Enjoying the right strength improves our relationship with ourselves and the environment. It is not enough to cultivate muscles, but the balance of body and mind.
Any action we do, get out of bed, wait for the bus, sit, read while holding the book with our hands, have a cup of tea, paint a picture, go hiking … Everything requires strength to a greater or lesser degree.
The main responsible for reacting and transmitting forces is the musculoskeletal system. When we train it, we can relate better to the environment.
STRENGTH EXERCISES: ADVANTAGES OF PRACTICING THEM AT ANY AGE
Most machines do not improve with use. An old city bike does not transform into a racing bike with 18 or 27 gears for very high speed to which we submit it; A pocket calculator does not become a supercomputer no matter how many mathematical problems we solve with it.
The human body is different. The muscles are renewed every five years and if I dedicate myself to a sports training, legions of novice cells are created and ensure the relief. Without doping, the number of these cells can be perfectly doubled after prolonged efforts.
As scientists, doctors and weightlifters well know, the more muscles are used, the stronger they become and that doesn’t just apply to a young body.
In 1990 a group of scientists from Tufts University (USA) showed that people of both sexes, aged between 86 and 96 years, improved their strength and balance in 8 weeks of supervised training, regardless of how they had treated the body until that moment.
Since then, other studies have proven that training with weights or bodybuilding machines helps restore bone density loss, decreases arthritis of the joints, including the knees, and moderates’ insulin levels in diabetics.
Naturally, it is not necessary to wait until the age of eighty to train with weights and improve fitness. Actually, the best results, always for people who have never exercised before, are obtained when we start practicing with weights from the thirty or forties.
WHAT HAPPENS IF THE MUSCLES ARE NOT USED?
Disused muscles do not stay the same, lack of activity leads to wear and tear and atrophy.
Hard work does not wear them down, on the contrary, they become not only stronger, but bigger. It’s a surprising result, something scientists don’t fully understand. Somehow the muscle cells feel how they are used and remodel themselves to better cope with the work.
This effect, as has been proven with astronauts, only happens when we are in gravitational orbit, not when we leave it.
The body of all animals does a hard job that goes unnoticed: it is animated by the gravitational force.
Gravity is not only a force, it is also a signal, a sign that speaks to the body and tells it how it should act. It communicates to our systems and devices how they need to be to work more effectively.
It automatically provides the resistance force that keeps muscles and bones in shape.
In a zero-gravity environment, muscles atrophy because the body perceives that it doesn’t need them. Those of the hip and back, which are the most used to counteract gravity, can lose muscle mass at a rate of 5% per week. Bone losses go at a rate of 1% per month.
WHY DO STRENGTH EXERCISES
A baby, when awake, moves his limbs in the crib, investigating the limits of his movement without knowing it. And, when we give him the finger of one hand, he clings tightly to it. It’s their way of feeling the body.
This is how we do it, also when we grow up, because the easiest way to feel the body is by making strength.
Which has a positive side: when we finish a weight training, we feel invigorated, capable, full of confidence and with the most marked figure.
And a negative, which can act against us by taking the effect for the cause: wanting to feel vigor, self-confidence and ability only with strength exercises, without realizing that with an excess of training we lose sensitivity, dexterity, expression, perception capacity and we fill ourselves with strength, but brute.
It is what has given force a bad name, considering it in some circles as lacking intellect and being associated with violence.
The ideal force for an individual is the one that allows to hold and move the body itself, which will be useful in any setback (for example, avoiding the impact of a fall, transporting the shopping bag or pushing a revolving door).
Therefore, beyond this controversial issue, if strength exercises are performed with moderation, they have great advantages:
- They lighten the burdens of everyday life. A friend told me that she needs help removing the parking brake from the car every time her son or another man has picked it up. Being able to move that brake is fundamental for her.
- They improve physical health and not only increase muscle strength but also that of tendons and ligaments.
- They improve the flexibility of the joints.
- They reduce fat and increase muscle mass.
- They lower blood pressure.
- They produce positive changes in cholesterol.
- Improve glucose tolerance.
- They form and shape the figure of the body in a visible way. Even after the first day of training we can see how our muscles have grown and the meat is transformed into tight muscle.
