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Strength
Strength Articles
What is Strength Fitness?
By Brian Gokey, CFT, BSMET
Strength
Strength Fitness or Strength Training is defined as the use of resistance to build maximum
muscle force, muscle endurance, and the size of skeletal muscles. There are many different methods of strength training with the most
common being the use of gravity or elastic and hydraulic forces to oppose muscle contraction.
Muscles
Let us back up and start
with the basics. What are muscles? Muscles are defined as body tissue consisting of muscle fibers organized into bands or bundles
that contract to perform body movement. We could spend hours defining all the terms involved here, but to make this easier, we can
say that a muscle’s job is to contract, and muscles are attached to joints and bones through tendons. All body movements - from walking,
running, and even circulating blood depend on the action of muscles. Some 600 muscles work together with the skeletal system to create
motion. There are three different types of muscle in the body: cardiac (the heart) smooth (the digestive system) and skeletal (voluntary
movement muscles). We will concentrate on the skeletal muscles as they are the muscles we can work through strength training. Information
on working the cardiac muscle (the heart) is contained in the article “What is Cardiovascular Fitness”.
Why we need Strength
Fitness (Strength Training)
According to a Surgeons General Report, physical inactivity is a primary risk factor for coronary heart disease along with smoking, hypertension, and high cholesterol. Lack of muscular strength along with a decrease in bone density as we age is a definite health concern for people today. Muscles that are not properly maintained through regular strength training will cause a marked reduction of musculoskeletal functions. Basically, muscles adhere to the “if you don’t use it, you loose it” law of nature. How many times have we heard of the person who worked in the garden for years and then retires to enjoy the time off and then sits in front of the television, and withers away. All the family said he should not work so hard. All the while he was working in the garden; he was using the muscles that needed to be exercised. As soon as he stopped, muscle atrophy (breakdown in muscle mass) started, and before long, he could hardly get out of the chair. We are all familiar with this scenario. Therefore, no matter what age you are, if you do not use your muscles, you will in the future not be able to use them. So get up!
continued below.....Starting an Exercise Routine
As with all exercise, when starting a new exercise routine, please consult your doctor to ensure you are
in good enough health to start. Other great advice is to start slow, especially if you are greater than 50 years in age, start with
little or no weight to ensure you are using the correct form and working the correct muscles.
Benefits of Strength Training
Ø strength training strengthens the bones that are connected to the muscles
Ø adequate muscle strength
allows you to do more of the activities in life you prefer
Ø toned muscles look better
Ø overall fitness is improved through strength training
Ø posture is improved when the stomach, back,
and leg muscles are exercised correctly
Ø psychological health is better when muscles are in shape
Ø proper strength training and healthy lifestyle allow you to live longer
Strength Training for different types of Muscles
There are many types of strength training, but we are going to lump all the types into two categories: fast twitch conditioning and slow twitch muscle conditioning.
This explains the two major types of muscle fibers also. The fast twitch muscle fibers are the fibers
that contract quickly and are used in most intensive short duration exercises. Usually these are the muscle fibers that can become
larger with exercise and you want to work these muscles in short sets with a higher load. Slow twitch muscle fibers have a slow rate
of contraction and burn energy over a longer period of time. You would want to strength train these muscle fibers by doing sets of
lighter weight and anywhere from 10-20 repetitions per set. Remember, our muscles contain both types of fibers, and we all have different
ratio’s of slow twitch to fast twitch fibers, and the result you want from your strength training will dictate the type of workouts
you need to do.
More Information on Specific Workout Routines
More information on the strength training and all different types
of workout routines for different goals can be found in the articles section of the Fitness section of www.wellnessforeveryone.com
References
Frederick
C. Hatfield PhD. ISSA, (2004) Fitness, The Complete Guide
Sally Edwards, (1992), The Heart Rate Monitor book
