Is Strength Training For Me?
If you’re looking to get fitter, you might immediately visualise activities like running, cycling, or HIIT. However, while these are all great forms of exercise, cardio isn’t your only option.
As you approach mid-life, it’s more important than ever to focus on strength training. It might not make you feel as out of breath or as sweaty as cardio-based exercise, but it is of real value, especially as we age, when our muscle health is prone to deterioration which can impact our strength, stability and endurance.
You might feel daunted by the weights section at the gym, but using weights to improve muscle strength is something we can all benefit from – but how?
How Strength Training Benefits Your Health: Our Top Ten Weight Training Wins
Prevents loss of muscle mass (sarcopenia)
Many people start losing muscle mass by their early 40s, and their strength diminishes as a result. Other effects of muscle mass loss may include increased weakness and immobility, which puts people at greater risk of injury as they age. This form of age-related muscle mass depletion is exacerbated by inactivity, not consuming enough protein, and going through the menopause.
However, the adverse effects of muscle loss in middle age and beyond can be delayed and prevented by strength training. Where bone and muscle strength are concerned, it’s a “use it or lose it” situation!
Reduces the risk of falls and injuries
Strength training can reduce the risk of falling and additional impacts from accidents that can lead to injuries like hip fractures and organ damage.
Increases bone density
Strength training can reduce your risk of sustaining fractures, as it increases bone density. The Journal of Bone and Mineral Research published a study that found that just two half-hour sessions of high-intensity resistance and impact training a week significantly increased bone density in post-menopausal women with osteopenia and osteoporosis.
Ramps up the calorie burn
Strength-focused workouts can increase the amount of calories you burn after working out. Lifting weights leads to higher levels of Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC) than cardio, which increases the amount of calorie after-burn. This effect will continue as you progress through increased repetitions and/or heavier weights. This can aid weight management.
Improves joint function and eases pain
Strength training has been seen to help people with joint-affecting conditions. Research suggests there is improved joint function and eased pain when people suffering from osteoarthritis consistently strength-trained the muscle groups around these joints. A win-win situation!
Reduces the risk of heart attack or stroke
A 2019 study demonstrated that people who lifted weights just once a week reduced their risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke by 40-70%. This is even less than the advised amount of weekly strength training, but still shows benefits – a clear indicator that every little bit does help.
Boosts your immune system
Strength training can support your immune system’s function.
Lowers Alzheimer’s risk
A 2020 study suggested that strength training was able to protect areas of the brain that are vulnerable to Alzheimer’s.
Improves mental and emotional wellbeing
All forms of exercise release endorphins which have been linked to reducing stress, minimising anxiety, and increasing self-esteem. A 2018 study found that resistance training was particularly effective in reducing symptoms of depression.
Establish a “Life-Proofing” Habit
See and feeling the positive effects from lifting weights will make you feel more confident and happier in both body and mind. Weight training will assist you with all aspects of your daily life, from carrying shopping bags to strengthening you for other sporting activities.
Strength Training Statistics
The NHS evidence-based guidance advises that adults aged 19-64 should do strengthening activities to exercise all ‘the major muscles (legs, hips, back,
abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms)’ a minimum of twice a week. Many people do not meet these basic guidelines:
A recent survey by Sport England found that 35% of adults aged 35-54, and 40% of over-55s were not meeting basic activity guidelines over the last twelve months.
This exercise deficit can lead to a decline in strength levels for these populations. The Centre for Ageing Better writes that poor muscle strength can increase the risk of falls by 76% in those reaching senior years. Anna Dixon, the charity’s Chief Executive, has said that urgent action is needed to reverse the trend of declining strength.
How to Incorporate Strength Training into Your Exercise Routine
Strength training tips to get you started:
- If you’re not confident about how to get started or put together a weights training programme, there are lots of free resources on YouTube and apps that can help you do so safely and enjoyably! However, it can be well worth consulting a professional in person or online.
- Many types of weight training exercises can be done at home.
- Workouts can be quite short and completed at your own pace – they will still benefit your health.
- Consistency is key: muscle takes time to build but also takes several weeks of inactivity to deplete. Consistent strength training sessions will help maintain your strength levels. However, you won’t lose it all if you do stop for a week or so – as long as you come back to it!
