Muscular strength is defined as the max amount of force a muscle can exert in any single rep of an exercise. That could mean bench pressing or repetitions with a heavy barbell. But, as a rule of thumb, to gain muscular strength you should emphasize lower rep ranges with heavier weights.

Muscular strength training is considered an anaerobic exercise, meaning that it entails bursts of activity for short periods of time that your body doesn’t require oxygen to accomplish. Very generally, it’s a type of exercise that’s designed to promote muscle strength, speed, endurance, and power.

Why Build Muscular Strength?

1. It helps with weight management

While conventional opinion says that cardio is the best type of exercise for losing weight, a high-intensity workout like the one involved in muscular strength training can burn a ton of calories too.

In fact, lifting weights and increasing your muscle mass have been shown to also increase your metabolic rate. This helps your body to continue to burn more calories even after your workout. It occurs for a couple of reasons:

1. Strength training increases something called “lean muscle mass,” which plays a huge role in your resting metabolism. Put into layman’s terms, this means that the more muscle you have, the more energy your body has to use, maintain, and fuel that muscle tissue when your body is resting. So, in the hours after a workout, you’ll continue burning calories, and that’s essential for weight management.
2. Strength and resistance training can cause little tears in your muscles. While this may sound scary, these micro-tears are actually the body adapting to strenuous activity, and they allow your muscles to be built back up bigger and stronger. And for your body to be able to rebuild those muscles properly, it needs energy (calories) and protein building blocks (amino acids).

2. It Improves bone health

Osteoporosis is a common chronic bone disease that people can develop as they age, and it’s especially common in females. It’s a condition wherein the density and quality of bone are reduced, which leads to more fragile bones. Besides a diet rich in calcium and vitamin D, the best way to prevent osteoporosis is by strength training.

In particular, we recommend load-bearing exercises, which can help preserve bone by placing a heavy load on your bones. The stress on your bones causes them to create an adaptive response, resulting in stronger overall bone health.

3. It Improves overall quality of life

Strength training can also boost everyday performance by improving your balance, coordination, posture, and energy levels. So, although you may feel tired after a hard training session, strength training can help you feel more energized and alert for the rest of your post-workout day.

Studies also show that strength training can help you fall asleep faster and get better quality sleep. That’s because it reduces stress hormones, leading to a greater feeling of relaxation and less tenseness.

Choose CrossTown Fitness

If you’re in the Chicagoland area, CrossTown Fitness is hands down the best spot for working on your muscular strength. From one-on-one 30-minute personal training sessions to group classes tailored to your specific strength training needs, we’re sure to have the perfect type of workout for you.

Our trainers are some of the most qualified, experienced, and successful in Chicago, you can be certain that you’re working with the best in the game. Plus, with three locations in the city, there’s bound to be a studio that’s convenient for you and your schedule. So, if you’re looking to work on your muscular strength and achieve your ideal body type, come on down to CrossTown Fitness and let’s get started!