Strength is King
No matter what your goal is, getting strong should be your main priority. Being physically stronger will help you reach any and every fitness goals. Outside of performance related goals, 9 out of 10 people are into fitness for aesthetics. The majority of those people are under the impression that they need to be doing endless amounts of cardio in order to lose fat. The common misconception is that you need to burn a ton of calories during exercise in order to see results. People think that the higher the calorie count the better. Unfortunately, many people learn the hard way that this does not produce the best results. There are a lot of factors related to training but building a strong foundation will amplify all of those factors.
You burn more calories through out the day regardless of what you are doing but exercise helps you increase the rate at which you burn. With most forms of traditional steady-state cardio, you expend calories while you’re exercising but once you stop you quickly go back to your normal metabolic rate. Strength training, however, builds muscle, and more muscle helps you burn more calories, even when you’re doing nothing but sitting at your desk. Strength training is a critical component of any program that emphasizes long-term fat loss. The more muscle you have, the more fuel you are constantly burning. Building strength will also increase your power output that will limit muscle fatigue and overall increase your cardio. Strength training is the best bang for your buck.
Furthermore, strength is the first line of defense when it comes to preventing injury. The stronger you are helps reduce the risk of injury. Strength training done correctly will help you gain strength and mobility in all the weak areas. So, if potential risks arise your body will be prepared for it. Strength training improves connective tissue, muscle imbalances/function, and increases bone mineral content. Without the application of strength training our bodies become more susceptible to injury.
Strength training should be your building block. Once you build a solid foundation, then you should plug in the extra forms of fitness as needed. Ideally, you should be strength training 3-4 times a week. On your other days you can add cardio, yoga, etc for active recovery. Just be mindful of not overdoing it. You can only train as hard as your recover and that’s where you make the most gains, in your recovery. If you have questions about proper programming please contact us.