going to keep it narrowed down to three of the most basic training exercises. Hypertrophy Training, Max Strength Training, and Explosive Power Training. Hypertrophy training is when you increase the tidal volume of your workout. Increasing the reps and sets as to increase your amount of work. Max Strength Training is a training exercise only used one in a while for people. People will Max when they have been strength training for a while already. “Maxing” as it’s called is when you put a large amount of weight, usually the largest amount of weight you’ve ever lifted and is your goal you believe you can lift for a total of one repetition. Lastly we have Explosive Power Training which is a type of training that combines strength with speed. This type of training will increase your power output and increase your outbursts of speed with maximal effort and strength.
Some final tips that I would like to give to beginners. Start your training out with light moderately easy weight. This is to help you figure out where your comfort zone is. The weights you choose should challenge you but also shouldn’t challenge you to the point of risking injury. After you start training for a while you will slowly increase your workload and weight and become stronger and stronger. Make sure to avoid overworking/exhaustion this can lead to injury and even harm your muscle growth. Especially for beginners, a research study done in 2016 says that ending your workout before completely draining your tank can be more efficient for your growth. Lastly make the most of your warm up and cool down time. Always stretch before and after your workout. Stretching loosens up the muscles and helps to keep the lactic acid out of the muscles loose and growing. Warming up and cooling down correctly will lead to better results and better growth.
EZ Weightlifting 