Mention "strength training" and many people immediately get a mental picture of some oiled up, muscle-bound man or woman flexing their arms and showing off their biceps.  Most people immediately say, "That's not for me."  That's OK. Training for the Olympics is not what this section is about.

However, before you completely dismiss the idea of strength training as something that's only for men, or only for young people, or only for skinny people, think again.  You use muscle strength in all sorts of routine tasks, from unscrewing a bottle cap to lifting up your kids or grand kids.  Strength training is the last side of the Fitness Triangle and like Cardio and Flexibility training, it's something that cannot be left out of a balanced fitness program.   

Like the other types of exercises, building and maintaining your strength has many benefits that directly affect your ability to do everyday things at work and at home. 

• Increased Muscle Strength and Tone.  Every time you perform any kind of motion that involves pushing, pulling, or lifting, you're using muscle strength.  People with little or no muscle strength literally cannot pull themselves out of bed or perform any of the normal everyday actions that are part of an active life.  Strength training also improves muscle tone making you look better, younger, and more fit.

• Increased Bone Strength.  Strength training not only builds muscle strength, it also builds bone strength - an important benefit for women and people over the age of 50.  Stronger bones are less likely to fracture or break and are better able to resist the effects of diseases like osteoporosis.

• Weight Control.  Building muscle through strength training can help control your weight by increasing your metabolic rate - the rate at which your body burns calories.  This is because muscle tissue burns calories at a higher rate than other types of tissue.  Strength training can increase your metabolic rate by as much as 15%.

• Fall Protection & Ability to Get Up if You do Fall.  Many people live in deathly fear of falling.  First, they're afraid that if they fall, they'll fracture or break something and second, they're afraid that if they fall, they won't have the strength to pull themselves up or to summon help.  Strength training improves your sense of movement and balance making falls less likely while strong muscles and bones are better able to absorb the shock of a fall without serious injury.

• Increased Energy & Better Circulation.  Building muscle tends to create a corresponding improvement in your cardiovascular system.  This results in improved circulation to all the other parts of your body.  Better circulation also results in increased energy as your body becomes more and more efficient at fueling your muscles and burning calories. 

Now let me ask you, who wouldn't want all of these benefits?

Strength training can take a variety of forms, most of which do not require expensive equipment or a gym membership. What these techniques all have in common is the ability to put some kind of load or stress on a muscle giving the muscle something to work against.  Forcing the muscle to repeatedly work against an increased load strengthens and tones the muscle.

Although most strength building techniques involve lifting some kind of weight against the pull of gravity, others create resistance that you pull against, or use other muscles that you push against.  However the muscle load is created, all of these techniques build muscle strength and tone.   Select a primary training technique that best fits your personal situation and taste.  However, a balanced fitness routine should include something from each category.

• Bodyweight Exercises.  These exercises use your own bodyweight to create a load on your muscles.  Examples include the familiar push-ups and pull-ups that build strength in the arms, shoulders, and chest; sit-ups to build strength in the abdominals and lower back; and squats to build strength in the legs.  There is no special equipment required so these exercises can be done anywhere or anytime, a huge advantage if you're on a busy schedule.

• Isometrics.  We covered isometrics when we discussed stretching techniques but isometrics can also be used to build strength.  In isometrics, you create a load on the muscle you want to strengthen by pushing or pulling against it with another muscle.  For example, trying to raise your left arm while at the same time, pushing it down with your right.  This creates a tension, or a load, on the muscles of both arms increasing the strength of both.  Isometrics is another exercise that requires no additional equipment making it ideal for any schedule or location.

• Resistance Bands.  These exercises use some sort of elastic, plastic, or rubber tubing or band to create resistance that you either pull against or push against.  These can range from a inexpensive piece of rubber tubing with a handle on each end to more sophisticated (and more expensive) machines like the BowFlex (tm).  With the exception of the machines, resistance bands are lightweight, inexpensive, and can be taken with you anywhere.  Their main advantage is the smooth resistance as you pull on the band which eliminates the jerky motions associated with free weights and weight machines. 

• Free Weights.  Free weight systems include fixed-weight dumb bells as well as adjustable weight systems composed of various sized weight plates designed to be used on a barbell or handle.  Free weights are probably the fastest way to get results because they strengthen several muscles at the same time.  Since free weights have no pins, slots, or cables like weight machines do, they are free to move in any direction.   This means that if you are doing a bench press (laying on your back pushing the weight straight up away from your chest), for example, you are not only using your arms to push the weight upward, you also have to use shoulder muscles and the muscles along the sides of the arm to keep the weight stable and to prevent any side-to-side movement.  This increases the strength, tone, and definition of all of these muscles.  The disadvantage is that free weights are not very portable and can quickly lead to injury if you don't know what you're doing.

• Weight Machines.  Weight machines are designed to isolate and strengthen very specific muscles.  They do this by using a series of pins, cams, or cables in order to keep your movements confined to a very specific range.  If you perform a bench press on a weight machine, for example, the machine prevents the handle from moving side to side so all you have to worry about is pushing the weight upward.  With the exception of "universal" machines that can be reconfigured as required, there is usually a different weight machine for each major muscle that you want to strengthen.

Why is it recommended to use something from every type of technique?  Several reasons.  First, it adds variety to your exercise routine.  Second, since some of these techniques use little or no equipment, you can't use the fact that a gym may not be available as an excuse not to exercise.  Lastly and most important of all, using different techniques works your muscles in different ways giving you faster, and more effective, results.

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