This last quality becomes danger, when force is not at the service of an activity or health but of what can be seen. Who only has the moderation of himself in what is seen and not in what he feels, ends up a slave of what he seems to be and moves away from what is.
The difficult balance point is between being strong and being strong, between feeling good and looking good. It is the harmonic point in which we know how to apply different degrees of force according to the activity we perform.
We can exert a powerful force when we need it, but also have dexterity and know how to use the fine mechanisms of the body: the ability to thread a thread in the needle to sew, fix a clockwork mechanism or write a letter.
Have the sensitivity to adapt to the environment and know how to perceive our needs and those of our peers. No force can match that of the perception and expression of feelings.
In this regard, let us recall the words of Gandhi: “The most powerful and humblest force available to the world is love.”
Two ways to measure excess weight training are breathing and voice.
When performing an exercise or finishing it the breath does not reach through the diaphragm to the belly, we must reduce the weight we use or the repetitions.
We will also do it when we have a hoarse or irritated (darkened) voice after training.
GOLDEN RULES WHEN USING WEIGHTS IN STRENGTH EXERCISES AT HOME
- If you are over 35 or have any physical injuries or difficulties, consult a doctor before starting the program.
- Wear appropriate footwear, especially if you train standing.
- Use weights that are in good holding condition, especially if they are adjustable weights.
- Keep your back straight when lifting weights. Watch when you move them or take them: it’s all part of the training.
- Start by doing a set of 10 to 15 repetitions of the exercise for each muscle. When you gain strength do two or three batches resting a minute between exercises. Fewer repetitions and more weight, more muscle volume.
- Expire when you make the effort to lift your weight. Do not breathe quickly: it will cause hyperventilation. Do not hold your breath when working with heavy weights: you can raise your blood pressure, get dizzy and lose control over the weights.
- Visualize inwardly the work that the muscles perform while training with weights: increases the effectiveness of exercise and physical strength.
- Don’t exercise the same muscles more than three times a week.
- Don’t try to lift more weight than you can.
- If you feel pain, immediately stop exercising for a few weeks or try it with less weight. If it persists, consult your doctor.
- From time to time visit a teacher to show him what you do and avoid the vices of practice.
HOW TO OPTIMIZE STRENGTH TRAINING SESSIONS
- Preheating. It starts by warming up the body and never exercising directly with weights. For 5- or 10-minutes jump rope, run with or without displacement, do athletic walking.
- Progressive rhythm. We start little by little and add rhythm, for example with music. At the end of the weight exercises we walk, gradually decreasing the speed and when we notice that the pulse returns to normal, we stretch, to finish with an exercise of relaxation on the floor, feeling the weight of the body and breathing.
- To prevent injuries and intensify and increase the benefits of strength and aerobic exercises, warm-up, cool-down and relaxation are essential.
HOME STRENGTH EXERCISES FOR EVERY AREA OF THE BODY
EXTENSION OF THE TRICEPS AND SHOULDERS
- Open your legs wide and turn both feet to the right, slightly bending the right knee and tilting the trunk towards it, resting the right elbow on the thigh. The left arm remains attached to the body, stretched, holding the weight at hip height.
- With your elbow fixed to your side, drop your forearm and weigh it to a 90-degree angle and return to the starting position. You will have to work hard to keep your elbow close to your body.
- Perform a set of repetitions with each arm. Throughout the exercise, keep your spine straight.
WORK THE BICEPS WITH THE WEIGHTS
- Standing, with your legs slightly bent, bend your elbow and raise the weight of your right hand gradually turning hand and weigh in the direction of the biceps. While lowering the right arm, raise the left, and vice versa.
- With this alternation go repeating the exercise. Focus on keeping your elbows fixed, you can also stick your back to a wall so as not to move it.
GAIN STRENGTH IN THE UPPER AND MIDDLE BACK
- Bend the trunk by the hip joint, forming a straight line with trunk and head. Drop your arms with the weights, perpendicular to the floor.
- Raise your arms in a cross and lower them again. You can also carry the weights backwards or upwards, but always keep your back straight and do abdominal force in the direction of it.
EXERCISE FOR STRONG THIGHS AND BUTTOCKS
- Standing, with the weights attached, the arms slightly flexed at the elbow and the feet separated the width of the hips, take a long step forward and when you have your foot on the floor, allow the knee to bend until the thigh is parallel to the floor.
