Strength training is almost the best-known form of fitness. The goal is usually to get stronger. In addition, strength training is also used for other purposes. For instance, you may have the goal of growing your muscle mass, making muscles stronger to prevent injuries, rehabilitating after an injury or increasing your endurance.
What is strength training?
With strength training, you train with weights and external resistance. Exercises are considered strength training when they require moderate to heavy intensity from large body parts, such as the legs, pecs and shoulders. Think of exercises such as squats, deadlifts and bench presses. The hallmark of strength training is that you get a greater physical training stimulus than you are used to.
What is important in strength training?
The most important thing about strength training is your attitude. Strength training allows you to push your limits a little bit each time, by doing more 'reps' in your set or by lifting heavier weights. When pushing your limits, more is asked of your body. Your body will sour and become more tired. This can be detrimental to your posture.
Incorrect posture often leads to sports injuries, aches and discomforts. In the long run, this can cause impediments in daily life, e.g. wrong and crooked posture.
Strength training tips
Make sure you have a good warm-up.
A good warm-up is essential to prevent sports injuries. For example, walk on the treadmill for a while, go rope jumping or spin on a bike. After you have done that, we recommend dynamic stretching before you start. This means performing moving stretches.
Start your workout with legs
The largest muscle group in your body is your legs. By starting to exercise your legs, your heart has to work harder, which boosts your blood circulation. This benefits your entire body. In addition, training your legs also stimulates the production of hormones, such as testosterone and growth hormone. The bigger the muscle group is, the more hormones are produced. So training your legs first will benefit the other muscle groups you will train in the same session.
Your attitude is most important
We cannot say it often enough; posture trumps weight! Sure, it's great to be able to say "I can deadlift 150 kilos", but if you do this with the wrong posture, it can lead to nasty injuries. So before adding more weight to your exercises, make sure your posture is absolutely perfect. This applies to Squats, Bench Presses, Romanian Deadlifts as well as other strength exercises.
Don't train the same muscle groups every day
It is not a problem if you can be found at the gym five days a week, however, it is important to give your body rest. This is because rest is important for your muscles to recover and grow. So make sure you give each muscle group at least 24 hours to recover. Train your legs and back one day and your shoulders and chest the next. This way, you give other muscle groups the rest they need, but you can continue to train every day.
Stretching after your workout
Stretching is also important after your workout. During strength training, small tears form in your muscles. By stretching, these tears repair and the muscles grow. After your workout, you can do static stretching. This involves holding a particular stretching exercise.
Sports physiotherapy for sports injuries
Do you notice that your strength training still causes you certain aches and injuries? If so, you can always visit our sports physiotherapist. We take care of the prevention and treatment of sports injuries. Would you like extra guidance with certain exercises to make sure your posture is correct? Even then you can come to us. So take contact with us and make an appointment at our practice.
