Many people consider cardio exercise to be the best option for getting fit. But strength trainingA comprehensive exercise program should include strength training. Strength training can help you achieve your goals quickly, improve your cardio health, and burn calories and fat.
It is no surprise that strength training was named by the American College of Sports Medicine as a top-rated fitness trend for both men & women. Strength training can also be a key step to improving the quality of your daily life.
“Everyone can benefit enormously from strength training,”Tom Holland, a Bowflex Fitness Advisor and celebrity trainer. “Muscle helps our bodies work optimally, providing us with functional strength and the ability to perform daily activities with ease.”
These are some simple ways to incorporate strength training into your workout routine.
* Commit to a regular routine, and build from there. To get started with strength training, you might start off lighter weights or with fewer repetitions. As you get more experience with strength training, you can make your efforts harder by increasing the repetitions and making larger increments. “Success in strength training is all about overloading the muscle with precise weight and progressing appropriately,”Holland:
* Use equipment, or keep it simple. You have many options, including dumbbells, medicine balls and kettle bells. Bowflex SelectTech 552 dumbbells are an example.www.bowflexselecttech.comYou can replace 15 sets weights with a space-saving design that is adjustable between 5 and 52.5 pounds by turning a dial. You can substitute for weights if you don’t have easy accessibility to them or if you want to start with something simple like a soup can or frozen water bottle.
* Get back to the basics with functional fitness. Functional fitness emphasizes strength and weight training to improve balance, condition the body and develop muscle. Basic exercises such as sit-ups or squats are a way to mimic daily activities. Walking is another way to keep your body connected to your daily activities. Even though you might not feel up to a 5k run, a Bowflex TreadClimber machine (www.treadclimber.comCombining the movements of a treadmill and a stair climber with an elliptical () will help you get started.
* Fuel your strength training with protein. “Protein is essential to building lean muscle,” says Holland. A protein shake or smoothie is an easy way to get your body moving again. Bowflex Body, for example (www.bowflexbody.comThe ) nutrition line offers a variety of fitness shakes with a 15-gram protein punch and essential vitamins, while only 125 calories are required.
