Strength Training – Why Bother?

By: Teri Schrader

Strength training has been around for a long time. But unfortunately, it has often been reserved for those muscle bulging, steroid popping, body building types. Not for the average Joe (or Josephine). Hey! No Longer! Strength Training is for everyone. Age, sex, athletic ability, etc. are no longer excuses for only concentrating on the aerobic side of the fitness equation. Let me give you some specific reasons why you - yes even you -should add a strength training component to your fitness program.

It’s Good for you! Here is the “technical” reason for Strength Training – the reason a coach or doctor might give.

Muscle strength is one of the most important factors to an athlete. Muscle strength provides the power behind every movement. In addition, it plays a role in protecting you from injury since stronger muscles provide increased joint stability.

O.K. while this is true, no one is going to do it just because “it’s good for you.” We almost never do anything just because it is good for us. So here are some real reasons why the average person should Strength Train:

1. You get to eat more! It’s true! The more muscle you have, the more you can eat.

• The reason is that muscle is active body tissue which requires calories (energy) simply to maintain it. Fat, on the other hand, is an efficient storage system which consumes very few calories. So an 180 pound muscular football player will burn more calories than a 180 pound flabby couch potato – even when he is just laying around on a lazy Sunday afternoon.
• It’s not your imagination – you really did used to be able to eat more when you were younger. What normally happens as you get older is that you loose muscle, simply as a part of the normal aging process. Muscle loss with aging is one of the reasons why it is easier to gain weight as you get older. You lose active body tissue and therefore, require fewer calories, even when you are resting. Who said life was fair? In addition, you tend to be less active as you get older. This reduces the number of calories needed on a daily basis and speeds up the muscle loss process. Kind of a double whammy!
• Here is another sad truth - even though you may be one of the enviable few whose weight is exactly the same as when you were in your 20’s and even though you have stayed active, chances are you still won’t be able to eat as much as when you were younger. The reason is that slowly over time you have been loosing muscle & gaining fat. This muscle loss and fat replacement sneaks up on you. But, before you know it, you are having to buy pants that are a size bigger around the waist. Here is the real test - check to see if you can still wear the same jeans you wore in your 20’s. On the other hand, maybe it is a good thing that you no longer fit into our bell bottoms.
• One way you can speed up our metabolism (how many calories you require each day – even when you are resting) and therefore our daily caloric requirement and therefore get to eat more - is to add muscle. A strength building program will do this for you. Remember muscle is active body tissue that requires calories to maintain it so the more muscle you have the more calories you require & the more you get to eat!

2. Help fight Osteoporosis.

· Osteoporosis, a skeletal disease characterized by low bone mass with a subsequent increase in bone fragility and susceptibility to fracture, affects 10 million Americans. By age 50, one of every four women and one of every eight men has osteoporosis. Strength training exercises can help prevent osteoporosis because it puts a positive stress on the bone, which leads to increased bone mass, while strengthening the muscles that support them, which can help prevent falls.

3. You will climb hills better!

· “Hill” – that four letter word that most cyclists over the age of 35 dread. Why? Hills are hard! You basically have two things working together to get you up the hill: your aerobic system (heart & lungs) and your muscle strength. Unfortunately, the work produced by our heart & lungs decreases as you get older. You’ve all probably tried to figure out your maximum heart rate at one time or another. A typical formula used for this is to take 220 (bpm) minus your age. What this says is that you loose 1 heart beat off of your maximum heart rate each year. This might not sound like much, but it adds up. Just think of how much better you would ride if you “got winded” at a heart rate of 170 bpm rather than 160 bpm.

· If you combine the loss in maximum heart rate with a decrease in leg strength – you’re really in trouble. The good news is that your legs don’t have to get weaker. In fact, your legs can even get stronger! You can offset a little of the affects of the aerobic decline by keeping your legs strong & relying a little more heavily on strength.

4. You’ll look better!

· Ah - vanity. Where would you be without it? Hey there is nothing wrong with wanting to look nice. Muscle strength will improve your appearance by giving your muscles more tone and definition even when you aren’t using them.

· Wouldn’t it be great if you could have the same muscle tone and appearance that you had 20 years ago? Wouldn’t it be great if our rear-end was in the same latitude that it used to be in? Strength training can make it possible. The sad thing is that most people just take it for granted that as you get older you will become weak & frail. This phenomena is more a factor of inactivity than age.

· Even if you can’t maintain the exact muscle tone you had in our 20’s, – you can significantly slow the decline in strength by undertaking a strength training program.

