Why strength training matters
Keeping our muscles in shape so that they stay strong is vital to overall health and appearance.
Muscles produce movement. They do this by pulling on our bones like levers. When a muscle shortens it pulls one bone closer to another giving us movement in that particular joint. The effect is rather like a marionette puppet where the strings (like muscles) make the puppet move. As our muscles can only pull on a joint (they do not push) we use opposing muscles to pull a joint to contract than we do to pull a joint to extend. For example, pulling (or contracting) your bicep muscle raises your hand to your shoulder and bends your arm at the elbow joint. To re-extend the arm it is the tricep (or opposing muscle) that pulls (contracts) to extend our arm out again. So without muscles we would have no movement, and without movement we would have a very inanimate life, a key reason to keep those muscles trained and strong.
Muscles maintain posture. This is huge. Back pain involves dull or continuous pain in the lumbar region (or lower back) and is the most common cause of disability and time lost from work for people 18-65 years of age, affecting over 80 per cent of the population at some stage in their life.
Our muscles maintain the normal alignment and postural position of our bodies. We use a special type of muscle contraction called ‘tonic contraction’ that enables us to maintain our body position. A tonic contraction is only a few muscle fibres that tighten (or shorten) at one time, they don’t produce any movement of our body parts, but they are critical in maintaining our muscle tone and our posture. When we are standing and/or sitting our muscles are always in this contracted state holding everything in the body in place, keeping us upright and aligned. Remember, good posture reduces strain on all other muscles, our tendons, our ligaments and our bones, not to mention assisting our internal organs in protection and ease of function. So well-trained muscles via strength training help you stand straight and strong without pain, reduce fatigue and protect against structural and postural abnormalities.
Muscles produce heat. The energy production that occurs within our muscles creates a by-product: heat. This production is fundamental in warming the body. This is why we shiver when we are cold, as the movement produces heat to warm us. In fact, the contraction of our muscle fibres produces most of the heat required to maintain our normal body temperature. By training our muscles we generate more heat and that helps keep our bodies warm. It also quickens our metabolism which in turn keeps our bodies toned and tight and assists blood flow for greater body and mind function. In short, strong muscles mean good body function.
As important as all of the above is, there are still further benefits to strength training.
It changes your body shape and helps you control your weight. It increases your strength and your bone mineral density or bone strength (essential for slowing down the ageing process and imperative for the elderly). Strength training enhances your functional strength (like lifting luggage, bending down, walking up stairs) and increases your joint stability and strength. It increases your metabolic rate (you burn more calories even at rest) and your energy expenditure (far more stamina). It enhances sexual and/or sporting performance and decreases your risk of injury. Strength training decreases the risk of degenerative diseases like arthritis, and it helps reduce blood pressure and the risk of diabetes. It improves your mood, your look and, of course, it enhances your self-esteem.
This is quite a list. As we can see, training our muscles is key to not only looking good and feeling great, but also and more importantly to the fundamental function of our bodies. It is just as important for men and women, and indeed the elderly, to strength train in some form. So get to your local gym and find out a good programme for you and your muscles. Strength training can be adopted at many levels of weight and intensity for all levels of fitness.
One thing is sure, strength training will improve your sense of wellbeing and quality of life, and we can all do with increasing that.
