redefining what it means to be strong
resistance training is easier than you think.
While resistance training is an indispensable part of fitness and injury prevention, it’s also one of the most misunderstood domains of health and wellness. Similar to what I touched on in the art of mobility training, we tend to put exercise in a box and hold these rigid definitions of what certain activities entail. Not only does this put up unintentional barriers between you and your health goals, but it can cause you to invest more time and money in achieving them than is probably necessary.
Without any further ado, let’s dive into the second pillar of my philosophy (strength) for a moment and break down why so many of us approach this aspect of training with the wrong mindset.
A quick Google search will show you that resistance training is defined as, “any training that involves the performance of physical exercises that are designed to improve muscular/tissue strength and endurance”.
Unfortunately, the picture many people have when thinking about resistance training is of gymgoers cranking out curls and presses with dumbbells or barbells. While there’s absolutely nothing wrong with this type of training, it’s not for everyone.
Throughout my time working as a Kinesiologist, I’ve had many clients who had never stepped into a gym before. While they came with various reasons, most of them had nothing to do with a physical inability to use a health facility, but rather life stuff (busyness, stress, laziness, fear, etc…) that kept getting in the way.
While I love helping people build the confidence to step into a gym if that’s their goal, a bigger passion of mine is to shape training to suit one’s lifestyle and priorities. After all, most of us want to get the highest yield of results while putting in the smallest amount of work. Deep down, we all share one common fitness goal:
To have the capacity to do our respective jobs and hobbies while staying injury-free and healthy.
The reality is unless you’re an athlete or have some major strength/hypertrophy/power-based goals, you probably don’t need to step outside of your door to build functional strength. While you may need to invest in a bit of equipment, the majority of us are overcomplicating things far too much. As long as you have the right tools and exercises at your disposal, you can achieve meaningful strength gains in whatever environment and approach that makes the most sense to your lifestyle.
To give you an idea of just how adaptable resistance training can be, here are a few examples of what it can look like:
Doing bodyweight core movements at home.
Tackling band-based exercises at the park.
Challenging a new position in a yoga class.
Starting a new labor-heavy job.
..and the list goes on!
Another important shift to make is redefining what the very word ‘strength’ means. While it’s most commonly associated with big muscles and record-setting lifts, I challenge you to broaden your horizons of what this word means for your life.
Perhaps it’s about performing a non-assisted squat for the first time, lifting the groceries out of the car, or even opening a jar without asking for help. If your capacity to put your tissues under life’s stressors has improved, you’ve gotten stronger… and that’s worth celebrating.
If weightlifting at a gym is your cup of tea, all the power to you! Just know that resistance training doesn’t have to have just one form. It can mold to fit your goals, resources, and environment far more flexibility than most people give it credit for. It’s simply a vehicle that will help activities of life start to feel easier and more accessible.
Before we wrap up today’s post, I want to share one exercise from my bulletproof shoulders program (that you should totally check out) to illustrate just how creative you can get with this type of work.
While this protraction/retraction exercise may not look like much, it will strengthen smaller muscles you’ve been neglecting while enhancing your endurance & safety with overhead movements. This was a huge help for me while recovering from a shoulder injury!
While doing overhead presses with a barbell may look impressive, it’s this type of work that most of us should prioritize to stay functional and pain-free in life.
**If you want cues and other transformational exercises, head over to my programs!
I hope this leaves you both encouraged and excited to redefine what resistance training and strength mean to you. As I mentioned above, getting stronger is easier (and more enjoyable) than you think. There’s a form of it available to virtually everyone, you just have to be willing to find what works for you.
If you need help finding the right exercise for your needs, please don’t hesitate to reach out. While resistance training is incredibly accessible, it’s not always easy to get started. I’m here to help you get to your goals and beyond!
