"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet"…and for todays rose, ladies and gentleman, we will be talking about resistance training, aka weight training, aka lifting weights, aka strength training, aka making gainz (as its known to generation z).
While traditionally reserved for circus strongmen with fantastic moustaches, resistance training has become a mainstay of healthcare for people of ALL ages (yep, that means you too grandma).
A 2017 British Journal of Sports Medicine article, titled “Resistance training – an underutilised drug available in everybody’s medicine cabinet”, investigating function in the elderly, put it perfectly when they posed the following question:
“If I told you there was a medicine that you or a loved one could take, and it could make either of you strong enough to now get out of a chair, would you take it?”
This medicine is resistance training.
Resistance training challenges your body’s systems to overcome increases in load (ie. weights), and with appropriate physiological stress and time to adapt. Resistance training has been shown to have beneficial effects on sarcopenia (loss of skeletal muscles), osteopenia (loss of bone density), degenerative diseases, and promote quality of life for sufferers of a broad range of conditions.
Additional benefits of resistance training can include;
· Weight reduction
· Increased muscle mass
· Improved strength levels
· Improve movement function and daily task performance
· Looking better in your speedos/bikini come summer (and thereby improvements in self-confidence!)
The Australian Department of Health currently recommends strength training 2 days per week – and this is a great place to begin.
To start with – keep it simple with some basic movements, for example, the 5 basic movement patterns I like:
Day 1:
Squat movement - Sit to stand, 3 sets, 10 reps
Horizontal Press - Wall push up, 3 sets, 10 reps
Horizontal Row - Cable row, 3 sets 10 reps
Day 2:
Hinge movement - Kettlebell waiters bow, 3 sets, 10 reps
Vertical press - Dumbbell overhead press, 3 sets, 10 reps
Vertical Row - Band pulldowns, 3 sets, 10 reps
And from here – we simply progressively overload (i.e. add a little more resistance each week) and continue!
Please note: You should consult your chosen health professional prior to commencing resistance training.
If you’re looking to get into some resistance training and finding yourself a little lost, get in touch with one of the Retrain Health osteopaths and start improving today!
Retrain Health is based in the Northern Rivers, NSW. From our Byron Bay and Ballina clinics, our team provides a range of quality healthcare services and products.
Retrain Health offers osteopathy, remedial massage, strength and conditioning, and PT sessions with qualified practitioners.
If you are interested in finding out more information or would like to book an appointment, please contact the clinic by phone (02) 6680 7447, send us an email or click here to book an appointment online.