Strength training, resistance training, weight training: The terms are often used interchangeably, but there is a difference:
Resistance training involves exerting force on a muscle to challenge it. You might use free weights such as kettlebells, dumbbells and barbells; weight machines; or weightless bands like Therabands, available in varying degrees of tension. Lifting any object, even a heavy box, that provides resistance qualifies as resistance training.
Weight training specifically refers to lifting a physical weight like a barbell.
Strength training is resistance training with the specific goal of increasing your strength level—and improving bone density. Exercises are done at a high enough intensity to bring your muscles to “failure” within the eight to 10 repetitions of a set, meaning you can’t do another rep without pausing before you start. (Typically, you’ll do three sets of each exercise with a 30- to 60-second rest period between each set.)
Another important the term is progressive resistance training: Once you can easily do sets at a given weight, you’ll increase the intensity of the exercise to keep building strength. If you’re not progressing, you’re regressing. Note: If you can do 20 or 30 reps of a resistance training exercise, you’re no longer building strength but rather endurance.
Bodyweight exercises, like planks and pushups, that rely on lifting only your body’s own weight can be a good starting option if you haven’t exercised for a long period of time. But after six to 12 months, your body will be no longer be challenged and will start to decline in strength unless you add exercises with greater intensity.
Why Strength Train?
As important as cardiovascular fitness is, strength training is what allows you to continue to be active and mobile as you age. Without any intervention, the body starts to lose muscle mass as early as age 35, and the loss accelerates after the age 65 for women and 70 for men. We lose strength at a rate of about one percent per year in our legs, where we need it the most to protect against falls.
Sarcopenia, the term for age-related loss of muscle mass and strength, leads to frailty and the inability to do activities of daily living, such as dressing, cooking, shopping, walking, going to social events, going up a flight of stairs. You might also find it harder to recover from an injury or illness. On the other hand, maintaining muscle means maintaining your independence throughout your life, and it not only develop muscle but also improves bone strength.
Self-Test for Strength
How can you judge whether you’re as strong as you should be? You should be able to:
- Stand up from a chair or sofa without using your hands.
- Get down to the floor and back up again without an assistive device, having to crawl to a chair or have someone help you up.
- Lift 40 to 50 pounds from the floor.
- Do 20 heel raises in a row with your arms crossed over your chest. Rise up and down with your feet flat on the floor, with each raise reaching the same height as the first one.
Targeting Muscle Groups
Strength training exercises should target all your muscle groups: the front (quadriceps) and back (hamstrings) of thighs, glutes, calves, back, chest, abs and arms. The back and the calves are most commonly overlooked, but calf strength is important for overall health, balance and good for venous return. Back muscles are essential for good posture, balance and avoiding injury.
There are dozens of exercises that target each muscle group, but there are also many compound exercises that activate many groups at once:
The deadlift is arguably the most important exercise to do for overall body strength. It activates the glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, back, shoulders and core, plus the pelvic floor and your grip. It’s basically using two hands to lifting a heavy object off the floor, whether it’s a weight, a child, garden soil or kitty litter.
The overhead press, or lifting a weight overhead with both hands, is great for posture. It strengthens the upper back, chest, deltoids, biceps, and triceps and keeps vertical alignment in the spine.
The back squat, which involves squatting while holding a weight across the back of your shoulders, targets the thighs and glutes as well as shoulders and back. The variation called a split squat will also engage the calves and core muscles.
Getting Started
The safest and most effective way to undertake a strength training program is with a physical therapist or trainer who can show you the principles of alignment and make sure your biomechanics are correct. A physical therapist or trainer will assess your ability before you start loading weight. You might begin by lifting an empty box off the floor or just a dowel overhead.
Training is often done on three non-consecutive days of each week. You always want to wait 48 hours between workouts to give muscles recovery time.
Typically, exercises are done in three sets of eight to 10 reps each, with the weight or resistance calibrated to get you to fatigue within 10 reps. As you increase intensity, you may only be able to do six repetitions before you have to stop. As you get stronger, you’ll lift heavier and get to fatigue faster.
After a few sessions with a trainer, you may be ready to work out on your own, but it’s smart to check in with your pro regularly, especially if you’re stepping up the amount of weight you’re lifting. It’s normal to have muscle soreness after you work out, particularly in the lower body, but not so much in your low back area. Soreness should ease in a day, but if it lasts more than a couple of days, happens while you’re exercising, or turns to strain or pain, see your trainer to make sure your alignment is correct and that you’re not using too much weight.
Check in with Your Doctor
Most people can strength train with supervision and a customized program, but get your doctor’s okay first. Also, share your health history with your PT or trainer. For instance, if you’ve had pelvic floor surgery with a mesh insert, you may be limited in how much you can lift.
Some people who’ve had a spinal fracture are afraid to start strength training, but it’s even more important because if they don’t stimulate the bones above and below the fracture site, other bones are going to start to collapse. If you’ve had compression fractures in the thoracic spine, a PT that can guide you through a rehab program and carefully monitor your alignment.
