Strength training
performance of physical exercises designed to improve strength
Strength training, also known as weight training or resistance training, is exercise designed to improve physical strength. It may involve lifting weights, bodyweight exercises (such as push-ups, pull-ups, and squats), isometrics (holding a position under tension, such as planks), and plyometrics (explosive movements like jump squats and box jumps).
Training works by progressively increasing the force output of the muscles and uses a variety of exercises and types of equipment. Strength training is primarily an anaerobic activity, although circuit training also is a form of aerobic exercise.
Strength training can increase muscle, tendon, and ligament strength as well as bone density, metabolism, and the lactate threshold; improve joint and cardiac function; and reduce the risk of injury in athletes and the elderly. For many sports and physical activities, strength training is central or is used as part of their training regimen.
Principles and training methods
Strength training follows the fundamental principle that involves repeatedly exercising a muscle group. This is typically done by contracting the muscles during an exercise and then returning to the starting position. This process may be repeated for several repetitions until the muscles reach the point of failure. Strength training typically follows the principle of progressive overload, in which muscles are subjected to gradually increasing resistance over time to stimulate adaptation and growth.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Strength training” is performance of physical exercises designed to improve strength. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Strength, training and performance, not as a finished interpretation.
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This entry incorporates text from “Strength training” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.