Why Do I Need Strength Training?

One of the beautiful things about strength training is that you can reap the rewards in a plethora of ways. As a means to becoming fitter it is one of the most malleable forms of training and can fit into almost anyone’s daily or weekly schedule. Time is often seen as the most common barrier to exercise, it’s a misconception that if you can’t train multiple time a week then you can’t make progress, which simply isn’t true.

You can get results and improvements in strength from training anywhere from 1-6 sessions a week. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends 2-3 x week for beginners and up to 6 x week for more experienced trainers. A major caveat to this is ‘it depends on your programming’!

It is possible to lift/resistance train multiple times a week if you have prepared properly and get your programming and intensity correct. This doesn’t have to require an excel spread sheet dictating your % for the next 6 weeks, but it does require some experience.

Therefore if you are new to strength training it would be worth while getting some tuition from an experienced Personal Trainer or Strength and Conditioning Coach.

Another wonderful aspect of strength training is simple apparatus can be used to make improvements. In a world that consistently increases in complexity, it is liberating that simple things still prevail. Whatever method or equipment you use be it your own body weight or dumbbells, barbells, machines....the variety can keep you interested and the immediate concrete results will keep you motivated.

You are stronger when you have lifted more weight or performed more reps, few other forms of exercise give you such a clear return on investment as resistance training, in such a short period of time.

No excuses, just get it done.

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Alex Graham

Anytime Leisure Expert Trainer