what is strength training

Simply put, it refers to all training that stimulates the muscles, bones and nervous system by resisting external resistance to achieve the goal of improving muscle strength, endurance, circumference or sports performance. The essence is resistance training in the category of kinesiology. To put it bluntly, it is to upgrade our body’s own muscle “power source”.

You see the old man throwing rock locks in the park, the guy at the gym deadlifting the barbell, the mother doing kneeling push-ups while spending time with her baby at home, and the elastic band ankle pump practiced by post-operative rehabilitation patients. In fact, they all belong to the category of strength training. Many people have disagreements on this concept. Some people think that only bodybuilding and weightlifting training that involves heavy weights and building muscle mass can be considered "serious" strength training. Others believe that as long as it conforms to resistance logic, even sitting on a chair and raising your legs to train your quadriceps can be considered "serious" strength training. In fact, the controversy itself is unnecessary. Strength training is designed to adapt to different needs, and there has never been a unified "standard answer."

I have a friend who has been running marathons for five years. I always thought strength training was useless. I thought it was purely something that only people who wanted to build bigger bodies needed. It wasn’t until I quit the race that my inner knees hurt when I ran long distances twice in a row, and I went to do sports rehabilitation. Then the team doctor forced me to add single-leg deadlifts and Bulgarian split squats twice a week. Every time he practiced, his legs were so sore that he struggled to walk down the stairs. However, within two months of training, his pace had not only stabilized a lot, but the knee pain that had always occurred when running a half-marathon no longer came to him. He couldn't build exaggerated muscle mass with the amount of training. It was just to improve the stability of the joints during running. This was also a real strength training.

Many girls are afraid of growing exaggerated muscles when they hear about strength training. How can it be that easy? Women’s natural testosterone secretion is only about one-twentieth of men. Unless you deliberately supplement exogenous hormones and eat enough excess calories according to bodybuilding standards every day, otherwise you will not be able to train It has been difficult for several years to grow into the "King Kong Barbie" figure mentioned on the Internet. Instead, I can increase my basal metabolism by increasing my muscle mass. Occasionally eating more hot pot milk tea will not make me gain weight. I usually carry a 20-inch suitcase to catch the high-speed train, and carry my baby for two hours to go shopping. It is much easier than my peers.

Some people may ask, do the weight-bearing squats and dumbbell exercises I usually do following fitness live broadcasts count? If you consciously control the target muscles to exert force when doing it, and you can feel the muscle soreness and tightness after each set, then of course it counts. If you are swaying during the whole stroke and the movements are all based on inertia, then it can at most be considered a part of aerobics.

In fact, there is no need for ordinary enthusiasts to worry about whether the concept is "orthodox". As long as they can find resistance movements that suit their needs, gradually increase the amount, and leave enough rest time for the muscles after the exercise, it will reduce back pain in your life and reduce the risk of injury during exercise. This strength training is done correctly.