Now lets talk about some of the typical excuses people have for not strength training:

1. Bike riding keeps me strong enough.

• Bicycling is primarily an aerobic exercise & while it will certainly build some strength in your legs & rear, you’re primarily building muscle endurance rather than muscle strength. Even if you are a regular rider, your lower body will still get huge benefits from a strength training program. In addition, your upper-body & torso are, for the most part, neglected when riding. This can be a real problem since your day to day activities require strength in the upper body area. Whether you are lifting: groceries, kids, grandkids, or doing yard work, you need upper body strength. As an added benefit, this extra strength will help prevent those little & not so little aches & pains of aging. Not to mention osteoporosis.

2. I’m too old.

• Hog Wash! You’re never too old! (That’s not to say you shouldn’t check with your physician before beginning a program.) Adults of any age will get stronger with a strength training program. In fact, as we discussed earlier, it is even more important as you get older since you also tend to become less active which causes you to lose strength even faster.

3. I’m not into pain.

• O.K., it might hurt a little bit - if you really push it. In fact the goal of a strength training “set” is to go “to fatigue”. However that “Ouch!” you will feel if you really push your muscle “to fatigue” should be extremely brief. Soreness after a new exercise may appear within a few hours. But, within a few days, muscle soreness should gradually disappear. To avoid most of the pain, I strongly recommend you “take it easy” when you get started. After all, you’ve waited this long. So what if it takes a couple extra weeks to be able to bench press 250 pounds. It makes no more sense to do a “killer strength workout” your first time in the gym than it does to try and ride your bike 100 miles after a long layoff. You’re just asking for trouble.

• Muscle soreness can be minimized by gradually easing into the strengthening program. Strength training doesn’t have to be terribly painful. In fact, I’m sure most of you have experienced more far more pain and exhaustion riding your bike than you’re ever likely to encounter strength training.

3. I’ll get bulky.

• It is a common misconception, especially among women, that if you participate in a strength training program, you will end up with big bulky muscles. This simply isn’t true for the vast majority of people and especially women. There are however, many anatomical differences between and among women & men that will affect an individual’s ability to develop muscle strength and size.

• The most significant difference between a male’s & female’s likelihood of “getting bulky” is their level of testosterone. Testosterone is a hormone which affects the development of muscle. The higher the level of testosterone, the greater the potential for increasing both the muscle’s size and strength. The average male possesses a much higher level of testosterone than does the average female.

• Due to the fact that women possess lower levels of testosterone in their blood, their potential for increasing muscle size & strength is much lower than that of males. However, one study conducted on women athletes indicated that women can increase their muscular strength by 45% with no affect on the size of the muscle.

• Another determining factor in how big your muscles will get is the size of your muscle belly (the muscle minus the tendon that attaches it to your bone) and the muscle’s origin and insertion on the bone (where it attaches). Some people naturally have “shorter & wider” muscles to begin with; others, have muscles that tend to be long & lean. Those with the long/lean muscles will never get the same muscle growth as those with shorter/wider muscles.

• If you are one of those people who does get “bulky,” the simple solution is to stop increasing the amount of weight you lift once you’ve achieve the appearance you desire. Your muscles won’t continue to grow unless you continue to lift more weight and build more strength.

4. I tried it before & it didn’t work.

• If you tried it before and didn’t see any results, it is probably because you weren’t doing it correctly. I am constantly amazed at the number of people I see at the gym who lift weights, but never get stronger.

• The only way to get stronger is to “overload” the muscle. That is to cause the muscle to lift more weight than it is accustomed to. Once a weight becomes easy to lift, you have to add more weight in order to get stronger.

• Lifting a 2 pound dumbbell will do very little for the average person. The reason is that the average person is already strong enough to lift a 2 pound dumbbell. Even if you could lift the 2 pound dumbbell 100 times in a row, it won’t provide you with the muscle strength you need to lift a 20 pound dumbbell. In order to lift a 20 pound dumbbell, you must gradually increase the weight you lift from 2 pounds on up to 20. In other words, constantly overload the muscle.

5. I’ll lose flexibility or become “muscle bound”.

• “Muscle bound” is a term used to describe a muscular person who does not have adequate flexibility or movement. We’ve all seen the body builder who walks around like a gorilla. Often times most of the massiveness of these “muscle bound” types is in the form of fat.

• Another reason why someone might lose flexibility when they strength train is that they don’t “work both sides of the muscle evenly.” This mostly happens when a lot of effort is put into strengthening the pectorals (chest muscles), but little effort is put into working the lats (back muscles). The result is the appearance of always carrying your arms somewhat in front of your body.

