Why Strength Training is Crucial
I used to be a cardio bunny - until I learned that your health also depends on strength training.
When I first started exercising I was set on only doing cardio. I would take my mom’s step classes and play sports, then in college it was running, elliptical, Stairmaster and any cardio machine that looked interesting. After college, I ran a ton of road races, did triathlons, and taught indoor cycling.
The weight room simply never appealed to me at the time.
Then one day I tried a weightlifting class at my gym and I loved it! The soreness that came along with weighted lunges was like nothing I had ever felt before and the body changes were evident immediately.
BUT why is strength training important? Can you just do the recommended 150 minutes of moderate/high intensity exercise per week as cardio? NO!
The reason you need to incorporate strength training is for bone health.
Studies have shown that the maintenance of adequate bone health depends on a regular physical activity, specifically weight-bearing or strength exercises. I could go into the details about how strength training exercises produce stress on your bones which then increases calcium deposition and makes your bones denser and stronger, but blah, blah, blah, that is not what you want to know. You want to know what strength exercises I do so here you go -
my 5 strength training exercises that I do at least once per week:
Squats - Barbell, Dumbbell, weighted vest - use something to add weight to your body and try to add a little more weight each time you do them.
Lunges - Lots of variations here too, put a barbell on your back, hold dumbbells, put a weight overhead, walk, stand in place - mix it up!
Pull-ups - If you can do 20 or 0.5, just do what you can and try to get better.
Shoulder Press - push heavy stuff above your head and focus on using your shoulder muscles and not your legs.
Deadlifts - Pick up heavy things and put them down.
What am I missing?? What strength exercises do you incorporate in your weekly routine?