Strength training is ranked number 4 on the top 20 worldwide fitness trends and there is a reason for that.

Muscle is very important to everyone, we need it to survive. Strength training is the most important thing we can be doing for long-term health – regardless of your age, it provides you with a foundation for life. It’s never too early, or too late to begin a journey of building muscle. There are countless examples of people in their 80’s and 90’s still deadlifting weight!

Us as humans, if we’re strong, then everything we do becomes easier… playing sports, walking upstairs, hiking, or carrying groceries. Why? Muscle holds our framework together and keeps us from falling over in a puddle of bones and organs.

Good posture relies on strong, flexible muscles. Stiff, weak, or tight muscles contribute to poor posture and misalignment of the body. Long term, this can lead to joint and muscle pain in the shoulders, back, neck, and elsewhere. 

Cardio might burn more calories, but in the long run, if you have more muscles, you’ll burn more calories without even moving a step! Studies have suggested that a 1kg increase in lean body mass can equate to burning 120 cals a day; Now how good is that?!

 


To get stronger and build muscle, you must progressively overload the muscle, and that’s achieved by being consistent over time. Anyone has the ability to get strong, and don’t worry, you’re not going to get bulky unless you want to. Look at bodybuilders as an example, they can be strategically building muscle for a competition over a period of weeks or years; It doesn’t happen overnight. 

There’s the stigma that building muscle and being strong is for the guys, but we have seen an increase in women over the years moving into strength training to live a happy, healthy life. Females especially can benefit from strength training as they see far greater strength gains and body shape changes than cardio training.

It’s important to rest enough to let the body grow and adapt to build more tissues. Low impact cardio such as walking hills and trails with a weight vest, combined with a solid strength training program will deliver the most effective results in the long term for overall good health.

 


However, strength circuits are the way of the future – by combining weights and supersets together, you’re not only getting strength gains, but you’re also getting those cardio gains.

A great way to do this is using EMOMs (every minute on the minute).

For those who haven’t done an EMOM workout before, they challenge you to complete an exercise for a certain number of reps in less than 60 seconds. The remaining time within the minute serves as your recovery. This helps your body reset and prepare for the next round of exercise.

Try this EMOM workout below and let us know how you go!

Part A:
- DB Press 8-10 reps
- DB Row 10-12 reps
- DB Farmers Carry Max Distance
- Rest 1 min
X 3-5 Rounds

Part B:

- Deadlift 6-8 reps
- Press-ups Max reps
- DB Farmers Carry Max Distance
- Rest 1 min
X 3-5 Rounds.

 

We’ve got everything you need to build muscle available on our website, including weighted vests, dumbbells, sandbags, wall balls, barbells, weighted plates, and much much more. Check out our range of fitness equipment here: www.thefitnessdepot.co.nz.