The Benefits of Strength Training by Nick Smith

Strength training- what exactly is it and is it suitable for me?

Will it make me bigger?

Can women do it?

These are questions I’ve heard multiple times throughout my career. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) says muscular strength ‘is the ability of a muscle or group of muscles to exert maximal external force’. This could be either what is the maximum that you could lift for one repetition, or the training that is completed to support maximal lifting.

Strength training has many benefits. The first (and a really relevant one for today) being it can enhance both physical and mental health- it lowers blood pressure, increases bone density, and is effective for decreasing depression. Another is it can improve body composition (something a lot of us are thinking about as we get closer to summer and coming out of our lockdown hibernation!).

It improves sporting performance when completed as part of an effective strength and conditioning programme. Strength underpins the ability to perform all movements in sport. It is the basis for power and speed which are needed in most sports.

Finally, it can add fun and challenge to your training programme. By working towards a goal of increasing your strength you will be adding structure and purpose to your training- and then, when you achieve that goal it feels just awesome!

Strength training is an element in CrossFit and features regularly in our classes. Use the ‘contact us’ page if you’d like to chat to us about your strength training!