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All
Things Come to He Who Weights
We're
making progress, guys. A new batch of numbers are in, and they say
that it would be fair to call the last 10 years the aerobic decade.
To name just two signs, between 1987 and 1993, sales of stair-climbing
machines grew by 1,000 percent, and the number of treadmills in American
homes quadrupled.
No question about it, we're off and running, but we're not quite there
yet. To complete the exercise equation, we need to add weight lifting.
"Weight lifting," you ask? "Isn't that just for body builders?" Not
at all. Look at a few of the benefits pumping iron has to offer:
Lose
fat
Muscle takes much more energy to maintain than does fat. So when
you add muscle by lifting weights, your body uses more energy—even
when you're not exercising. Fat will fade away without dieting.
Build
stronger bones
Lifting weights increases the density of your bones, making them less
likely to break. This is especially important for older men, who otherwise
lose bone strength as they put on years.
Control
blood pressure
Combining aerobic exercise with weight lifting helps reduce blood pressure.
Improve
cholesterol
Weight training, when combined with endurance exercise, can increase
good cholesterol (HDL) and reduce bad cholesterol (LDL).
Manage
blood-sugar problems
Borderline diabetics who get aerobic exercise and lift weights can
often get by without medications.
Get
happy
Any sort of exercise is a useful antidote for depression, but there's
no quicker way to improve your self-image than lifting weights.
Unlike
aerobic exercise, where getting started can be as simple as taking a
walk, strength training requires at least a little planning and equipment.
I strongly urge you to start by spending a session or two with an expert
who can teach you proper ( and safe) technique and help you pick weights
that are appropriate.
In any event, you'll want to work with weights two or three times each
week (but never two days in a row; your muscles need a day off to recover).
You can get a lot done in 30 to 45 minutes, and you'll be amazed what
that one- or two-hour weekly commitment will do for you.
Advice
for Young Weight Lifters
Strength
training isn't forbidden for adolescents, but it must be approached
carefully.
As
a dad who believes strongly in exercise, I hope that an interest in
fitness will be a case of "like father, like son." But as
a physician who recognizes that an adolescent male's body—and
especially his skeleton—is still developing, I've taken a moderate
approach to introducing my sons to the benefits of weight lifting.
It's
something we do together once a week, and I've been reluctant to encourage
muscle building.
Recently, though, I was relieved to read a set of recommendations developed
by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Strength Coaches
Association. Within limits—limits that I think make sense for
anyone of any age whose goals in weight lifting are to improve muscle
tone for everyday living—these organizations have found that
the benefits of strength training for those between 11 and 16 far outweigh
the risks. Here are some of their key guidelines:
- A
young lifter should be coached to use proper technique. Supervision
and regular review are particularly important to be sure that, among
other things, the lifter controls the weight, uses full range of
motion, isolates muscle groups, and never holds his breath.
- Fast
or jerky movements should be avoided to prevent damage to joints.
- Never
use a weight so heavy that it allows fewer than eight repetitions.
Instead, use about 12 for the upper body and 15 to 20 for the lower
body.
- To
make workouts harder, increase sets of repetitions before increasing
weight.
- Perform
one to three sets of six to ten different exercises for all major
muscle groups. Training should not concentrate on one set of muscles.
- Lift
weights no more often than twice per week; encourage other forms
of exercise between.
- Do
exercises that use full range of motion and that work multiple joints
to improve strength for everyday activities.
- Adolescents
should not get into competitive weight lifting. Heavy weights can
damage immature bones and joints.
Put
another way, I think the experts are saying that developing good
muscle
tone is healthful for anyone of any age. But the best way to do that—and
the only safe way for adolescents—is in small and well-designed
doses. Try a well-directed strength training program, and you'll find
that easy really does do it—young or old.
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