- When starting out, train for 2 to 3 days a week, incorporating aerobic exercise on other days and ensuring that you get 1 to 2 rest days a week.
- For progression, you may want to find ways to make your exercises more challenging. A repeating exercise range of 3-12 is suitable; 3 sets of 12 repetitions with increasing weights on each set, as an example.
- Ensure that you exercise every part of your body through push, pull, squat and load-carrying exercises. This will help contribute to all-round muscle growth.
- Sticking to basic movements is the best way to start, and resting in between sets is important!
- Always prioritise safety – don’t push through pain and talk to an expert if you’re feeling lost – it can be unsafe to perform certain exercises without proper form, so always do everything you can to avoid injury.
Strength Training: The Basics
There are numerous simple strength exercises that can be incorporated into your fitness routine to help you maintain or gain strength. Mix the eercises up to keep your sessions interesting! When looking for a good plan, a stable distribution of practical moves anybody should be able to perform is important. These include:
- Pushing – any push exercise, such as a press-up or a shoulder press.
- Pulling – many programmes neglect these exercises, as they often require equipment. However, they are important to compensate for forward hunches.
- Squatting – can help mobility in your hips and knees.
- Hip-hinging – they may sound difficult, but hip hinges are seen in exercises such as a deadlift or hip thrust, where your hips are the focal point of movement.
- Carrying – any exercise involving carrying movements that work your core.
Since strength training requires rest between sets, prioritising the quality of movement over the quantity of exercise is key. If you have worked out of the 3-12 rep range for an exercise, increasing the weight or selecting a harder movement can help to continue your progress. Regardless of how many reps you plan to do, once your reps begin to decline in speed and become more difficult, it’s time to think about stopping.
Eat Your Way to Better Strength
Building strength and lean muscle while preventing age-related loss of bone density and sarcopenia – especially in your middle years – can be aided by making a few changes to your diet. In general, a healthy diet with a good amount of protein, carbohydrates and vegetables is advised. Additionally:
- Check micronutrients – Specific nutrients can help your bones stay healthy and strong, including calcium, most commonly found in dairy products. Fatty fish also contributes to your vitamin D levels while green vegetables and nuts can be sources of magnesium, all essential for staying strong.
Protein is vital – Including enough protein in each meal can contribute to the formation and maintenance of muscle. It’s important to keep a steady protein stream in your food, as this has been shown to preserve muscle mass better over the course of the day, and simple changes such as eggs for breakfast can contribute to this. How much protein you should eat in a day varies from person to person, but 1.6-2.2g of protein per kg of your body weight is said to be sufficient for building and maintaining muscle in the body. For your diet, this could mean changing some of your daily foods to more protein-laden options, such as adding nuts to your breakfast, or adding lean meat or pulses to a salad at lunchtime.- Keep carbohydrates in the diet – Carbohydrates are an essential component of our diets, contrary to what some people may think. They aid recovery, which is helpful when working out. Peas and broccoli, and grains like quinoa and barley, are particularly good sources of complex carbs – the kind you should be aiming to eat more of.
- Good fats – Healthy fats, which can be found in nuts, oily fish, and avocado are key to optimising your immune system. They also help to reduce workout recovery times.
- Drinking less alcohol – Alcohol has been found to have a detrimental effect on protein synthesis. However, this is only impactful if you’re drinking regularly/in heavy amounts.
- Stay hydrated – Dehydration can affect your brain function, so staying regularly hydrated can help you keep focused and healthy. It can also help your metabolism, so it is important for maintaining strength.
Strength Training in Conclusion
Strength training and its benefits are strongly evidence-based, and can contribute positively to many aspects of your life, including increasing your lifespan. So, if it is as simple as that, why aren’t more people working on their strength?
For many people, running and cycling seem like simpler and more approachable ways to exercise. Strength training can be tricky to get into, especially if you’re unfamiliar with the right processes and commitment required. Don’t be discouraged though, as many strength training exercises are actually quite simple and easy to remember, and there’s also a plethora of advice out there, from apps to books and videos.
Whether you are a beginner to strength training or an avid enthusiast, the gains you’ll notice from strength training can be relatively quick, and feeling and seeing results will spur you on!
Through strength training, you can set a strong foundation for the rest of your life. Give it a go!
