After the golden age of bodybuilding in the 1980s, strength training has been making a comeback in recent years.
Besides the evergreen aesthetic reasons linked to muscle definition and appearance, the causes of this return are to be traced to physical well-being and a better quality of life. From a medical point of view, strength training boosts bone density, muscle endurance and texture, it improves metabolism, general posture, ligaments, tendons and joints condition, cardiovascular and nervous health, it helps balance body composition (lean mass/fat mass/muscle mass).
Strength training – or resistance training – is that macro-category of anaerobic exercise which implies muscle activity to oppose an external load. The basic mechanism at the core of strength training involves using muscle strength to fight back a resistance: barbell weights, dumbbells, kettlebells, or any gym equipment specific for certain muscle groups. With consistency, the end result is a bigger and stronger muscle which adapted to the strain.
It goes without saying that working on strength is particularly important for athletes, as it greatly reduces the risk of injury and allows them to reach the ultimate peak of speed and athleticism. Strength training boosts all kinds of performance, even those not strictly related to endurance, making you faster and more athletic, and it also makes a great contribution in post-injury recovery and physical reconditioning.
Strength training has transcended the realm of elite sportspeople, making its mark in ‘everyday’ gym workouts through the current widespread adoption by the general public of High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) and functional training.
The latest scientific studies also highlight the importance of strength training for weight loss. If until a while ago it was believed that people wanting to get leaner had to go for hours of cardiovascular sessions, the modern fitness and medical scenario says that incorporating resistance training in the weight-loss process is fundamental. This kind of training is a great protector of lean muscle mass and a powerful stimulus for its growth, and it counteracts fat mass. This happens both through actual exercise session and through after-burn (calories that the body continues to burn after exercising).
It’s no surprise that training the body’s strength is also fundamental for the senior demographic (>70), as it’s the most effective way to fight the age-specific and natural tendency to physical weakness, linked to muscle mass loss. Adding moderate/mild strength training sessions – prescribed by a doctor and guided by a trainer – to older people’s routines essentially decreases the likelihood of injury and makes it possible for them to live an active life, longer.
Technogym for precision strength training
The effectiveness of strength training is linked to many small elements: the correct load, the appropriate number of repetitions, recovery time, speed of execution of the exercise, posture, and range of motion. Optimizing every single detail and preventing the most common mistakes is fundamental to making your training effective and achieving better results in less time.
The answer to reach the best possible performance during your strength sessions is Technogym’s Biostrength. Thanks to its Artificial Intelligence and the brand’s signature research in innovation, Biostrength adapts to you and guides you, ensuring up to 30% better results in the same amount of time, if compared to traditional training. After logging in and choosing your goal, Biostrength automatically adjusts the load, range of motion, correct posture, speed of execution and even indicates the number of sets, repetitions, and optimal recovery times, tracking all improvements for you. The patented Biodrive system – which uses aerospace technology – offers 6 different types of resistance, improving the effectiveness of your exercise depending on the goal you want to achieve.
An increasing number of enthusiasts is choosing functional strength training. Unlike traditional strength training, which often focuses on isolated movements and specific muscles, functional training focuses on movements involving multiple muscle groups and joints.
In addition to strength, functional training trains qualities such as core balance and posture. In response to this trend, Technogym has just launched Universe, a modular and extremely versatile solution that provides users with a never-before-seen variety of workouts and helps clubs meet the high demands of functional training. Technogym Universe features 7 different types of resistance training (weights, isotonic, magnetic, Calisthenics, suspension, elastic and eccentric) that stimulate muscles to make the body experience different challenges and optimize performance at the same time. For lovers of traditional plate-loaded training there is also Pure Strength by Technogym, the pure feeling of strength. Pure Strength, manufactured to the highest standards of biomechanics, ergonomics, durability and safety (without neglecting design), is the ideal line for optimizing performance. Pure Line, with its complete plate loaded range for your high-level training, allows maximum activation of all muscle groups for superior results.
Technogym
Founded in 1983, Technogym is a world-leading brand for fitness, wellness, sport, and health. Technogym provides a complete ecosystem made of connected smart fitness equipment, digital services, training content and apps that enable each user to access a fully personalized workout experience, anywhere and anytime: at home, at the gym and on-the-go. With over 2,500 employees, Technogym is present in over 100 countries. More than 70 million people train with Technogym equipment in 100,000 wellness centers and 500,000 private homes in the world. Technogym has been appointed Official Supplier to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games for the ninth time, after Sydney 2000, Athens 2004, Turin 2006, Beijing 2008, London 2012, Rio 2016, Pyeongchang 2018 and Tokyo 2020, and it’s the reference brand for the training of worldwide champions.
