Your Exercise Program: Strength Exercises
This is the third follow-up posting to A Well-Rounded Exercise Program that I posted on my site on October 24, 2007. That posting gave a general overview of a well-rounded exercise program.
Strength exercises are exercises that work muscle groups against weight resistance. The resistance can be your body weight, free weights that you lift or exercise machines, which have weights attached to some type of pulley system that allows you to lift, push or pull weights. These types of exercises are beneficial to your muscles, bones, tendons and ligaments.
When doing strength exercises try to work all muscle groups (legs, arms, back, chest, shoulders and abdomen) against resistance. It’s a good idea to start out with lighter weights, and then gradually increase weights over a period of time. For best results, you should participate in resistance-type exercise for 20 to 30 minutes two to three times a week. You might need to start out using as little as one or two pounds of weight or no weight at all, depending on how fit you are. For maximum benefit, challenge your muscles by adding an additional amount of weight gradually.
Here are some additional strength-exercise guidelines adapted from the National Institute on Aging and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
1. Before you start lifting or pushing weights, it’s a good idea to do a brief warm up by stretching the different muscle groups in your arms, legs and back. Also keep well hydrated by drinking some water before, during and after your strength-training session.
2. Give your muscle groups a chance to rest between workouts. Don’t do strength exercises of the same muscle group on any two days in a row.
3. When lifting or pushing weights, do eight to twelve repetitions in a row. Wait a minute then do another set of eight to twelve repetitions in a row of the same exercise. While waiting it is a good idea to stretch the muscles you were just working.
4. Avoid holding your breath when doing when doing strength exercises. Be sure to breathe out as you lift or push a weight and breathe in as you relax.
5. Use slow, even movements rather than jerky and quick movements. A rule of thumb is to take about three seconds to lift or push a weight into place, hold the position for one second and take another three seconds to lower the weight.
6. Don’t try to lift or push weights that are too heavy. If you can’t lift or push a weight eight times in a row, it’s probably too heavy. decrease the weight slightly.
7. If you can lift or push a weight more than fifteen times in a row, it’s probably too light. Increase the amount of weight.
8. Avoid locking the joints of your arms or legs into a strained position while lifting or pushing a weight. This can cause damage to the joints and ligaments.
9. Pay attention to how you feel when doing strength exercises. Muscle soreness lasting a few days and slight fatigue are normal after muscle building exercises. Exhaustion, sore joints, and painful muscle pulls are not normal.
Exercises You Can Do In Your Home
If you are elderly or don’t have access to gyms with weight-training equipment, you can do many strength exercises in your own home. The National Institute for Aging has recommended the following exercises that can be done in your home (Exercises to try, 2005. National Institute on Aging <http://nihseniorhealth.gov/exercise/ strengthexercises/04.html>).
Arm Raises to strengthen your shoulder muscles
- Sit in a chair with your back straight.
- Keep feet flat on the floor even with your shoulders.
- Hold hand weights straight down at your sides with palms facing inward. You can use as little as one or two pound hand weights or you can substitute cans of soup. Some people start without weights.
- Raise both arms to side, shoulder height.
- Hold the position for one second.
- Slowly lower arms to the sides. Pause.
- Repeat 8 to 12 times.
- Rest. Do another set of 8 to 12 repetitions.
Chair stands to strengthen stomach and thigh muscles
- Place pillows against back of chair.
- Sit in middle or toward front of chair, knees bent, feet flat on floor.
- Lean back on pillows in half-reclining position, keeping your back and shoulders straight.
- Raise upper body forward until sitting upright, using hands as little as possible – or not at all, if you can. Your back should no longer lean against the pillows.
- Slowly stand up, using hands as little as possible.
- Slowly sit back down. Keep back and shoulders straight throughout exercise.
- Repeat 8 to 12 times. Rest. Then do another set 8 to 12 repitions.
Biceps Curls to strengthen front part of upper-arm muscles
1. Sit in armless chair. Keep feet flat and even with shoulders.
2. Hold hand weights at sides, arms straight, palms facing toward your body.
3. Slowly bend one elbow, lifting weight toward chest. Be sure to rotate palm to face shoulder while lifting weight.
4. Hold position for one second. Slowly lower arm to starting position.
5. Repeat with other arm. Alternate until you have repeated the exercise 8 to 12 times on each arm.
6. Rest. Then do another set of 8 to 12 alternating repetitions.
Triceps Extensions to strengthen back part of upper arm muscles
1. Sit near the front edge of the chair, feet flat on floor and even with shoulders.
2. Hold a weight in one hand, raise that arm straight toward the ceiling, palm facing in.
3. Support arm below the elbow with the other hand.
4. Slowly bend raised arm at elbow, bringing hand weight toward same shoulder.
5. Slowly re-straighten arm toward ceiling. Hold position for one second.
6. Slowly bend arm toward shoulder again.
7. Pause, then repeat the bending and straightening until you have done the exercise 8 to 12 times. Repeat 8 to 12 times with your other arm.
8. Rest. Then repeat another set of 8 to 12 repetitions on each arm.
Knee Flexion to strengthen muscles in the back of the thigh
1. Stand straight, holding onto table or chair for balance.
2. Slowly bend one knee as far as possible, so foot lifts up behind you. Don’t move your upper leg at all; bend your knee only.
3. Hold position.
4. Slowly lower foot all the way back down.
5. Repeat with other leg.
6. Alternate legs until you have 8 to 12 repetitions with each leg.
7. Rest. Then do another set of 8 to 12 alternating repetitions.
Whether you do exercises in your home or in the gym, make strength training an integral part of your overall physical activity program.
For additional information on strength exercises, see also:
Strength training for older adults. (2006, April). Center for Disease Control and Prevention <http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/physical/growing_stronger/>
Torgan, C. E. (2006, August). Teaching old muscles new tricks. MedicineNet. <http://www.medicinenet.com/>.script/main/art.asp? articlekey=63462>.