What are Strengthening Exercises?
Strengthening exercises are defined as physical activities intended to strengthen your musculoskeletal system. They help improve muscle strength, size, endurance, power, and flexibility. Strengthening exercises play a crucial role in maintaining and restoring normal body function. They enhance your ability to perform everyday activities and slow down the degree of muscle and bone loss associated with aging. Regular strengthening exercises also helps in the better management of conditions such as movement dysfunction, poor posture, disability/immobility, arthritic conditions, and metabolic diseases like type 2 diabetes.
How Do Strengthening Exercises Work?
The basic concept behind increasing muscle strength is by inducing tension within a muscle or group of muscles. Tension within the muscles is created by resistance training using equipment such as dumbbells, resistance bands, specially designed strength training machines, or your own body weight (self-resistance). Muscle is a metabolically-active tissue; increase in muscle mass also increases the body’s metabolism and results in strengthening of the body.
It is to be noted that without regular strength training, the size and strength of the muscles decrease with age. It has been observed that inactive individuals lose their muscle mass between 20-60 years of age, while those performing regular strength training can preserve their muscle strength throughout their lifespan. Strength training also helps rebuild lost muscle.
Types of Strengthening Exercises
Examples of strengthening exercises include:
- Working with resistance bands
- Lifting weights
- Squats, push-ups, and sit-ups
- Brisk walking
- Climbing stairs
- Yoga
- Cycling
- Aerobics
- Heavy gardening or lawn activities
What Should a Strengthening Exercise Regimen Involve?
A typical exercise regimen should last at least 20 to 30 minutes, 4 to 5 days a week, and involve the following:
- Exercises should be performed to a point where it would be tough to do another repetition without assistance.
- A repetition is defined as one complete motion of an activity, such as doing one push-up or one sit-up or lifting a weight.
- Try to perform eight to twelve repetitions of each activity, which sums up as one set.
- Try to perform at least two sets of muscle-strengthening activities, but to obtain even more benefits, you can perform three sets.
- You should start an activity slowly and gradually build up over a period of time.
Benefits of Strengthening Exercises
The benefits of strengthening exercises include:
- Builds up the muscles
- Reduces excessive fat
- Increases bone mineral density
- Improves sleep cycle
- Optimizes level of hormones such as testosterone
- Reduces risk of injury
- Maintains optimum body weight
- Delays onset of joint conditions
- Ensures overall good health