Strength Training

Strength training is one of the oldest exercise disciplines. It's also one of the most fashionable ways to loose weight, gain strength and gaining a desired personality.
Models, Film Stars, Big Businessmen all make use of this techniques to improve their Persona.

What is Strength Training?

Strength training is exercising with the goal of increasing your physical strength.

There are two kinds of strength:

Relative Strength. Gymnasts or rock climbers need strength, but not at the expense of an increased body-weight: it makes their sport harder. Relative strength is building maximal strength while controlling calorie intake and/or adding cardio so you don’t increase your body-weight.

Absolute Strength. Strongman or Olympic Lifters in the heaviest classes easily weigh 130kg. More body-weight means bigger muscles & thus more strength. Absolute strength is about becoming the strongest person regardless of body-weight.

Benefits of Strength Training.

2-3 generations ago, physical jobs kept you in shape. Nowadays sedentary lifestyles are common: desk jobs, watching tv, driving car all day. Here’s what strength training can do for you:

1. Builds Muscle.- Strength training builds muscle.Strength training is not bodybuilding. Building muscle is a byproduct of exercising, not its goal.

2. Burns Fat.- Strength training burn calories, keeps your metabolic rate high under strict dieting and tends to make you stick to your diet better.

3. Increases Health.- Strength training increases endurance, bone density & testosterone levels. Strength training strengthens your joints, lowers cholesterol & improves your sleep. You’ll notice nutrition is important to get results in strength training. All leads to a healthier body & lifestyle.

4. Increases self-confidence -  Strength training teaches you persistence, sacrifice, self-control, responsibility & builds self-confidence.

How do You Build Strength?

Strength takes time to build.

STEP 1. - Exercising stresses your body. Your body doesn’t like stress & adapts by getting stronger & building muscle.

STEP 2 -  Your body adapts to stress by better utilization of your body resources. This eventually helps to channelize the better use of nutrients in the body for increased productivity. Overall increasing energy levels, resistance and positive neuro-chemicals.

STEP 3 - Muscle fibers become more flexible, agile and strong.

STEP 4 - With constant repetition of the above cycle, Power builds up within your body.

Types of Strength Training.

Different methods:

1. Weight Lifting. Barbells are the easiest method to build strength. Start light, focus on technique & add weight systematically. The more weight on the bar, the stronger you get. Example of weight lifting exercises are the Squat, Bench Press, Overhead Press, Barbell Row & Deadlift.

2. Body-weight Exercises. Force you to use your own body-weight as resistance. Can be hard at first if you lack sufficient strength. Examples of body-weight exercises: Pull-ups, Chin-ups, Dips, Pistols & Push-ups.

3. Machines. Machines balance the weight for you. This makes them easier & less effective than free weights or body-weight exercises. Machines also force your body into a fixed movement pattern. Position yourself wrong using a lot of weight & you risk injuries

 

Strength Training is a great way of loosing weight and getting the desired body for both men and women.

 

(This article was written with inputs from Mr.Rahul who is a certified private physical trainer and inputs from medical and physical training literature.)

 

Thanks for reading,

 

Dr.Hemant Mittal (MBBS, PGDPM)

http://www.mindmantra.in/

for free email counseling - eksoch@gmail.com