It goes without saying that strength training inevitably attracts the attention of people engaged in sports activities. In general, it may be defined as the performance of specific physical exercises in order to improve endurance and muscular strength. At the same time, strength training is frequently regarded as a negative practice. A substantial number of women fear that they will become too muscular, and some men do not want to be associated with bodybuilders. However, there are various types of strength training, and not all of them, when properly performed, imply excessive muscle building. At the same time, strength training has multiple significant advantages for a person’s physical and mental health. It is a beneficial and rewarding hobby as it promotes weight loss, increases muscle and ligament strength, bone density, and metabolism, improves balance, joint and cardiac function, protects muscle mass, and provides psychological benefits.
Despite its supposed focus only on muscle building and endurance, strength training is highly essential for weight loss as well. In general, modern society may be characterized by the insufficient performance of physical activity. The result of people’s inactive lifestyle is overweight and obesity. However, despite the fact that obesity may be visually observed and recorded, the correlation between fat weight and muscle weight may remain unclear. The common mistake made by the majority of people during fat loss is their particular attention to dieting and cardio, or aerobic exercises, exclusively. They do not realize the significance of muscular training and resort to cardio as it is regarded as a simple practice on the basis of activity. In other words, they believe that the more a person runs, the more weight he or she loses due to burnt calories and the creation of caloric deficiency. However, individuals do not consider an essential fact concerning the outcomes of aerobic exercises – they burn not only fat but valuable muscles as well. Unhealthy amounts of fat that may exist even if the person’s body is visually slim may lead to multiple health problems.
At the same time, strength training leads to the improvement of lean muscle mass if it is performed properly and regularly. In addition, according to Suchomel et al. (2018), the program of strength training that combines light and heavy loads may substantively increase strength and give a boost to other strength-power characteristics. Another positive result of strength training is the considerable improvement of time-limited and maximal force expression.
Strength training may be highly beneficial not only for healthy people but for individuals who suffer from chronic diseases in order to alleviate symptoms. For instance, according to Bossers et al. (2015), “a combination of aerobic and strength training is more effective than aerobic-only training in slowing cognitive and motor decline in patients with dementia” (p. 1106). Another research of Salles et al. (2015) was dedicated to the examination of strength training’s impact on the proprioception of patients with shoulder instability after injury. The results of this study demonstrate that strength training produced a considerable improvement in joint position sense and the sensitivity of muscle spindles that led to “better neuromuscular control in the shoulder” (Salles et al, 2015, p. 277). One more research dedicated to the advantages of strength training focuses on its effect on chronic low back pain (Chang et al., 2015). According to its findings, “core strength training is more effective than typical resistance training for alleviating chronic low back pain” (Chang et al., 2015, p. 619). In general, muscle tissue is substantially flexible, and its loss is reversible due to properly designed physical activity.
In addition, there are several unobvious, though significant, advantages of strength training in addition to the improvement of health conditions. First of all, it gives a considerable boost to self-confidence. When people are thoroughly involved in strength training, they traditionally have a certain personal program designed for their physical development. When people subsequently realize that they become professional and stronger, achieve results, and develop a complete mastery, they feel confident and proud of themselves. They feel that they can achieve everything they want in their lives. They frequently stop being obsessed with weight loss as strength training helps to shift a person’s perspectives, change priorities, and focus on more essential goals. Strength training performed at the end of a difficult day helps to release stress and forget about problems. Moreover, strength training has a positive impact on a person’s cognitive thinking and help to complete analytic tasks more effectively.
Strength training is available not only for adults but for children as well. However, children’s approach to muscle training frequently suffers “from reliance on misguided notions claiming them as being ineffective and more conducive to injuries than in adults” (Falk & Dotan, 2019, p. 515). Nevertheless, children’s response is reportedly “similar to that in adults, although they don’t gain as much muscle mass” (Falk & Dotan, 2019, p. 515). In addition, under the supervision and proper guidance, strength training is highly beneficial as it improves metabolism and mental health, contributes to the prevention of diabetes and obesity, stimulates self-esteem, and brings positive emotions.
References
Bossers, W. J. R., van der Woude, L. H. V., Boersma, F., Hortobágyi, T., Scherder, E. J. A., & van Heuvelen, M. J. G. (2015). A 9-week aerobic and strength training program improves cognitive and motor function in patients with dementia: A randomized, controlled trial. The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 23(11), 1106-1116.
Chang, W., Lin, H., & Lai, P. (2015). Core strength training for patients with chronic low back pain. Journal of Physical Therapy Science, 27(3), 619-622.
Falk, B., & Dotan, R. (2019). Strength training in children. Harefuah, 158(8), 515-519.
Salles, J. I., Velasques, B., Cossich, V., Nicoliche, E., Ribeiro, P., Amaral, M. V., & Motta, G. (2015). Strength training and shoulder proprioception. Journal of Athletic Training, 50(3), 277-280.
Suchomel, T. J., Nimphius, S., Bellon, C. R., & Stone, M. H. (2018). The importance of muscular strength: Training considerations. Sports Medicine, 48, 765-785.