What is strength training

Essentially, it is a training mode that causes benign micro-injury in muscles by resisting external resistance (body weight, dumbbells, barbells, elastic bands and even mineral water bottles filled with water), and then achieves muscle mass growth and strength improvement through subsequent repair. It can be regarded as the basis of all sports.

Don’t be dissuaded by those pictures in the gym of lifting big iron plates and practicing until the veins bulge. It is not exclusive to muscle lovers at all. It is hidden in many small details of life. Last week, I helped my mother, who has a bad back, adjust a home exercise program. I didn’t let her use any professional equipment. I just took two 500ml mineral water bottles filled with water and did a set of 12 arm curls every day. I also did a few sets of seated leg raises while sitting on the sofa to catch up on dramas. It only took less than a month to practice. The last time she went to the supermarket, she carried 10 pounds of rice up to the fifth floor without resting. Before climbing to the third floor, she had to hold on to the railing to catch her breath for a long time.

Of course, there are different opinions on the definition of it in the fitness circle. Many friends who practice powerlifting all year round will think that only training with low reps and heavy weight, aimed at improving absolute strength and hitting 1RM (that is, the maximum weight that can be lifted in a single rep) can be called real strength training. Those exercises that use light weight for twenty or thirty times can at most be regarded as muscle endurance training. This statement actually makes sense. After all, both The training logic and adaptability of the group are indeed different: if you are preparing for a competition and want to achieve results, you will naturally have to follow the standard rest time between powerlifting sets and hit the maximum weight regularly. If you just want to improve the rounded shoulders and lumbar protrusions caused by sitting for a long time, or if you can support your shoulders to look better when wearing a T-shirt, then use 2kg small dumbbells to slowly develop a sense of force. It is still effective strength training, and there is no need to worry about whether it is "standard enough".

To be honest, there is no need to think too deeply about it. Even if you do 15 kneeling push-ups every day before going to bed, and climb a few flights of stairs instead of taking the elevator two days a week at work, as long as you consciously let your muscles work against resistance, you are doing strength training. If you compare your body to a car that has been driven for several years, strength training is equivalent to regularly tightening the screws and replacing parts with more wear resistance. If you persist for a long time, you can clearly feel that the whole person's condition is "tight", and you will not feel tired even if you move casually. It is more effective than drinking many health products.