As your health coach, there are 3 main benefits of strength and power training I'd love to share with everyone!
1. Easing joint pain
Strong muscles support and protect your joints, easing pain
and stiffness and reducing your risk of developing
osteoarthritis. In this form of arthritis, which can show up in
your 40s or 50s, the cartilage that cushions your joints
gradually wears away and abnormal bony growths develop in
the joints. But when strong muscles contract, they take
pressure off the joints, reducing this kind of wear and tear. For
instance, a study published in the journal Arthritis and
Rheumatology suggested that greater quadriceps strength
reduces cartilage loss in the knee. Without strong quadriceps,
the joint bears the brunt of the impact from walking, running,
or other weight bearing activities. Strength training may also
enhance range of motion in many joints, so you'll be able to
bend and reach with greater ease. If you have or develop
osteoarthritis, strength training can ease and improve quality
of life.
2. Body weight and your knees
Too much weight takes a toll on your knees. With each step
you take on level ground, you put one to one and a half times
your body weight on each knee. So a 200 pound person can
put 300 pounds of pressure on each knee. Off level ground,
the news is worse: each knee bears two to three times your
body weight when you go up and down stairs, and four to five
times your body weight when you squat to tie a shoelace or
pick up an item you dropped. If you're 50 pounds overweight,
the simple act of climbing stairs or squatting to move from the
washer to the dryer puts hundreds of extra pounds of force on
your knees. With all this in mind, it's not surprising that
carrying extra weight is related to knee pain and arthritis.
Obese people are 20 times more likely to need a knee
replacement than people of normal weight.
3. Easing joint pain with strength training
Strength training may also enhance range of motion in many joints, so you'll be able to bend and reach with greater ease. In a random controlled study of 32 men and 16 weeks of workouts, men doing strength training alone or combined with cardiovascular training had significantly greater of range motion in all five of the joints tested than men who remained inactive. Among those doing just cardiovascular activities, range of motion improved in only one of the joints that were tested. In one study, women in their 60s or 70s who had knee osteoarthritis or a knee replacement did strength training twice a week for 13 weeks. By the end of the study women had improved their ability to walk, climb stairs and balance. Strength training can definitely ease pain and improve quality of life.