The three main components of exercise are endurance or cardiovascular training, resistance or strength training, and flexibility. A balance of all three is needed but let’s take a closer look at the resistance training piece of our exercise programs. Improving muscular fitness is so important to enhance our quality of life.

The Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology (CSEP) offers recommendations based on exercise science. Together with the Public Health Agency of Canada they produce Canada’s Physical Activity Guide. It recommends including strength activities two to four days per week. Strength or resistance training will help strengthen your muscles which in turn will make your bones stronger. Regular strength training will also improve your posture and help prevent diseases like osteoporosis.

In October 2020, CSEP released a 24- hour Movement Guideline. Their research found that “Canadian adults received a D grade for overall physical activity according to a ParticipACTION report card on Physical Activity for Adults.” This report card showed that 29 per cent of Canadian adults have a low activity lifestyle. The stat that scared the heck out of me was that adults 18-79 years old are sedentary for almost 10 hours per day! You know what they say, sitting is the new smoking.

CSEP’s 24-Hour Movement Guidelines include three core areas: physical activity, sedentary and sleep behaviours. Here are their recommendations around strength training:

Adults 18-64 and 65 and older should include muscle strengthening activities using major muscle groups at least twice a week

Resistance training should be a vital part of every exercise routine

Strength training is the action of putting load on our muscles which causes them to get strong. By adding load, it allows a muscle to work against some kind of resistance. This resistance can be body weight such as pulling or pushing a heavy door or performing a push up. Or, it can be using a dumbbell or resistance tubing to perform a bicep curl. Strength training can increase muscle fibre size, muscle contractile strength and in turn this increases bone strength, endurance and power.

The benefits of resistance training are numerous:


Body composition improves when muscle mass increases
Can enhance performance in sports
Metabolism can increase because muscle has a greater caloric need than fat
Increased strength supports cardiovascular exercise
Improved core strength (abdominals and low back)
Body becomes toned and strong
Everyday activities such as putting on your socks becomes easier
Reduces the chance of joint and muscle injury
Regular strength training can impact many health conditions/diseases:
Decrease blood pressure
Improve cholesterol
Lower stress on the heart
Arthritis
Cancers
Cardiovascular Disease
Dementia
Depression
Diabetes
Osteoporosis

Muscular Strength vs Endurance and How Much Should I Do?

Muscular strength is the maximum amount of force that can be exerted by a muscle and muscular endurance is the ability of a muscle to exert a force repeatedly over a period of time. They are both linked and generally when one improves so does the other.

Doing at least two and up to four strength training sessions a week that last 20-45 minutes or are broken up into short 10-minute sessions. Include at least one to three sets of one exercise for each major muscle group. This will help you complete your daily tasks easier, more efficiently, and can reduce the chances of low back pain.

It is important to have adequate rest between strength sessions to allow the muscle building process to take place and prevent overtraining. Generally, about 48 hours is required between training sessions to avoid overtraining and injury.

Consult your Doctor Before Beginning

Before beginning any strength training program, consult your doctor and a certified exercise specialist or personal trainer. Once you have been cleared, include a series of strength exercises that work your major muscles including upper body (chest, back, arms) core (abs and low back), lower body (glutes, legs) and includes exercises that work opposing muscle groups like the front and the back of your thigh.

Kimberly is a certified fitness instructor and personal trainer with more than 30 years of experience and loving every minute of it. Her philosophy on fitness is making it fun, challenging, and full of variety. She’s passionate about short, intense workouts called Tabata, as well as yoga, paddle boarding and skiing.
Connect by joining her private Facebook group Fit Tips with Kimberly.