Strength exercise is increasingly recommended by health professionals to enhance mobility and wellbeing. However, unlike other physical activities, strength training has unique nuances that make it more challenging to master.
Strength exercise involves movements against resistance and is essential for maintaining and rebuilding muscle and bone health.
Ageing, inflammation and chronic illnesses can weaken muscles, bones, mobility, and metabolic health. Strength training is the most powerful and effective way to counteract these effects, making it a vital component of any exercise routine, particularly as we grow older.
The unique benefits of strength exercise come from the precise way it is performed. To maximise its benefits, you should focus on four key components: exercise type, intensity, duration and frequency. Let’s break each component down one by one.
I liken an ideal strength exercise routine to a balanced diet. It should include a healthy variety of exercise types to avoid missing out on key benefits.
A lengthy list of exercises is not necessary to build strength effectively, however, it is essential to select a collection of exercises that effectively engage all major muscle categories to experience benefits. A simple routine of four to five exercises can deliver excellent results by focusing on movements that engage multiple muscles groups simultaneously.
The major movements categories include:
The intensity of a strength exercise refers to how challenging the exercise feels, which is directly related to the amount of weight you are lifting. For an effective muscle stimulus, the intensity should be high enough to bring your muscles close to exhaustion within five to fifteen repetitions.
A practical way to gauge this is by using the two repetitions-in-reserve (2RIR) rule after completing a set. Ask yourself whether you could have done more than two more repetitions. If you could only do one or two more repetitions, you are lifting the right amount of weight. If you could lift three or more repetitions, increase the load slightly.
As you become stronger, you’ll be able to do more repetitions toward the end of your set. Follow the 2RIR rule and increase your weight by about five percent each week to ensure progress.
Unlike other forms of exercise that emphasise long, continuous periods of activity, strength training is characterised by brief, intense efforts, or ‘sets’, interspersed with rest periods. Each set involves five to fifteen repetitions and aim to fatigue the target muscles.
Rest is equally crucial to training success. Without sufficient recovery between sets, fatigue will impair performance and limit progress. Aim for one-and-a-half minutes to two minutes of rest between sets as a general guideline. There’s no harm in over-resting but cutting rest too short can dramatically reduce the quality of your training.
Strength training can be more demanding on muscles than other forms of exercise, so daily sessions are not necessary. Australian guidelines recommend strength exercises two to three times per week on non-consecutive days, allowing at least one day of recovery between sessions. This recovery time ensures you are refreshed and ready for each workout, leading to higher-quality performance and more effective long-term results.
Strength training is a vital component for preserving strength, mobility, and health throughout life, but getting it right can be challenging. By focusing on key programming elements, we can create effective routines to maximize benefits. However, it's important to consult a doctor about any underlying health conditions to ensure safety and minimise risk.
The CPC RPA Health for Life Program is a partnership between the University of Sydney Charles Perkins Centre and Sydney Local Health District.