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Looking for the best strength training workout?
We all know that strength training can be a game changer.
It improves stamina and helps extend fitness and good health.
Unfortunately, only 25% of Americans over the age of 45 do any strength training at all.
This is a disturbing statistic.
Muscle strength declines as we age.
By the time we’re 70 years old, we’ve lost nearly 25% of our muscle strength and tone.
By 90, that percentage goes up to 50%.
How do you stop this decline?
Well it's through the best strength training workout activities silly.
The good news is these forms of exercise are so much more than just building muscles.
They fight osteoporosis, keeps joints limber and mobile, and help maintain the ability to do day-to-day things.
What is even better is they can even help you lose weight.
Another benefit is the more muscle mass you have, the higher your resting metabolic rate will be.
Amazingly, unlike cardio, strength training continues to burn calories for 72 hours after you stop.
Something that’s called after-burn.
Strength training can also help slow down a process called cellular aging, which will help you to live a longer, healthier life.
It can even increase a kind of brain process (brain-derived neurotropic factor, or BDNF), which can help you think, remember and learn better.
Strength training has been proven to reverse the clock by about ten years.
One study showed that this form of exercise reversed oxidation in cells and returned 179 different genes to a more youthful level.
There are 10 biomarkers of aging that you can actually control, and every one of them is impacted by strength training.
So here are the best strength training workouts to do so you keep your strength.
1. Goblet Squat
WORKS: Core and abs.
HOW TO DO IT: Hold a dumbbell underhand at about chest level with your feet shoulder-width apart.
Let your toes point slightly outward and keep your feet flat on the floor.
Move your hips back as if you’re about to sit in a chair and squat until your elbows reach the insides of your knees. Pause at the bottom of the squat, then push your heels into the ground and stand.
REPS: 8-10
SETS: 4
2. Pall of Press
WORKS: Obliques, abs, lower back, glutes
HOW TO DO IT: Set a cable column with the arm at about shoulder height.
Stand perpendicular to the column with your hands shoulder-width apart.
With both hands, pull the handle to your chest, keeping the tension in the cable tight.
Keep your feet, knees, hips and shoulders square to the front through the entire movement.
Using your core, push the handle back out and away from your body, extending your arms straight.
Do not twist, even though the resistance will be highest at this point. Bring your arms back in to your chest.
By far one of the best strength training workout.
REPS: 10
SETS: 3 per side
3. Dumbbell Row
WORKS: Back, arms, core
HOW TO DO IT: Put your left hand on a bench with your left knee on the bench and your left arm extended.
Hold a dumbbell in your right hand and keep your right foot on the ground.
Bring your shoulders together, tighten your abs, and bring the weight up until your elbow rises above your body.
Lower with control and repeat.
REPS: 6-8
SETS: 3 per side
4. Push-Up
WORKS: Upper body, core
HOW TO DO IT: Get into a plank position with your hands directly beneath your shoulders. Your elbows should be slightly tucked.
Squeeze your buttocks to keep your abs activated and slowly lower yourself toward the ground.
When your chest is nearly to the ground, extend your arms and go back to the starting plank position.
REPS: 12
SETS: 3
5. Split Squat (a/k/a Stationary Lunge)
WORKS: Lower body
HOW TO DO IT: This is one of the best strength training workout but a bit challenging. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
Step forward with your right foot and take a large step backward with your left.
With your right foot flat on the floor, bring your left knee toward the floor.
Stop just before your knee touches the ground.
Make sure your right foot is still flat.
Hold, then return to standing.
REPS: 6-8
SETS: 3 per side
6. Lateral Squat
WORKS: Groin, inner thighs, hips, trunk
HOW TO DO IT: Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder width, toes pointing forward.
Shift your weight onto your left foot and bend your left leg, extending your right leg. Keep your left heel on the floor.
Return to your original standing position, then repeat on the other side.
REPS: 6 per leg
SETS: 3
7. Hip Extension (Glute Bridges/Hip Thrusts)
WORKS: Glutes
HOW TO DO IT: Lie on your back with your legs bent and feet flat on the floor, about six inches from your buttocks.
Squeeze your glutes and push your hips upward until your hips are fully extended.
Your body should be in a straight line from your knees to your shoulders, and your knees should be bent at 90 degrees.
Hold the position for a moment, then lower your hips slowly and with control.
REPS: 8
SETS: 3
A Different Option
If you're not the person to do things on your own then you can always hire a coach to help get in shape.
When you think about it all professionals have a coach.
Pro athletes have multiple coaches no matter what their level.
Even business professionals (even CEO's) of have some type of coach.
The reality is you can only push yourself so far or see certain things about yourself that others can see very easily.
