Strength Training: Build Muscle, Increase Bone Density, And Improve Strength and life-span
Strength training is one of the most effective ways to improve overall health and fitness. Whether you’re looking to build muscle, increase bone density, or enhance your overall strength, incorporating strength training into your fitness routine offers a variety of benefits that go beyond just building a lean physique. At Mark Jellison's Strength Training Program, we focus on providing tailored workouts that help you target specific areas of your body—whether it’s the upper body, lower body, or core—while also improving your bone health and boosting functional strength.
In this blog, we’ll explore how strength training can help you achieve a range of fitness goals, from building muscle to increasing bone density, while improving overall strength and stability.
1. Build Muscle: Sculpt a Stronger, Leaner Body
One of the primary benefits of strength training is its ability to help you build muscle. When you perform resistance exercises, your muscles are put under stress, causing small tears in the muscle fibers. As your body repairs these fibers, they become thicker and stronger. Over time, with consistent strength training, you can increase muscle mass and create a more toned, defined appearance.
The key to building muscle is progressive overload, which means gradually increasing the resistance or intensity of your workouts to challenge your muscles. At Mark Jellison’s Strength Training Program, we provide customized workouts that focus on different muscle groups each session, ensuring you get a balanced, full-body workout that promotes muscle growth in targeted areas.
Some of the muscle-building exercises we focus on include:
Squats and lunges for the lower body
Push-ups, bench presses, and rows for the upper body
Deadlifts and core exercises for overall strength
By focusing on these compound movements, you’ll engage multiple muscles at once, which maximizes efficiency and muscle-building potential.
2. Increase Bone Density: Fight Age-Related Bone Loss
Strength training doesn’t just improve muscle mass—it also helps increase bone density. Weight-bearing exercises, such as lifting weights or performing bodyweight resistance exercises, stimulate the bones and help them become denser and stronger. This is especially important as we age, as bone density naturally declines, leading to conditions like osteoporosis.
Studies have shown that consistent strength training can improve bone health by increasing bone mineral density (BMD) in areas that are most susceptible to fractures, such as the hips, spine, and wrists. By regularly challenging your bones with resistance exercises, you encourage the body to produce more bone-forming cells, which can help maintain strong bones well into old age.
At Mark Jellison's Strength Training Program, we incorporate weight-bearing exercises that target key areas for improving bone density:
Deadlifts, lunges, and squats to strengthen the bones in your legs, hips, and spine
Overhead presses and push-ups to improve bone health in the upper body
Core strengthening exercises to promote stability and help protect your spine
These exercises not only help build muscle but also enhance bone resilience, lowering the risk of injury and improving mobility.
3. Target Specific Areas: Upper Body, Lower Body, and Core Strength
One of the great things about strength training is its versatility. You can target specific areas of your body, whether you want to focus on building strength in the upper body, lower body, or core. Strength training helps improve functional strength, making everyday activities easier and improving athletic performance.
Upper Body Strength
Strengthening the muscles in the upper body, including the chest, shoulders, arms, and back, is essential for improving posture, lifting capabilities, and overall functional fitness. Upper body exercises like push-ups, bench presses, rows, and shoulder presses build muscle and improve strength in these areas.
A stronger upper body also supports improved performance in activities like swimming, running, or carrying heavy objects. At Mark Jellison's program, we design upper-body workouts that focus on:
Chest presses and push-ups for the pectorals and triceps
Rows and lat pull-downs for the back and biceps
Shoulder presses and lateral raises to target the shoulders
Lower Body Strength
Your lower body contains some of the largest muscles in your body, including your quads, glutes, hamstrings, and calves. Strengthening your lower body improves mobility, balance, and power, as well as enhances performance in activities like running, jumping, or lifting heavy objects.
Incorporating exercises like squats, lunges, deadlifts, and step-ups will help you build a strong, functional lower body. A strong lower body also supports healthy joints, including the knees and hips. At Mark Jellison's program, we focus on lower-body workouts that build muscle and strength in key areas, improving posture and balance.
Core Strength
Your core plays a crucial role in maintaining overall stability, improving posture, and preventing injury. A strong core supports the spine, reduces back pain, and enhances athletic performance. Core exercises like planks, Russian twists, leg raises, and woodchoppers help engage and strengthen the muscles of your abdomen, lower back, and obliques.
Having a well-developed core also aids in improving balance, agility, and coordination—essential for nearly every activity, from sports to daily movement. Our program includes core strengthening exercises that enhance stability and functionality.
4. Improve Functional Strength: Real-World Benefits
Strength training is not only about aesthetics; it’s about functional strength—the ability to perform everyday tasks with ease. Whether you’re lifting groceries, carrying a child, or moving furniture, having a solid base of strength makes daily activities easier and safer. At Mark Jellison’s Strength Training Program, we emphasize functional movements that improve your ability to perform tasks in real-life situations.
Incorporating compound exercises, such as deadlifts and squats, helps improve your ability to lift, push, and pull heavy objects safely. These movements strengthen multiple muscle groups at once, which translates to better performance in activities like lifting, running, and climbing.
5. Consistency and Progression: Key to Long-Term Success
The key to seeing results with strength training is consistency and progression. By sticking to a regular workout schedule and progressively increasing the weight, reps, or intensity of your exercises, you’ll continue to see improvements in muscle mass, bone density, and overall strength. Whether you’re just starting your fitness journey or are an experienced lifter, our program will provide the right level of challenge to help you progress at your own pace.
Conclusion
Strength training offers a range of benefits that can enhance both your physical health and quality of life. Whether you're looking to build muscle, increase bone density, or improve overall strength, incorporating strength training into your fitness routine is essential for achieving long-term health and fitness goals.
At Mark Jellison’s Strength Training Program, we tailor each workout to help you target specific muscle groups and improve your overall strength, with a focus on building muscle, increasing bone density, and enhancing functional fitness. By incorporating progressive strength training into your routine, you can build a stronger body, improve your bone health, and enjoy the real-world benefits of increased strength.
Ready to take your fitness to the next level? Contact us today to learn more about how strength training can help you achieve your goals and build a healthier, stronger you!
