More research than ever supports strength training exercise as a means of benefitting your fitness and wellbeing and strength training is becoming a key part or workouts for everyone from young children to the elderly.
A recent report demonstrated that strength training can have significant positive effects even for the over 80s. Researchers found that people over 80 who started weight training exercises had measurable benefits in as little as 16 weeks that included; increased strength; less reported pain; lower blood pressure and weight loss.
The good news is that these benefits are available to anyone who performs strength training exercise regularly. And you don't have to train like a bodybuilder to reap these benefits.
The basic requirements are :
- Consistency :
Working your muscles at least twice a week will allow you to make significant progress.
- Intensity :
Tough to define, intensity refers to how hard you work. The bottom line is that if it's too easy, you won't get much out of it.
- Progressive resistance :
A guiding principal behind all fitness work, this principal simply means that as you get fitter or stronger you gradually increase your workload, forcing your muscles to develop to meet the new challenge. Do this by increasing the weight/resistance, reps, sets, or reducing the rest period between sets.
- Variety :
The human body can adapt remarkably quickly to challenges - what seemed difficult in January can be easy by February. To offset this, be sure to change your workouts regularly in order to constantly challenge the body. You can do this by having a smorgasbord of exercises from which to choose, rather than simply repeating the same routine every time you train.
We plan to develop this whole training section to provide FREE workout plans for all types of gym workouts - so check back soon or bookmark our site.
