What’s the point of strength training?
I can tell you from experience there are many good reasons for doing strength training, I just need to convince you.
I first was introduced to strength training when I was aged 15 at school. I was one of the smaller lads at school and the caretaker who was also a PT offered to show a small number of us how to do weightlifting. I thought this would be a great idea so that I could become stronger and be able to compete with my peers in sport and life in general. I bought my own equipment and started lifting at home with my mate Tom. Our technique was probably all over the place and we didn’t really have a system, although it was a good way to use up energy as a teenager.
It wasn’t until my 20’s that I started going to the gym more consistently and following a system and at this point I had a new goal. I wanted to build muscle to look good for my holiday in the sun. My ego kicked in and looking good was my only focus, this carried on in the early stages of University and I was making good progress.
During my final year the importance of the course increased, I was starting to think about and plan my next steps after Uni and was holding down a part time job. It all became too much, and I became overwhelmed with the whole thing. Luckily there was support at the campus and I was able to speak to someone about my mental health. Interestingly, I found out that exercise was a great way to calm my brain down, reduce my anxiety and feel positive. The opposite would happen if and when I didn’t exercise.
So, just in the space of 11 years I had found 3 great reasons to do strength training. Build muscular strength, look good, and maintain a healthy mindset. This is where things became more interesting for me while working on placements and in my first physio roles in the NHS. Strength training was utilised to help people recovering on the wards, outpatient departments and in the community.
Strength training isn’t just for 20-year-old gym goers, it’s for all ages even those into their 90s. I was using so many things I had learnt from my own training in sessions with my patients. Structured programmes that were progressive, focusing on single muscle groups as well and full body exercises. I was providing motivation, technique advice, and physical assistance to help the patient improve their strength. Patients ranged from being on intensive care and bed bound, post operative knee and hip replacements to stroke patients. Just like in the gym it was about repetition, repetition, repetition! Each day we would come back, and they would make small improvements. Going from not being able to roll in bed to pushing themselves up to the side of the bed, then standing up. They were gradually able to start taking a few steps to then walking in the hospital corridors and climbing the stairs.
What people don’t realise about muscular strength is not infinite, from the age of 30 we naturally start to lose it, and this makes us less able to do things that we could do the year before. That is unless we work against it. There is no reason why we can’t be as strong in our 60s as we were in our 30’s if we stick to a simple strength programme daily and weekly.
Now I realise there are even more benefits to strength training than first thought;
I hope that my personal and professional experience has convinced you that there is a point to doing strength training – Many! There are so many options to getting started now, using YouTube videos, a personal trainer, online coach, self-directed training and much more. If you would like some advice, please get in touch as we can’t wait to get you started.
