The power of strength
I went to a Halloween party last week and the topic of going to the gym came up. Someone said they didn’t want to go to the gym as they didn’t want to get “bulky”. I have heard this before from women but this is the first time I heard a man say it. So I thought it was time to put out some science based research on why you should do some strength training at least once next week wether you are male, female, aged 18 or 80.
First, let’s address the “bulky” myth. To get bulky you need three things. Genes. Your genetics are going to have a say on your body type and those who have bodies that are more inclined to bulk up are probably less than 1% of the population.
Secondly you need to eat in a certain way, making sure you have a calories surplus. You need to put in years of work! You won’t get bulky in a few months. Those that are bulky probably go to the gym 5 times a week AND do specific exercises to bulk up.
Finally you need to have a good level of testosterone, so for women to get bulky it will take even longer. You won’t wake up one day and wonder why you look like Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Once you have past the age of 30 you will naturally lose 3-5% of your muscle every decade. Yet you don’t often see people lose weight as they get older. Muscle need calories. So the more muscle you have the the more calories you can have without gaining weight. So the opposite is also true. The less muscle the less calories you can consume without gaining weight.
Strength training should improve the quality of your life and help you with your daily tasks such as walking up stairs, getting out of a chair and carrying your shopping. Strength training doesn’t have to be about building muscle to look good, it can be about having muscles that can support a long and healthy life, that can reduce injury, falls and make your bones stronger!
All the equipment in the gym can be extremely confusing which makes it even more confusing to know what exercise to do. My advice is to get a personal trainer if you can afford one. This doesn’t have to be forever, you could just get one to work with you for a few weeks to explain exercises and set goals. Get them to explain the benefit of each exercise and why you should do it.
The second option is to get a structured program (ideally anywhere between 8 and 24 weeks) from a reputable source (could be a website, book or magazine) that is appropriate for you current level of health and fitness. If you can, check out reviews and ask questions about the program. When you do an exercise make sure you are doing it in the correct way. So if you don’t have a personal trainer, ask a member of staff at the gym who is more than likely to be happy to help you.
Set a goal for what you want to achieve. Do you want to be able to walk up stairs easier, run better or have less aches and pains? Finally, enjoy it! If you don’t enjoy it you are less likely to stick to it. Exercising should be fun as well as functional so find something that suits you!