• Research supports the theory that a well organized strength training program can enhance both muscle size and strength without adversely affecting an individual’s coordination, agility, mobility, and flexibility. In fact, many of the strength training machines that are currently being used in health clubs actually provide a stretch to the muscle during some part of the lift.

6. It will slow me down.

• Many coaches & athletes believe that an increase in the size and strength of a muscle will result in slower movements when performing a particular athletic skill. Actually, just the opposite takes place. The speed at which you can perform a particular movement will be enhanced tremendously by increasing your strength levels. The speed of a body movement is dependent on 2 factors: the strength of the muscles that are actually involved when performing a specific skill & your capacity to “recruit” muscle fibers while performing the movement (neurological efficiency). Strength training helps in both of these factors.

7. I don’t have time.

• The length of each strength training workout that an individual undertakes is a constant source of disagreement among lifters. It has long been the American way that the more I do, the better I will become. While this may be true for many activities, it cannot be said for strength training. To dispel this myth, observe what occurs during the typical two hour strength training workout. You will see that a good deal of the workout is spent talking, changing weights, and allowing too much time between actual lifts.

• In 1975, a study was conducted at the US Military Academy to examine the consequences of a short duration, high intensity strength training program. The results from the study showed that maximum strength gains can be produced by performing only 3 workouts per week with each workout consuming less than 20 minutes! It is important to remember that when strength training you should focus on quality, not quantity.

8. I used to weight train, but then I quit I got fat.

· It is a common misconception among athletes that muscle when no longer stimulated through exercise will transform into fat. If you were to chemically analyze fat & muscle, you would discover that muscle and fat both contain varying amounts of water, protein and fat substances. However, when a muscle is exercised, it will contract and produce movement, whereas fat will not contract and is usually stored in the body as a source of fuel. It is physiologically and chemically impossible to convert muscle to fat and vise-versa.

· A simple explanation for what takes place can be illustrated by observing the ex-athlete’s pattern of exercise and caloric intake. When an athlete stops exercising his/her muscles – they begin to atrophy (get smaller). At the same time, that athlete will continue to consume the same amount of calories. With the athlete consuming more calories than are needed to maintain his/her energy demands, the excess is then stored in the body as additional fat. If an athlete becomes fat after terminating a strength training program, it is due to caloric imbalance (eating more than expending) and not muscle transforming to fat.

O.K. You convinced me. So how do you do it?

First, a little Muscle Physiology! (boring…..)

Muscle Fibers. A muscle is composed of thousands of muscle fibers. The number of muscle fibers in a person’s muscle group is probably established during the embryo stage of development. This means that when the strength and mass of a muscle is increased, the number of muscle fibers remains the same. The increase in size & strength of the muscle takes place by increasing the cross-sectional width of the existing muscle fibers. Since new fibers cannot be added, the more muscle fibers you are born with, the greater will be your potential for gaining muscle strength & mass. In other words – you don’t grow more muscles. What happens is that the muscle fibers you already have get fatter and/or you get better at recruiting (using) the fibers.

Muscle fiber recruitment. Throughout the muscle are thousands of motor units. These motor units receive messages from the central nervous system (“CNS”) & then release a signal to a group of muscle fibers which then forces them to contract (shorten).

Each motor unit is attached to several hundred muscle fibers. When a particular motor unit is fired (receives its message from the CNS), all of the muscle fibers attached to the motor unit will contract. This is known as the “all or nothing principal”. In other words, a muscle fiber doesn’t contract in percentages, or just a little bit. It always contracts 100%.

Here’s an example of how this works: say each motor unit is attached to 100 muscle fibers and you need 1000 muscle fibers to contract in order to lift a 50 pound weight. You’re CNS sends out the message to 10 motor units (10x100=1000) and you are able to lift the weight. If on the other hand, if you only need to lift 25 pounds, the CNS will only activate 5 motor units.

The greater number of motor units you can recruit, the greater number of muscle fibers you will have available for exercise. The recruitment of muscle fibers via the CNS is known as neuromuscular efficiency. All other things being equal, the person with the greatest neuromuscular efficiency will be able to lift the most weight. That’s how you can get stronger without necessarily getting bigger muscles. You simply get better at getting your muscle fibers to contract.

There is a reason why I’ve bored you will this muscle physiology. It’s so you’ll understand the basics of how to structure your strength training program. In addition to the information I’ve provided, I strongly suggest you consult an exercise professional at one of your local health clubs or one of the many excellent written resources on strength training. For this series of articles, I have relied heavily on: Strength Training by the Experts, by Daniel P. Riley.

