Do you arrive at the gym and go right away to the cardio equipment? If that’s your case, you are not alone. Many women feel intimidated by the weight room and end up missing an important type of training. Strength training is a fundamental part of fitness as it builds lean muscle mass, improves bone and joint health, and gives your body that “toned” appearance you’ve always wanted. And even though, many of us still associate strength training with weight-lifting and bulky guys, that’s not the rule anymore. It is possible to gain strength without putting on a lot of muscle. Besides, there are more functional ways of training your body. In the table below I compared functional strength training with traditional weight lifting. If you are new to this type of exercise, I strongly recommend that you to find a competent trainer, who can design a balanced program to address your needs.
|
Functional Strength Training |
Traditional Weight Lifting |
| Examples are lunges, push-ups | Examples are leg extensions, bench presses |
| Use an array of tools such as balls, bands, suspension training equipment, stability boards, among others | Use free weights and exercise machines |
| Exercises are usually performed from a standing position | Exercises are usually performed sitting or lying |
| Train the body as a whole | Training is divided in body parts or muscle groups |
| Exercises mimic real life and sports movements | Exercises are composed by simplistic movements |
| Multi-joint movements | Single joint movements |
| Move in multiple planes of motion | Move in single planes of motion |
| Recruit multiple muscle groups | Movements are restricted to one or two muscle groups |
| Improve mobility, flexibility, core stability, balance, strength, power, sports performance, coordination, agility | Focus on muscle growth and strength gains |
| Exercises are composed by complex movement patterns, continuously challenging the nervous system | Movement patterns are too basic and the body quickly adapts to the exercises after a couple of weeks |
| Fitness improvements are easily translated to daily activities (carrying groceries, chasing your kids, moving furniture around the house) | Gains in strength are not easily transferred to daily activities |
| Muscle growth is evenly distributed | Muscle growth can be concentrated in a few body parts (chest, abdominals, and quads) |
| Workouts are usually balanced, which reduce the risk of injuries | It is easy to create an unbalanced program, which can lead to muscles imbalances and abnormal muscle patterns |