Doing exercises with hand weights, elastic bands, or weight machines to build muscle mass.
The activities and exercises devoted to building muscle by challenging muscle tissue and forcing it to adapt to stress. Weight lifting and resistance training, often using machines that can be adjusted to an individual’s needs and requirements, are the basic elements of strength training. Strength training offers the benefit of stimulating and strengthening bones as well as muscles. With age, muscle fibers shrink in number and size and become less responsive to signals from the central nervous system. This aging process can cause an overall reduction in lean muscle tissue, strength, balance, and coordination. Strength training can combat these changes that normally occur with aging. Strength training can also aid in weight control. When lean muscle tissue develops to replace fat tissue, the body requires more calories to maintain routine functioning, even at rest. A recommended strength training program works all the major muscle groups including the arms, shoulders, abdomen, chest, back, and legs for 20 to 30 minutes per session, two to three times a week. Muscle groups should be rested for a full 24 hours between strength training routines to prevent the risk of injury. A fitness professional or trainer should be consulted to give demonstrations in proper form as strength training can result in injuries if not performed correctly.
Conditioning program that requires resistance to help increase muscular strength, power, or body size.