Strength Training Basics

1. Select exercises that involve large muscle groups throughout a great range of movement.

o If the lift you perform is less than full range, then the entire length of the muscle is not involved in the work and therefore won’t get stronger.

o Exercises should be selected that involve the greatest range of movement of the major muscle groups. Athletes should develop strength generally in all major muscle groups. This general strength can then be used to improve any specific ability that requires the contraction and extension of the strengthened muscle. In other words, you don’t have to find a strength training exercise that mimics the movement your legs make when you bicycle in order improve your strength for cycling.

2. Stress correct form; avoid fast jerky movements.

· Keep the lift smooth. No jerky movements. When a weight is jerked or thrown, a large amount of force is directed on the muscles and joints. This is both dangerous and unproductive.

3. Raise the weight to the count of two – lower the weight slowly and evenly.

· Take your time when performing a lift. Evidence has shown that optimum strength gains occur when the exercise is between 40 and 70 seconds in duration. So for example, if you perform 10 repetitions, each repetition should take from 4 to 7 seconds.

4. Perform only one set of 8 to 12 repetitions in all exercises.

· In general, the best results occur if repetitions are kept in the 8-12 range. If you perform less than 6 repetitions of a strengthening exercise, little challenge will be place on your reserve ability. Conversely, if you perform over 15 repetitions, you will probably fail from lack of oxygen, rather than from having reached a point of actual muscular failure.

5. Continue each exercise until no additional repetitions are possible. (to fatigue)

· Work your muscle “to fatigue”. Never terminate a set (your group of 8-12 repetitions of a single exercise = 1 set) simply because a certain number of repetitions have been completed. A set is properly completed only when it is impossible to perform another movement (repetition or lift).

· When you can perform 12 repetitions (in good form – no cheating!) that is the signal to increase the resistance in your next workout. Increase the weight gradually, a little bit at a time. Remember, don’t rush it.

6. Attempt to increase repetitions or weight whenever possible.

· Strength training must be progressive; you should constantly and gradually attempt to increase the repetitions or resistance in every workout. Strength cannot be increased by the mere repetition of things that are already easy. You must constantly attempt the momentarily impossible. Attempting the momentarily impossible causes the body to resort to its reserve ability. Causing the body to use its reserve ability stimulates the muscle to get stronger.

· Keep track of the amount of weight you lift and the number of repetitions performed during your workout. If you have performed at least 12 repetitions without cheating, make sure you lift a slightly heavier weight during your next workout.

7. Work the largest muscles first.

8. An entire workout should include a maximum of 12 different exercises.

9. Train no more than three times per week. During the “off season,” (when you’re not riding real hard) your goal should be to strength train three days per week. However, during the season (if you are “in training” for a bicycling season”), at least one high-intensity workout a week will maintain the strength developed during the off season.

When it comes time to decide which exercises (lifts) to include in your strength training program, seek to work the body’s major muscles. The table below offers some general suggestions.

Suggested Exercises for Major Muscles by Equipment Type
Major Muscle	Barbell/Dumbbell	Exercise Machine
Buttocks/lower back	Squat	Leg press
		Hip & back
Quadriceps	Squat	Leg extension
		Leg press
Hamstrings	Squat	Leg curl
		Leg Press
Calves	Calf raise	Toe press
		Leg press
Latissimus dorsi	Bent-over rowing	Lat machine
Trapezius	Shoulder shrug	Shoulder shrug
		Neck and shoulder
Deltiods	Side raise	Seated press
		Shoulder
Pectoralis	Bench press	Bench press
Bicep	Bicep curl	Bicep curl
Tricep	Tricep extension	Tricep machine
		Lat machine
Abdominals	Sit-ups	Abdominal machine

Now you know why to do it and how to do it (sort of) and you are motivated (sort of) - what is the next step?

· Even if you have some old dumbbells sitting in your garage, I suggest you try joining a health club for a couple of months. These clubs provide a wide range of equipment and an atmosphere that most people find conducive to working out. A health club should also have some trained personal available to answer some of your questions and help you become familiar with the equipment. Don’t be intimidated; everyone was a beginner once.

· Ease into your program gradually. It if hurts, you won’t do it. Maintaining your muscle strength is something you should do for the rest of your life!

· Enlist the help of a friend to be your workout buddy. Just like with bicycling, strength training with a friend makes it more fun and can help keep you motivated.

Good Luck! Let me know how it is working for you & wave as you pass your friends on the uphill!