Strength Training

Strength training, also known as resistance training, can help you improve your overall health and well-being. This is an important component of any fitness regimen as it helps you to improve bone density, increase metabolism and reduce the risk of injury.

This type of exercise involves using weights or resistance to build muscle and increase your strength. One of the key benefits of this type of training is that it helps you to build and maintain your muscle mass, because as we age, this naturally decreases which can lead to a slower metabolism, decreased bone density and an increased risk of injury. However, by incorporating resistance training into your workout routine you can help slow down this process and help maintain your muscle mass.

If you are interested in strength training, these four main movements are a good place to start:

Squats - squats are a compound exercise that works multiple muscle groups at once, including your legs, hips and core. They also improve your overall balance which is important for maintaining stability and preventing falls, due to the core muscles being engaged. Additionally, squats have been shown to have a positive impact on bone density, which can help reduce the risk of osteoporosis. Squats are also a great starting point to develop into more dynamic exercises. For example, once you are confident in your form to squat, you are able experiment with other exercises like a medicine wall ball step up or a medicine wall ball lateral squat whilst keeping the fundamental basics of safety from the form you have learned from squatting.

Pull exercises - pull exercises are key foundations within strength training because they target the muscles in your back, shoulders and arms, which are crucial for performing everyday activities and maintaining good posture. This type of exercise also helps you create a balanced workout when training, which should reduce the risk of injury and help you maintain good posture.

Push exercises - push exercises are used within resistance training because they also help develop upper-body strength and muscular endurance that target the chest, shoulders and triceps. Incorporating these into your exercise routine can improve your overall upper-body development and again, your posture and stability.

Hinge exercises - hinge exercises target your glutes, hamstrings and lower back muscles which help improve hip mobility, everyday posture, core stability, as well as help you perform better in other exercises and reduce the risk of injury. Some of our favourite examples for beginners/intermediate lifters would be the hip thrust for a glute-based workout or a Romanian deadlift for a great way to target your hamstrings. If you are a more advanced lifter, you may prefer something more dynamic like a kettlebell twisting hip hinge, which will help strengthen your core and increase the flexibility in your hips.