Strength training or no strength training?

Got a reader email this morning:

Maybe you've mentioned this on the blog at some point when I wasn't payingattention, but I can't recall seeing it.

Since I joined the Y  six weeksago, everywhere I go, I hear about the importance of strength training.How, with only cardio, people get skinny-fat and have high body fat percentages because they're burned muscle along with fat. Do you incorporate strength training into your workouts? How so?

So, my answer is "not really, but kind of sort of."  Here's what I wrote back:

One of the reason I chose swimming as my main form of exercise (besides the fact that, compared to running, it's more fun) is that swimming is inherently strengthening -- at least somewhat -- because you're always moving against theresistance of the water.

Swimming is not great cardio, and it's not great strength-training (it's probably insufficient for warding off osteoporosis because it doesn't load the bones along their lengths), but it's one of the few things you can do that combine both pretty well.

Like my reader, I have small kids and not tons of time.  At this time in my life I can't imagine going to the gym for "just weights." I feel like I need to do cardio every time I have a chance to go to the gym. So, the short answer is that I don't do *separate* strength training,but I always swim once or twice a week.  That being said, when I am ready to make weightlifting a priority, the first place I should start is in bone-loading exercises, because that's what my routine is missing.  (I do get impact workouts from running once a week.)

If you, like me, are attracted by multitasking exercise, there are at least two other things you can do at the Y that incorporate both cardio and strength training.  These are the kettlebells classes and the Body Pump classes (Body Pump is sort of aerobics-with-barbells).   Fitness Yoga is a fun entry-level class that is surprisingly grueling, even if it only uses bodyweight.  

Another alternative if you use cardio machines is to design a workout that incorporates weight machines and cardio -- either some kind of circuit training, or steal a little time from your cardio workout to use weight machines at the beginning and/or end. If I were going to go that route I'd probably sign up for a personal training session to help me figure out the most efficient use of my time.  I hear it is money well spent, and you may well be able to snag a free personal training session during member appreciation events.

If you want to read a really great site about strength training, particularly for women, I totally recommend Mistress Krista's enormous site at www.stumptuous.com . Very empowering, logical, evidence-based, and no-nonsense -- if you like the way I write, I think you'll like her, probably even more! Check out her articles on free weights especially, for example her series on the squat -- here's Part 2, "Why Squat?"

Side note:  Now that I've been over to Mistress Krista's, I feel shame at having neglected weight bearing exercise and must go flagellate myself, perhaps with a kettlebell.  Fortunately, I know darn well that I don't have time today, so swimming during my daughter's swim lesson will have to be it...

 

Comments

[Erin]

I'm one of those people who love strength training. It really doesn't take much time to see the benefits. I alternate arms/core and legs during each workout and I usually spend no more than 10 - 15 minutes on weights. My standard routine is 5 minutes of stretching, 30 minutes cardio and 15 minutes on weights. If I don't have 50 minutes, then I cut back on cardio.

[Jamie]

Here, I am passing you a wet noodle for flagellation. Kettlebell sounds like a bad idea.

[Salamander]

You really should do at least a little strength training. It doesn't have to take a lot of time, especially if you do compound movements (squats, dead lifts, bench press, etc.) vs. wasting time with isolation exercises like bicep curls. Kettlebells are awesome, you can do a full body workout in 15 minutes. Not only will you increase your metabolic rate by increasing your muscle mass, you also strengthen your bones which is especially important for small- framed women like us who are at higher risk for osteoporosis. Doing compound exercises also builds up the important stabilizing muscles which will not only improve your performance in running and swimming, it also helps prevent overuse injuries. I had a major crash on my mountain bike and tore three ligaments in my knee - but thanks to years of strength training, my muscles were strong enough to stabilize my knee sufficiently for me to ride back to the trailhead instead of having to wait for paramedics to rescue me on an ATV. My recovery time was also much shorter than the doctors expected...I only needed crutches for 3 days which is an important consideration when you have a bunch of kids!

[bearing]

Salamander, I hear you about compound exercises. Barbell squats have always been my favorite, when I have lifted in the past.

I think the major obstacle to my taking on strength training right now is that I realistically would not do it more than once per week (I'm not going to swim and lift on the same day -- too complicated what with the clothes changes), and I wonder whether I would risk injury by lifting infrequently and/or erratically.

[Adrienne]

I started doing weight lifting again, after a ten year hiatus, and have found that most of my body and eating issues have cleared up pretty much overnight. Probably because I see my body differently now: we are on the same team, rather than me struggling to control "it". I had forgotten how much of a difference lifting makes for me. It might be similar with different sports, but I think lifting in particular is very well suited to my particular brain issues.

[bearing]

"We are on the same team" -- love that imagery, Adrienne!

[JMB]

Does your Y have "Bar Method" classes or Lotte Berk classes? I find the rotation of strength training, stretching, isometric exercises, pilates/yoga to be the perfect anecdote to boredom at the gym. It's the hardest workout that I've ever done - I've used muscles that I never thought existed and have never pushed myself harder - tricep pushups - bring it on! I also have a new found appreciation for ballerinas and wrestlers.

[bearing]

JMB, I've never heard of that one -- sounds interesting!