THE POWER OF RESISTANCE/STRENGTH TRAINING.

 The history of strength training.


A sketched photo of  Milo and the origin
of Progressive Overload.

    Milo of Corton was an ancient Greek athlete who was popularly known for his strength and grit in the 6th century BC. He was an Olympic victor having multiple titles to his name. It was said that his form of improving strength and power was by carrying a calf on his shoulders everyday until it became a fully grown bull.
Various activities that were
carried out in ancient China
to boost strength.

                                   Strength training in ancient China can be traced back to 6000 BC. Activities such as lifting heavy stones, metallic objects and large cauldrons was common then. This was to improve strength in martial arts and for cultural practices. 

 

During the middle age, there came a German guy by the name Joachim Meyer. In his book "The Art of Combat" published in 1570, he expounded on the importance of strength training in regards to fencing as a sport. He aimed at approaching the sport in a holistic way that not only focused on the actual skill but also strength, agility and endurance. 

Weight lifting was first introduced into the Olympic games in 1896 and since then it has always been part of it. In the late 19th and early 20th century, there emerged a young lad by the name Eugen Sandow who publicized the concept of aesthetics to the masses. This intrigued guys to build muscles like him.


In the late 70s, Arnold Schwarzenegger in a film called Pumping Iron, created the hype of building muscle mass and made it quite popular especially in the USA. Joe Weider and his brother really played a key role in creating the face of bodybuilding. They helped popularize the sport by created the biggest bodybuilding competition till date called Mr. Olimpia. Close to six decades later, the show still builds worldwide fans than are fascinated by human capability to build muscle mass.

Strength training is still gaining momentum nowadays for guys have continued to appreciate the health benefits that comes along. Shout out to certain individuals like https://www.instagram.com/bradschoenfeldphd/# a professor of exercise science at Lehman college in New York. His constant research and analyses on ways of boosting strength and muscle growth through resistance training has been quite insightful to guys in the industry.

What benefits tag along resistance/strength training?

a) Ability to control insulin levels.
Findings from the third National Health and Nutritional Survey 2011 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21778224/, found that a 10% increase in muscle mass was in a position of reducing 11% risk of insulin resistance. This was attributed to the fact that muscles have the ability to extensively utilize glucose from the bloodstream hence keeping insulin levels at bay. 
b) Boost bone density.

The older we get, the higher the chances of osteoporosis. Incorporation of strength training ensures that the bone-forming cells continues to keep up with external forces. Naturally, the bones become stronger over time as the external force keep on increasing.
c) Sustainable fat loss strategy.
There are many ways to skin a cat, which applies here as well. All these strategies boils down to  sustainability. Resistance training in conjunction to being on a calorie deficit makes this easier. The ability to burn more calories at rest (NEAT) is highly attributed by amount of muscle mass we posses hence increasing our metabolism. It's easier unlike an individual who's on a calorie deficit and still does lots of cardio to lose fat. Checking on the weighing scale using this strategy won't really help unlike fitting more comfortably in your clothes or having people notice the difference of your bodily appearance. An increase in muscle mass will trigger an increase in body weight or keep the initial weight constant.

d) Ability to strengthen muscles around the joints.
Muscles tend to act as shock absorbers. A great example is the quadriceps and calf muscles. They protect the knee by creating some resistance to forces that might be detrimental to it. This is crucial in activities that are explosive in nature like plyometrics. Once the core muscles are strengthened, they help stabilize the lower back which is among the greatest sources of pain for most people. Exercises like squats and deadlifts done in a good form, helps in this. It shouldn't be extremely heavy for anyone to reap the benefits. Most guys have ended up with lower back problems as a result of going overboard. 


An image showcasing muscle target by doing
Squats versus doing a deadlift.


e) Improve mental health. 
In 2011, a clinical study https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4090891/  was done to showcasing the effect of resistance training on anxiety management. It was discovered that, low-to-medium intensity i.e. approximately 70% of our 1 RM had the ability to produce the greatest amount of relief on anxiety. This has continued to be evident even in recent times where guys find lifting weights as a great way to unwind and shift their mental focus.
f) Ability to change the body's composition.
This is far more greater than focusing on the weighing scale changes. An increase in muscle mass will help in the longevity of our sustenance. The external force that comes from lifting weights will help challenge the muscles, hence making them find mechanisms to keep up. One of this mechanisms is increase in muscle size in situations where it's constantly challenged. Adequate amount of protein roughly over a gram per body weight will help in replenishment of the worn out tissues after a workout session.





 
g) Improvement in athletic performance.
Since the official entry of weight lifting into the Olympic games in 1896, athletes began to lift weights to boost their strength and ability in individual sports.
A photo of Tommy Kono in his 
hay days.

Athletes like Tommy Kono who was a six times World Weightlifting gold medalist champion, helped spread the awareness and importance of weight lifting in sports. In the world of sports today, it's almost a requirement to engage in some sort of resistance training to keep up with the ever changing dynamics of sports.

key points to note:

It's not all glamour and glitz, there comes some negative repercussions as well. This could be based on some factors like overtraining and doing exercises in the wrong form. The outcome can be way disastrous unlike for someone who doesn't lift weights. Cases of guys ending up with serious injuries that lead to lower back and knee pains are quite common.
Finding a qualified trainer who understands the mechanics of going about lifts could help prevent this. Progressively increasing the load in the correct form will also help prevent such scenarios. Learning from past mistakes for an experienced lifter will be crucial for success. 










Comments

Post a Comment

Popular Posts