Benefits of Strength Training

Maintains quality of Life

If we keep our musculoskeletal system healthy, normal everyday activities are easier, whether it is walking, climbing stairs, carrying or lifting objects or even opening a bottle.

Our training offers strength training – both for therapy and prevention –based on scientific evidence. This dual approach ensures that customers receive the right service for their particular needs.

For both young and old, strength is synonymous with quality of life:

• You remain independent

• You determine your own life

• You stay mobile

• You maintain your productivity

• You are less prone to injury and illness

• You minimise the risk of falls

We grow on Resistance

With these words, we issue a challenge to people who do less and less with increasing age and avoid physical activity whenever possible. In so doing, they are not just jeopardising their independence and mobility. Bones also become weaker and the risk of falling increases. In addition, arthritis can develop more quickly if joints are not moved enough. Metabolic activity declines and fewer hormones are produced. Heat generation drops and finally, quality of life declines.

During our lifetime, strength only increases for a relatively short period. This is followed by a long period in which strength declines. Between the age of 25 and the end of our life, we lose 30% – 40% of our muscle mass. Muscles are replaced by connective and fatty tissue unless we take remedial action. What is often regarded as the natural ageing process is often the result of a passive lifestyle and a lack of training. Just doing more exercise is not the answer. The quality of the exercise is determined by the resistance that has to be overcome. The ability to dispense a precise resistance and apply it for prevention or therapy purposes is the core competence of our Training.

Alzheimer's Disease

“Regular physical exercise is probably the best means we have of preventing Alzheimer's disease today, better than medications, better than intellectual activity, better than supplements and diet” (Dr. Ronald Petersen, Director of the Alzheimer’s Research Center at the US Mayo Clinic)

Arthritis

“The thigh, hip and calf muscles are often weak in people with osteoarthritis. Strength training is a recommended form of exercise” (Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, 2009)

Osteoporosis

Every 5-6 minutes, someone is admitted to an Australian hospital with an osteoporotic fracture. Currently 1 in 2 women and 1 in 3 men over the age of 60 will suffer an osteoporotic fracture and these figures are expected to rise significantly with an ageing population. It is a condition that touches almost everyone in Australian society at some point in their life.

Strong muscle means strong bones

Strength training helps combat osteoporosis because it not only develops muscles and tendons but also builds up bones.
Alongside appropriate medication and the right diet, strength training has been proven to have a profound effect on bone health. Bones respond favourably to the controlled load of strength training by building stronger, denser bone. In addition, strength training improves intra-muscle coordination, reduces muscle response time and improves sensorimotor function, which in turn reduces the risk of falling.

Normal everyday activities simple do not produce enough “strain” to change and increase bone density. Moreover, research has shown that endurance training does not check the progress of osteoporosis. Our training is successful in both the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. As it relates specifically to bone density, our experience has been that clients start to see beneficial changes (as shown by DEXA scans) after approximately 12 months of consistent, twice weekly training. However, the positive effects of increased strength, endurance, balance and physical condition are noticed much sooner.

Osteoporosis Program

Our Osteoporosis Program is an exercise physiologist led strength training program targeted at reversing the effects of osteoporosis. Our specialised equipment is unique in it’s ability to deliver safe and targeted resistance to the entire body, particularly the spine. The objectives are clear:

• to improve bone density,

• reduce the risk of falls and

• significantly improve quality of life.

Diabetes

“Studies show that exercise can help prevent or delay T2DM, improve management of blood glucose, decrease the proportion of body fat, decrease the risk of heart disease, and increase heart and lung fitness in people with T2DM” (American Heart Association, 2009)

Lower Back Pain

If the muscle corset is well trained it protects the spine and reduces the load on intervertebral discs. Act now to combat pain or prevent it!

Strength training keeps the spine flexible and maintains spinal disc elasticity

The spine consists of 7 cervical, 12 thoracic and 5 lumbar vertebrae linked by vertebral joints. In between the vertebra are intervertebral discs made up of cartilage. They increase the back’s range of motion and act as a shock absorber. When you lift or carry something, you are not only working your back muscles. You are also working the discs. This work does not damage healthy discs and in fact it’s essential. Provided that a load on a disc is followed by a release of that load, the cartilage is provided with nutrients. Strength training keeps your spine flexible and maintains spinal disc elasticity. If you suffer from lower back problems, the first step is a medical examination by our doctor who will decide whether you should start off by doing Medical Strengthening Therapy.

