What Is Strength Training and Its Benefits?

What do you envision when you hear the words strength training? Barbells and weight plates, the heavy-duty tools of those who pump iron at the gym, probably come to mind immediately.

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But that form of strength training (or resistance training) is just one way to build muscle. In truth, you don’t have to lift weights to grow stronger. You’ve got other exercise options — including some that require NO equipment.

Let’s work out the details with exercise physiologist Katie Lawton, MEd, and athletic trainer Tom Iannetta, ATC, CSCS.

What is strength training?

Strength training is a type of exercise where your muscles work against some form of resistance. The activity “loads” muscles by forcing them to overcome, resist or control an opposing force.

Think about doing a basic bench press, to use a classic weightlifting example:

• You overcome a force while lifting the weight (concentric contraction).
• You resist a force while holding the weight at the stop of the press (isometric contraction).
• You control a force while lowering the weight (eccentric contraction).

“At each step, you’re applying a stimulus to make your muscles work,” explains Lawton. “As you do this, your muscles grow stronger and adapt to meet the demands that you’re putting on them.”

On the flip side, ignoring strength-building activities comes at a cost. If you don’t regularly work your muscles, they tend to lose mass and weaken, especially as you age.

Types of strength training

Health and fitness guidelines generally recommend devoting two workouts a week to full-body strength training. (That can be spread out over more days, too, with specialized workouts focused on your upper body and lower body.)

Strength-training workouts typically last 30 minutes to an hour. Here’s how you can spend that time.

Free weights

To state the obvious, lifting heavy things builds muscle. A free-weight workout could include testing your upper and lower body muscles with equipment like:

• Barbells
• Dumbbells
• Kettlebells
• Medicine balls

Stabilizing free weights as you move them around during exercise places extra demands on muscles while also activating more muscle groups. “You get a big payoff from free weights,” says Lawton.

Weightlifting machines

Weightlifting machines feature systems of pulleys, wheels and levers to help you lift weights. They essentially use engineering to help you move pounds up, down and around during your workout.

The mechanization allows you to lift weights without worrying about the potential wobble that comes when you try to hold free weights steady.

“Utilizing weightlifting machines may be a safer alternative for someone who is just beginning a weight training program,” says Iannetta.

So, are weightlifting machines better, worse or the same as free weights? Well, that’s a big point of debate within the fitness world. Bottom line? Research shows both are beneficial, and the choice often comes down to personal preference. 

Resistance bands

Don’t be fooled by the look of resistance bands. Stretching those oversized rubber bands works your muscles just like using free weights or weightlifting machines and offers similar strength gains while being easier on your joints.

“Resistance bands are versatile, effective and great for all fitness levels,” notes Iannetta.

In comparison to other strength-training equipment, resistance bands are portable, versatile and less expensive, too.

Body weight exercises

You don’t need equipment for a strength-training session. You just need … well, yourself. That’s because body weight exercises use only your body mass and gravity as resistance to build strength.

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Examples of body weight exercises that qualify as strength training include:

• Push-ups
• Burpees
• Planks
• Wall squats
• Lunges

“Body weight exercises might seem simple, but they’ll work your muscles pretty hard,” says Lawton. “Small-scale studies show they can deliver the same benefits as lifting traditional weights.”

Suspension training is another type of body weight workout, although it requires a system of straps and other equipment to elevate you above the floor.

Benefits of strength training

No matter what form of strength training you choose, your body will see benefits. Here are 10 ways it makes you healthier, stronger and better equipped to handle the physical demands of daily life.

Want to reduce body fat, increase lean muscle mass and burn calories more efficiently? Strength training to the rescue! Strength training is a key component of overall health and fitness for everyone.

Use it or lose it

Lean muscle mass naturally diminishes with age.

Your body fat percentage will increase over time if you don't do anything to replace the lean muscle you lose over time. Strength training can help you preserve and enhance your muscle mass at any age.

Strength training may also help you:

• Develop strong bones. By stressing your bones, strength training can increase bone density and reduce the risk of osteoporosis.
• Manage your weight. Strength training can help you manage or lose weight, and it can increase your metabolism to help you burn more calories.
• Enhance your quality of life. Strength training may enhance your quality of life and improve your ability to do everyday activities. Strength training can also protect your joints from injury. Building muscle also can contribute to better balance and may reduce your risk of falls. This can help you maintain independence as you age.
• Manage chronic conditions. Strength training can reduce the signs and symptoms of many chronic conditions, such as arthritis, back pain, obesity, heart disease, depression and diabetes.
• Sharpen your thinking skills. Some research suggests that regular strength training and aerobic exercise may help improve thinking and learning skills for older adults.

Consider the options

Strength training can be done at home or in the gym. Common choices may include:

• Body weight. You can do many exercises with little or no equipment. Try pushups, pullups, planks, lunges and squats.
• Resistance tubing. Resistance tubing is inexpensive, lightweight tubing that provides resistance when stretched. You can choose from many types of resistance tubes in nearly any sporting goods store or online.
• Free weights. Barbells and dumbbells are classic strength training tools. If you don't have weights at home, you can use soup cans. Other options can include using medicine balls or kettle bells.
• Weight machines. Most fitness centers offer various resistance machines. You can invest in weight machines for use at home, too.
• Cable suspension training. Cable suspension training is another option to try. In cable suspension training, you suspend part of your body — such as your legs — while doing body weight training such as pushups or planks.

Getting started

If you have a chronic condition, or if you're older than age 40 and you haven't been active recently, check with your doctor before beginning a strength training or aerobic fitness program.

Before beginning strength training, consider warming up with brisk walking or another aerobic activity for five or 10 minutes. Cold muscles are more prone to injury than are warm muscles.

Choose a weight or resistance level heavy enough to tire your muscles after about 12 to 15 repetitions. When you can easily do more repetitions of a certain exercise, gradually increase the weight or resistance.

Research shows that a single set of 12 to 15 repetitions with the proper weight can build muscle efficiently in most people and can be as effective as three sets of the same exercise. As long as you take the muscle you are working to fatigue — meaning you can't lift another repetition — you are doing the work necessary to make the muscle stronger. And fatiguing at a higher number of repetitions means you likely are using a lighter weight, which will make it easier for you to control and maintain correct form.

To give your muscles time to recover, rest one full day between exercising each specific muscle group.

Also be careful to listen to your body. If a strength training exercise causes pain, stop the exercise. Consider trying a lower weight or trying it again in a few days.

It's important to use proper technique in strength training to avoid injuries. If you're new to strength training, work with a trainer or other fitness specialist to learn correct form and technique. Remember to breathe as you strength train.

When to expect results

You don't need to spend hours a day lifting weights to benefit from strength training. You can see significant improvement in your strength with just two or three 20- or 30-minute strength training sessions a week.

For most healthy adults, the Department of Health and Human Services recommends these exercise guidelines:

• Aerobic activity. Get at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity a week, or a combination of moderate and vigorous activity. The guidelines suggest that you spread out this exercise during the course of a week. Greater amounts of exercise will provide even greater health benefits. But even small amounts of physical activity are helpful. Being active for short periods of time throughout the day can add up to provide health benefits.
• Strength training. Do strength training exercises for all major muscle groups at least two times a week. Aim to do a single set of each exercise, using a weight or resistance level heavy enough to tire your muscles after about 12 to 15 repetitions.

As you incorporate strength training exercises into your fitness routine, you may notice improvement in your strength over time. As your muscle mass increases, you'll likely be able to lift weight more easily and for longer periods of time. If you keep it up, you can continue to increase your strength, even if you're not in shape when you begin.

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