You might be surprised to hear that many people have their first experience of strength training not in a gym, but in a physical therapy session. Strength training is an integral way to rebuild muscle tissue after a muscle’s been allowed to atrophy (in the case of recuperating from injury). It’s also helpful with strengthening joints weakened by arthritis, injury or degenerative conditions.
Some people are under the impression that if you have back injuries or knee pain due to degenerative joint problems, lifting weights is to be avoided because it could further strain those areas. It’s true that lifting weights incorrectly could cause further trauma, but so could walking incorrectly. If you know the right way to lift weights, not only can it help you recover from injuries – it may even be the prescribed treatment.
Strength training also helps reduce chronic pain. By strengthening joints and muscle, it reduces pressure, which in turn can reduce the need for surgery (which would in turn cause you to need physical therapy for your recovery!).
Studies have found that the recovery gains made by weightlifting tend to erode after the therapy stops. This seems to indicate that once physical therapy is completed, most patients stop their weightlifting exercises. The benefits of weightlifting are not permanent: you have to keep up a routine in order to continue seeing the improvements in your health. You don’t need hours a day in the gym, or to own expensive equipment. The benefits of strength training can be realized with short sessions, infrequent sessions, sessions that involve nothing but lifting your own weight in various ways. The trick is simply to do it regularly.
Filed in Strength Training
Updated: September 14, 2010
Copyright: September 16, 2010
