If you are new to fitness and you want to whip your body into a better shape, a good choice for a starting point is strength training. It covers the basics like losing weight, gaining muscle and of course making you stronger. What’s great about this training is you can see the results in as little as one week.
What is Strength Training
Strength training is defined as a physical exercise that specializes in the use of resistance to create contraction on muscles. The contractions then build strength, endurance and increase in size of these muscles. It is basically the key when you want to build more muscle mass.
Several athletes use strength training on their workout regimen to meet the need for physical strength and endurance on their sport. These sports include bodybuilding, weightlifting, powerlifting, American football, basketball, soccer, and hockey.
Strength training provides you two kinds of strength: relative and absolute. Relative strength is building maximum strength and adding cardio, you won’t increase body weight on this. Absolute strength is about becoming strong and at the same time increasing in body weight. Choose the best one that fits your training goal.
Why do Strength Training
Obviously we train for this type of physical exercise because our aim is to become strong. Being strong helps you through your daily activities – carrying groceries, moving the furniture, lifting objects.
If your job entails a lot of manual labor or strenuous physical activity then having sufficient strength is good for you.
If you are training to shoot well, I advocate physical training as an integral part of a holistic program of being a great shooter.
If your aim is having a fit body then strength training is for you. It is an effective way to burn those flabs and gain lean muscle. It is a good option when you are starting out to become fit.
This kind of training builds a stronger heart, reduces blood pressure, increase bone density, improves blood flow, breaks muscle loss, helps control blood sugar, improve cholesterol levels and develops balance and coordination.
Types of Strength Training
Here are the different methods to build your strength:
- Weight Lifting. Lifting barbells are the easiest way to build strength. To get stronger you need to add more weight.
- Body Weight Exercises. This type of training uses your own body weight to create resistance.
- Machines. Using machines is easier but it is less effective than weight lifting and body weight exercises. What they do is force your body into a pattern of fixed movement.
If you want to be physically fit you can start with strength training. You can become stronger even if you train for 20-30 minutes per session. Make sure to start light then systematically increase weight load. After a few weeks of continuous training you will realize that you can lift heavier weights, a sign you have definitely become stronger. Be a stronger you, make strength training an integral part of your workout.
