The Oft-Neglected Strength Training—Jan. 5

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January 5, 2025

Sunday SAGe Newsletter Volume 16: The Oft-Neglected Strength Training

Happy Sunday!

Here is this week’s installment of Sunday SAGe, an email communication that shares wellness inspiration from The Wellness Ethic to help people thrive during the coming week (and beyond!).

This week’s focus is on strength training, a vital component of a healthy exercise regimen that is often neglected by adults.

The Oft-Neglected Strength Training

An excerpt from The Wellness Ethic:

Most adults neglect regular strength exercises. However, incorporating them into your weekly routines can increase your metabolism, improve your strength and flexibility, reduce the risk of injury, improve bone health, and even help you live longer.

To bring science into the mix (because that’s what I do!), I’ll share a compelling study: A meta-analysis published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine showed that performing just thirty to sixty minutes of muscle strengthening activities per week was “associated with a 10–17% lower risk of all-cause mortality.”

What It Means

Strength training can consist of lifting barbells and kettlebells (or even water jugs), using your body weight as resistance (push-ups, pull-ups), doing chores such as chopping wood, exercising with resistance bands, or using advanced exercise equipment. Your routine can be straightforward if you want to attain the core health benefits of strength training, or it can be more involved if you are training for a sport, rehabbing, or striving for peak performance.

Consider these steps when starting a strength-building routine (in consultation with a fitness expert):

• Step 1: Set your objectives. Do you want to establish a basic routine or strive for more? Do you want to build muscle for strength, endurance, or both? Strength exercises involve fewer reps with more resistance; endurance exercises include more reps and less resistance.

• Step 2: Select your exercise location and equipment (if any). Do you want to get a gym membership or work out at home? Do you want to use barbells, kettlebells, resistance bands, free weights, or other equipment? What about using your body weight? You don’t need expensive equipment to achieve a great workout.

• Step 3: Design your workout session. Determine your exercises, resistance level, and reps —many free online routines exist. Your chosen exercises should cover your major muscle groups.

• Step 4: Establish your strength-building weekly routine. Typically, you should do strength exercises two or three times a week for at least twenty to thirty minutes a session, but your needs could vary from that norm. As you plan your schedule, include at least one off-day between sessions to give your muscles time to recover from the workout.

• Step 5: Determine your change adoption strategy. Do you want to set a reward to motivate yourself to adopt the strength-building habit? Or work out with a friend to boost accountability? Tracking an exercise streak on an app or a calendar is also effective.

Your Call to Action

As with most novel activities, keeping it simple initially helps you build a habit. When you start strength exercising, focus on getting your body used to the training. Don’t push yourself too far as you learn the proper form and understand your limitations. You’ll build up to more efficient and effective routines over time. The most important objective is to establish a safe exercise habit that stands the test of time.

Have a thriving week!