Building Strength: The Strength of a Simple Idea

Building Strength: The Strength of a Simple Idea

Weight training can trim you down and help prevent health problem

Too many people who don’t get to the gym frequently, weight may seem like a sweaty version of cosmetic surgery. They may admire the results, but the process by which they were achieved is often thought to be a little too vain and messy to be approved in polite company.

A wealth of recent research has underscored just how outdated that view of strength training has become. The American College of Sports Medicine recently recommended that both aerobic and anaerobic exercise – that is, strength training – be included in any balanced fitness program.

Scientist have found that many people, even those who get regular aerobic exercise, suffer rapid erosion of muscle mass after age 45 or so. With the loss of muscle mass comes a decline in strength, which is reflected by a significant drop in a person’s resting metabolic rate. Not only do tasks like lifting become more difficult, but the fall-off in metabolism encourages weight gain that might not have been a problem before.

This muscle by engaging in a regular program of strength training. A basic program involves lifting small free weights or stretching large elastic bands on stationary universal exercise machines.

All of these approaches fall under the rubric of “resistance training” and help to replace muscle mass that has been lost to aging. Resistance training can also raise a person’s metabolic rate – making it easier to lose weight – and help to prevent osteoporosis, back and joint problems, diabetes, and the kind of high cholesterol counts that can eventually lead to heart disease.

Heid Klum as Barbie. Pnoto by Elena

Women may benefit in particular from a program of weight training. According to a recent report in the American Journal of Health Promotion, strength training not only improved the muscle strength of women in their 40s, it also boosted their body image and self-esteem far more than walking for exercise. Studies at Ohio State University and Stanford University found that women engaging in regular strength training after menopause also experienced significant gains in the bone mass of the spine and in overall muscle strength.

The elderly have much to gain as well. Another report recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that, after 10 weeks of strength training, a group of men and women in their 80s, and 90s upped their weight-lifting capacity by 118 percent and improved their walking speed and stair-climbing by 12 percent and 28 percent respectively.

Feats of Fancy

Tired of the gym? Some slightly more exotic workouts:

Swim across:

    Atlantic Ocean – 4,150 miles, equiv. Laps: 365,200.

    Lake Michingan: 101 miles, equiv. Laps 8,888.

    English Channel – 21 miles, equiv. Laps 1,848.

    Mississippi River – 1 miles, equiv. Laps 88.

One lap equals 60 feet.

Climb:

    Mt. Everest 29,628 feet, equiv. Stairs 49,762.

    Mt. Ranier – 14,410 ft. Equiv. Stairs 24,703.

    Empire State building – 1,250 ft. Equiv. Stairs 2,143.

    Eiffel Tower – 984 ft. Equiv. Stairs – 1,687.

One stair equals approximately 7 inches.

Building Strength and Endurance

Experts recommend these exercises to build strength. Be to exhale on exertion and to inhale when returning to start.

Arms, shoulders and chest

Single-arm row: Pull weight to shoulders, then ease to floor. Don’t lift with your back.

Chair push-up: Keep your hands below your shoulders, and position the chair so that it doesn’t slide.

Abdominals

Houlder Curl-Up: Lift your back off the floor. But don’t sit all the way up; it may strain your back. Use a pad if possible.

Prone Neck Lift: Kepp hand up and lift neck. But avoid arching it backward.

Lower body

Seated Straight-leg lift: Raise your entire leg off the chair by keeping the knee locked. Good for the quadriceps, the muscle that extends the leg.

Stay Flexible in What You Do

Stretching is important before and after workouts. Limber up with this routine from the American College of Sports Medicine.

Neck

Side-to-Side Look: Turn head slowly, without jerking motions.

Shoulder, chest, and back

Shoulder stretch: Be sure to hold, not push, on elbow.

Chest stretch: Place hand flat on wall and lean in.

Shoulder roll: Rotate shoulders only. Leave hands on hips.

Abdominals and lower back

Standing Cat-Stretch: Don’t arch your back.

Knee to chest: One knee at a time, then both. Keep hands under thighs.

Seated toe-touch: Keep legs straight and toes pointed. Don’t bounce.

Lower body

Quadriceps Stretch: Bring foot gently toward buttocks. Don’t bounce.

Wall Lean: Keep your back heel on the ground and feet turned inward.

Less effective traditional exercises: Bicycles, donkey kicks, knee bends, jumping jacks, standing toe-touch, the plow, back bends, hurdler stretch.

Even Cats Build their Strength! Photo by Elena.