More benefits from strength training
I'm probably preaching to the choir on this but a friend sent me a link to an article touting the benefits of strength training. I've posted about this before, and I'm going to guess that most of you who check in here already lift, so this article is those who haven't thrown some iron and steel around. For me, though, it gives me extra incentive when I read things like this because I'm getting older now and my fitness and overall health is becoming more important to me. I'm not a serious lifter like our founding brother James is, but I'm trying to make lifting a more regular part of my lifestyle now, as I've lifted off and on over the years with no real consistency.
The article was in Forbes of all things. Some quick highlights from the article's summary of new scientific findings documented in New York Times writer Gretchen Reynold's book The First 20 Minutes: Surprising Science Reveals How We Exercise Better, Train Smarter, Live Longer :
- A Boston University study indicates that weight training can help regress obesity and resolve metabolic disorders
- Weight training can help improve performance in endurance sports. Those who do strength training and plyometrics have a greater amount of signalling molecules that assist in kick starting the adaptive changes, making muscles more efficient in using oxygen, ie , improve endurance.
- Even without increased muscle mass, it can improve and increase the activation of motor units within muscles
- Helps prevent diabetes. Building and exercising muscles increases the muscles demand for glucose, pulling it from the bloodstream and keeping blood sugar levels from getting dangerously high.
- Certain weight training routines can replicate most the benefits obtained from running, walking, swimming.
- Using one's own body weight in exercise such as yoga and pilates, gymnastics, has indicated it can prompt muscular "re-modeling" as with working with weights.
There are some additional benefits in cited in the article, but the point is, start lifting if you aren't doing so already! And interestingly enough, Gretchen Reynolds wrote an article in the NY Times pondering what is the single best exercise someone could do. There are various proponents advocating for a particular exercise, but one stood out to me:
Squats! Reynolds talked to Stuart Phillips, a professor of kinesiology at McMaster University and an expert on the effects of resistance training on the human body. She quotes him as stating, squats "activates the body’s biggest muscles, those in the buttocks, back and legs....Just fold your arms across your chest,” he said, “bend your knees and lower your trunk until your thighs are about parallel with the floor. Do that 25 times. It’s a very potent exercise.” You can then add additional weight bearing loads (ie, a barbell) once the body-weight squats become too easy.
You'll like your body shape much better, you'll feel better and more confident. So get lifting and stay healthy.
Squats! Reynolds talked to Stuart Phillips, a professor of kinesiology at McMaster University and an expert on the effects of resistance training on the human body. She quotes him as stating, squats "activates the body’s biggest muscles, those in the buttocks, back and legs....Just fold your arms across your chest,” he said, “bend your knees and lower your trunk until your thighs are about parallel with the floor. Do that 25 times. It’s a very potent exercise.” You can then add additional weight bearing loads (ie, a barbell) once the body-weight squats become too easy.
You'll like your body shape much better, you'll feel better and more confident. So get lifting and stay healthy.
Comments
I just started trying Romanian deadlifts, with really light weight to start out with. I've been trying to get the proper form down before adding on additional plates because I'm very careful with my lower back. Plus, I need to strengthen other stabilizing muscles before trying to add more on. For now, I'm warming up at 95 pounds (25x2 + barbell) and then bump it up to 115 lbs (35x2 + barbell)for 3 sets, 8-10 reps. And my hams, my lower glutes, lower back felt sore afterwards---that was a clear sign how weak those muscle groups were. Like most guys, I tended to ignore the lower body.
At some point, I want to add in another compound lift, like power cleans or something. But as the article stated, lifting is good for you. I been hitting the gym about 3 or times a week at work and have been doing this since the end of March. In that time, I've lost about 9 or 10 excess pounds (I should probably lose about another 5, hell, maybe 10). I'm also trying to eat very cleanly: low carbs, high proteins, leafy greens/fresh veggies, and no fast/junk food.
Another co-worker of mine who is also hitting the gym during our lunch break, he and I are both approaching 50, and we both want to reach that milestone trying to be in in decent shape. Again, my goals are different from you younger guys, but you'll be glad you started lifting or have been lifting by the time you reach my age.
thanks for stopping by. Yeah, start slow and realistically. One doofus co-worker of mine partially tore a tendon in his knee because he stupidly put too much weight on the barbell while trying to do squats. he wasn't working out with us, but privately on his own with some guy who wasn't giving him good guidance. that one co-worker is a pretty hefty guy, carrying a lot of weight. And so to load up the barbell, his partner didn't think how much stress is on my co-worker's knees because he's carrying excess weight.
James can probably speak better to how to begin. I'd say, just go slow, hell, even start with your own bodyweight if you've never used actual weights before, just to get your body used to doing some work, ie, push ups, sit ups, the bodyweight squats, and squat thrusts, etc...
just get started, bigWOWO!
It seems like a no-brainer, but when you learn a new exercise, then you should always start off with lighter weight and higher reps. focus on practicing and perfecting your form first before you tackle the heavier weights.
If you are a bodybuilder, Olympic weightlifter, powerlifter or an athlete, then you should be squatting. If you are not and don't care about muscle size or strength, then you don't really need to do a barbell squat. Bodyweight squats and leg presses would be just fine.