80% of symptoms are the result of weak lower back muscles

According to leading orthopaedic specialists, about 80% of back problems are due to weak lower back muscles; in particular the main risk factor for back pain is weak deep lower back extensors or to be precise the lumbar extensors and the deep autochthonous back muscles. Strength training for either prevention or therapy is an effective approach. The University of Florida has carried out pioneer research into the muscular causes of back pain. It was the first to test and verify the hypothesis that weak back muscles could be a cause of chronic lower back pain. Tests on thousands of individuals provided surprising results. Most people – including trained athletes – had weak lumbar extensor muscles and targeted training of these muscles increased strength by up to several 100%!

The less trained a muscle the more it can be trained and the greater it is potential strength gain

We are specialist in lower back problems and offers strength training for health based on scientific evidence. As a rule, Medical Strengthening Therapy is done for 26 sessions twice a week. At each therapy session, the deep back extensors are isolated and then strengthened. The aim is to reduce painful symptoms, normalise the range of motion of the spine and reduce anxiety-induced avoidance behaviour. Patients acquire the confidence and strength they need for everyday activities. On completion of therapy, strength levels should equate to those of an average healthy individual.

Patients with chronic back pain, eve those who have failed to respond to traditional therapies (e.g. injections, heat treatment, back school, avoidance of painful movements, etc.) can significantly improve their condition by targeting the muscles that stabilise the spine and strengthening them.

Chronic Pain

“Exercise has a moderate clinical effect on depressive symptoms and may be as effective as psychological or pharmaceutical therapies for some individuals” (World Health Organization, 2014)

Metabolism

Strength training and muscle building promote metabolic health

Our system of muscles is our largest metabolic organ. Muscles are crucial to bone, sugar and fat metabolisms and so, energy/heat conversion together with hormonal balance are largely dependent upon muscle condition. Metabolic disturbances don’t just happen of their own accord. Apart from genetic risk factors that we cannot influence, individual lifestyles play an important role in determining whether we are likely to develop a metabolic disorder. Strength training not only increases muscle strength but also improves metabolism and so acts to prevent diseases that are typical of our modern developed world, e.g. adult-onset diabetes, high blood pressure, disorders affecting the fat metabolism and arterial sclerosis.

Strength training need energy

At each training session you expend some 120 to 200 kilocalories (500 – 840 kilojoules), women somewhat less than men and the young consume somewhat more than the old. Even after the training session, energy consumption remains high as energy is required for regeneration purposes. Provided that you do not increase your calorie intake when you take up strength training, the composition of your body will gradually change: the percentage of muscle will increase and the percentage of fat decrease. As muscle is heavier than fat, you won’t necessarily lose weight but you will look slimmer.

Energy consumption and basal metabolic rate

Strength training is a good way to counter a loss of muscle mass and the effects of reductions in calorie intake/need. Poorly developed muscles combined with excess body fat can upset energy metabolism and increase the risk of adult-onset diabetes, metabolic disorders and cardiovascular disease.

Strength training helps to develop and maintain muscles that are healthy and metabolically active. Regular training produces a long-term increase in basal metabolic rate and has a positive influence on our metabolic condition (Graves & Franklin 2001, Pedersen & Saltin 2006).

Blood pressure

High resting blood pressure represents a risk to the heart because it indicates that the heart is in a state of constant overload and damage can occur to blood vessel walls. Even elevated normal blood pressure – the precursor to high blood pressure – is dangerous for vessel walls. Strength training reduces elevated normal blood pressure for up to two days following a training session. Regular strength training reduces blood pressure by about 5mm Hg and so reduces the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Diabetes as example (Type 2 diabetes mellitus)

…shows the effect of our training on the metabolism: During the digestive process, glucose enters the blood in large quantities. This glucose is then transported by means of the pancreatic hormone insulin into the muscle cells where it is consumed. If the sensitivity of muscle cells to insulin declines, the body has to produce more and more insulin in order to maintain the control system. Eventually, the pancreas is unable to cope with the demand. Blood sugar concentrations increase and blood vessels, nerves and in the end complete organs are damaged. High levels of muscle activity improve the effectiveness of insulin, reduce blood sugar levels and protect against the dreadful consequences of diabetes.

In short: metabolic disorders are often the result of the unhealthy lifestyles particularly prevalent in the developed world. Obesity, diabetes mellitus Type 2, high blood pressure (hypertension) and poor cholesterol levels often interact with one another and collectively are known as a metabolic syndrome.

Posture

Did you know that sitting more than 6 hours per day increases your changes of back and neck pain, cardiovascular disease and poor posture by up to 40%.

