Since humasn first existed, physical strength has been crucial in our survival. However with the constant change in society and evolution of humanity, physical strength has become less of a focal point to the moderm-day lifestyle that typically involves a sedentary way of living. Strength used to be the factor that determined if a person could hunt for food, build shelter and stay alive. Put simply a person had to be physically strong in order to stay alive.
Thankfully modern life is far easier to survive than what our ancestor had to deal with, but there can be no dooubt that there is room for improvement when it comes to our health and ensuring that physical exercise becomes a way of everyday life. Strenght training is an excellent way to achieve this using the basis of progressive overload.
WHAT IS PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD?
There is a tale from the 6th century that helps illustrate the concept of progressive overload. It involves a wrestler called Milo. One day a calf was born near his home and he hoisted it onto his shoulders. He did this every day, so as the calf grew in size, so did Milo's strength and abitlity to withstand the amount of wewight on his shoulders. In the end, he wasn't lifting a calf onto his shoulders, but a fully grown bull!
Progressive overload is a method of strength training that advocates for the gradual increase of the stress placed upon the musculoskeletal and nervous system. It is the single most important component of anyone's training programme.
WHERE TO START WITH STRENGTH TRAINING
For years resistance training has been categorised in isolation by looing at the area they target: 'biceps', 'triceps','shoulders', and so on. However pioneering work from Professor Yuri Verkhoshansky and Dr michael Yessis accelerated the use of strength and conditioning both for athletes and the day-to-day individual seeking a better performance.
FUNDAMENTAL MOVEMENT PATTERNS
To optimise human movement and behaviour, we simply nee to be able to perform basic patterns efficiently well. These have been categorised and defined as fundamental to everyday life.
In the gym we may know them as a deadlift or a squat, but in everyday life they transfer to picking something up off the floor or squatting down to pick up our children.
Incorporating strength training into your life brings so many benefits, some of which we examine below:
1. IT AFFECTS LIBIDO AND HORMONES
To date, there is nothing from natural sources that will have a greater effect on testosterones in males as lifting weights. The body sends a rapid signal to the brain that initiates the release of hormones. This then releases testosterone. As for women, resistance training is key in balancing progesterone to oestrogen hormones.
2. SHARPENS YOUR MIND
Adding resistance training to your lifestyle will accelerate your brain response, giving better memory recall, increasing the ability to learn and finally bring a cleaner picture to your life.
Another considerable benefit that you will gain from strength training is proprioception (perception or awareness of the position and movement of the body). With strenght training being so versatile in routine, order and selection, you can adapt the exercise you use to continuously challenge the body and brain with the law progressive overload.
3. BOOSTS YOUR METABOLISM & FAT LOSS
Strength training plays an integral part when it comes to burning body fat and also increasing muscle size strength. Your metabolism gets a healthy boost from strength training because of the cellular response the body receives. If you are increasing your activity level, you will be improving the rate at which your metabolism burns calories throughout the day as a resul of the increaed muscle percentage it produces.
Resitance-based training should feature in every individual's weekly training regime with a mixture of compound strength exercise. Mix the focus on lower body and upper strengthening in order to get a fully comprehensive programme.
4. IMPROVES IMMUNITY
Staying healthy plays an integral role in fighting off illness and disease. When our bodies are healthy our muscles are more sensitive to insulin and utilising the foods we eat. If we are fuelling the body with wholefood choices as opposed to processed options, it increases our changes of avoiding illnesses. Alongside this, when our bodies are healthier and stronger, it means that we are more equipped against long-term wear and tear such as osteoporosis, which refers to the deteriration of bones.
5. SELF ACHIEVEMENT
There is no better feeling than the sense of achievement after a training session. Completing something uncomfortable or getting up early for your training improves a capacity for physical and mental boundaries. Our honest work and commitment in the gym can transfer into everyday life. Anything in life worth working for often requires consistency in order to see the results. The same goes for physical fitness. It is the consistency of adhering to a training programme or principle that sets our foundation for long-term progress.
6. ENHANCES THE SKELETAL SYSTEM AND IMPROVES MOBILITY
Strength training can improve the structure of bones by increasing protein molecules that in turn strengthen the outer surface of bones. Exercise movement patterns that require the body to be put under lenghtened tension have been prove to increase the body's range of movement. That being said, the old system of static stretching prior the exercise in a method that is no longer suitable to optimise efficient lifting and should be considered as a form of recovery exercise.
7. IMPROVES YOUR MOOD
Undertaking resistance training has been shown to have a postive impact on people's physical and mental wellbeing. When we exercise it stimulates the production of endorphins (chemicals in the brain). The release of these chemicals stimulates the production of dopamine and serotonin, which are transmitters that benefit our mental and physical wellbeing. Taking regular exercise also can help with balancing the stress hormone known as adrenaline. This hormone plays a cruial role in controlling the body's fight or flight response.
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