- Return to the starting position and perform the movement with the other foot. Repeat the process several times.
STRENGTHEN CHEST, SHOULDERS AND ARMS
- Lie on the floor with your feet more than your pelvis apart. Lean on the palms of your hands and the tips of your feet to raise yourself to stretch your arms.
- The back should be straight and aligned with the legs and head: all three will move as a block when we flex our arms towards the ground, without ever touching it.
- Flexion is done in two seconds and climbed in one. If you can’t lift your body, support your tibias.
EXERCISE THE UPPER ABDOMINALS
- Lie on your back and raise your feet, keeping your legs bent at a 90º angle and crossed at the ankles, with one foot on the other.
- Place your fingers on your temples, elbows forward. Elevate your head and neck to your chest so that your face faces your thighs, and roll your torso until comfortable.
- Move your elbows until you try to touch your knees. Unroll the torso again without touching the ground.
TO STRENGTHEN LEGS, THIGHS AND WAIST
- Stand on your side on the floor, with your left leg bent and your trunk lifted thanks to the support of your left forearm and hand.
- Raise your hips, putting force on your abdominal muscles, and stretch your right leg in the air, raising and lowering it. The whole body should be aligned with the right leg.
- Repeat it on the other side.
STRENGTH EXERCISE FOR CALVES AND FEET
- Standing on a step with your feet parallel and hip distance apart, rest on the step only your toes and the pad of your feet.
- In this position, move your foot until you stand on tiptoe, as much as you can and lower again.
- Tiptoe in one second and lower in two, allowing your heels to drop to the maximum.
BODY MUSCLES AND MUSCLE GROUPS
Of the approximately seven hundred muscles of the body and according to their functionality four classes are distinguished:
SKELETAL OR LONG MUSCLES
They are linked to bones by tendons located in the extremities and trunk. They collaborate with the bones to give the body strength and power.
They are very visible and allow displacement or move large masses. With them, we play a game of beach soccer, run in the mountains, get off the train, climb the stairs, sweep, swim, dance, jump or walk.
They are, for the most part, volunteers, because we can control their movement.
They come in many different shapes and sizes, allowing them to perform different functions.
Some of the largest and most powerful are those we have on the back, which together with the abdominals and legs form a complementary system that allows us the erect position.
To do this, some relax while others contract, sometimes in opposition; If we stand it is because they tense in the opposite direction and, although it seems paradoxical, their efficiency is maximum. All these antagonisms, fortunately, are not conflictive, but can be advantageous, if regulated, and in that our body is a specialist.
To walk, we need to activate 54 muscles, all at once.
It is enough that a muscle stop acting or does it with a few tenths of a second of delay so that we reach stumbles or staggering to the kitchen, where our chamomile infusion cools.
FACIAL MUSCLES
They are those of the head and neck, which allow us to chew, see, smell, speak, blow, whistle, laugh, cry and with which we express feelings and moods: sadness, joy, surprise, love, fear …
They also allow us the relationship with the environment and the organism.
They are not big, but small. A simple smile sets in motion in a very well-coordinated way, 17 small muscles of the face. A kiss on the mouth mobilizes 29, of which 18 are only for the tongue.
Without forgetting those that produce the voice, located in the neck, which are reflexes and are regulated with our physical and mental state and that of the environment (excess cold or heat), as professional singers know.
VISCERAL MUSCLES
They are, for the most part, involuntary and are distributed throughout the interior of the body:
- in the stomach and digestive system so that the food we eat advances, facilitating digestion;
- on the walls of veins and arteries and the entire circulatory system, where they open or close blood capillaries. They include the king of them all: the heart.
- In the urethra where they prevent us from urinating unexpectedly;
- in the womb helping us to be born, etc.
MUSCLES OF THE HANDS AND FEET
Prodigy of skill and dexterity that receive the ultimate impulse of the long and skeletal muscles, of the fine ducts of the blood and where we find the nerve terminals that receive the orders of the central nervous system to be able to write, caress, hold the keys or play a musical instrument.
All of them are in action, forming a network of interrelationships that facilitates the functioning of my body as an organism, in which the parts cannot be isolated. When we activate any muscle, all the systems of the body are activated to a greater or lesser degree.