Good posture is a question of strength

In our everyday life or when we play sport, we often subject the body to a load that is biased to one side. This can disturb the strength ratio of muscles and cause problems with our posture. Our training acts to prevent or remedy these problems.
Normal posture is evidence that trunk muscles are strong and the muscles that bend or straighten the body are in balance. In addition, good posture is essential if the spine is to function properly as the body’s shock absorber.

An effective muscle system is essential for good posture

Postural defects such as kyphosis, a combination of kyphosis in the thoracic spine and lordosis in the lumbar spine or a back lacking the physiological S curve are now increasingly common in adolescents. 50% of all ten-year old’s have postural problems. When sat at a school desk for hours on end, children need strong trunk, neck and shoulder muscles to maintain a good posture. Many children simply don’t have the strength to cope with this.

As soon as a child has reached puberty and is 150 cm or taller, our training can help with postural problems in just a few months. We stretch the contracted muscles effectively because it trains both the agonist and antagonist. It strengthens the weaker muscles that straighten the trunk. In addition to strengthening the back muscles, it also targets the rhomboid muscles, the latissimus dorsi muscles, the middle and lower section of the trapezium muscle and the serratus anterior muscle.

Clear evidence of the benefits on non-fixed postural defects

Our training corrects muscular imbalances and poor posture in about six months without the need to think about it. With a good posture you can walk tall and with confidence through life.

Prepare for Sport

Healthy trained muscles support your body weight more easily and protect you against injuries at both work and play. They vastly improve your functional abilities.

Training makes you strong

The thicker a muscle the greater its strength: The increase in muscle thickness is measurable within six to eight weeks of starting training although strength itself increases before that. Here, coordination – a learned process –has a strong influence. Increases in strength levels vary from person to person but on average the increase is about 25 – 30 % within 6 months of starting training.

Improve resistance to physical exertion and recover more quickly

In the world of professional sport, it has long been accepted that strength training is a supporting and compensatory training measure. A strong body protects athletes from the one-sided loads inherent in technique and endurance training and the risk of strain injuries during long seasons (e.g. Wirth et al. 2006, Fleck & Falkel 1986). Although amateurs train less than professionals, their physical strength is also less. In particular, amateurs risk joint strains because their technique is poor, training intensity too high or muscles too weak (e.g. Niemuth et al. 2005, Micheli 1986). To remain healthy, it’s important that increases in musculoskeletal strength are in balance whatever your sport.

Our training is the ideal preparation for all types of sport

Training builds up muscles, tendons, tendon attachments, bones, ligaments and cartilage and protects against undue strains. As it trains both agonist and antagonist (the partners in the movement around a joint), it prevents the development of muscular imbalances that are detrimental to health. It ensures that whatever your sport, strength, endurance and coordination work well together. If you want to take up a particular sport, we recommend that you do strength training for 6 months as preparation. We have specific programs for all popular sports:

Strength training prepares the body for recreational and competitive sport. It creates the basis for healthy sport.

Most sports injuries are the result of strains that occur when the body is tired or lacks fitness. Strength training improves performance. It improves the ability of muscles to protect the joints and so reduces the risk of injury. Strength training programs must of course include the main muscle groups required for a particular sport but they should also include muscle groups that do less work. This ensures that these muscle groups keep pace with the strength of the stronger muscles. For example, almost all sports require strong and stable torso muscles. Arms and legs can only exert a force against an external resistance if the torso provides firm counter support. Without adequate muscle tone, it is impossible to exploit the full potential of arms or legs.

Almost every sport has its own typical injuries and manifestations of strain. Targeted strength training can remedy this.

With endurance sports, certain muscle groups are typically under strain for hours at a time and patterns of movement are unchanging. Long-distance runners can suffer leg strain if hip muscles are weak. Painful conditions, such as shin splints can be helped by strengthening the tibialis anterior muscles. Cyclists often suffer painful strain injuries, particular in the knee and neck. If riding off-road, strong torso, arm and shoulder muscles are even more important.

Golfers should pay particular attention to deep back extensors, oblique muscles of the abdomen and forearm muscles. Research by sports scientists has shown that strain injuries are most likely to affect the lumbar spine, elbows and wrists. Strength training combined with the right technique can help overcome these problems (Suckel 2002).

Optimum preparation for all types of sport

Our training builds up muscles, tendons, tendon attachments, bones, ligaments and cartilage and protects you from over straining yourself. As it trains both agonist and antagonist (the partners in the movement), it prevents the development of the muscular imbalances that are detrimental to health. It ensures that whatever the sport, strength, endurance and coordination work well together. If you want to take up a particular sport, we recommend doing 6 months’ strength training either as preparation or in tandem with it. We have programs for all popular sports i.e. Running, Golf, Bicycle.