Our focus at Lincoln Barbell Club is on building a foundation of strength. Building strength is a fundamental, even vital, part of training, that often gets neglected. In today's fitness culture, strength training has been "watered down" to incorporate the more sell-able idea of conditioning. So, at Lincoln Barbell Club, we want to bring the emphasis back to what is important - getting stronger!
In order for us to have a full appreciation of our members' strength progression, we concentrate on improvement in four core lifts - Squat, Bench Press, Deadlift, and Overhead Press. Although, not all we do, these four movements equip our members with good overall strength, working legs, chest, back and shoulders respectively. This approach doesn't always initially make sense to those who have unfortunately only had access to commercial gyms and fallen under the wing of up-selling Personal Trainer's and Gym Reps, who add on session after session - and cost after cost.
Our answer is that success in training doesn't come from being a "Jack of all trades, master of none". It comes from consistently working at the core lifts and incrementally adding weight to the bar to build strength. It is this focus on gaining and perfecting technique, whilst following a proper program of progression that guarantees success.
So, what are the benefits of strength training?
1. It Doesn't Discriminate - One of the things we love the most about strength training is it doesn't matter who you are. Strength training is accessible to EVERYONE, irrespective of age, gender, and size. People in their 80s can strength train, as can children. All strength training cares about is getting stronger, fitter and healthier.
2. It's Simple - The most effective and efficient strength training program means that you won't need to spend hours in the gym. If you are spending longer than an hour in the gym, chances are you're not making progress. For those who rely on Youtube videos, Instagram influencers, or the latest fad, there is no idea of progress. Training becomes a mish-mash of exercises that have no real benefit and therefore becomes futile.
3. It Enhances Other Aspects of Life - No matter what current form of activity you do which you include as a form of exercise, whether it's running, cycling, hiking, gardening, walking the dog, rushing around after the kids, walking to work, etc - increased strength will help you to perform all of these things...better! Strength training has been proven to increase coordination, agility, endurance, and confidence.
4. Increased Bone Density - Strength training increases bone density and reduces the risk of osteoporosis.
5. Weight Management - Strength training can help with weight management and can increase metabolism. In fact, strength training can boost metabolism for up to 72 hours after your session, as opposed to cardio, which stops as soon as you cease exercising. Now, let's get one thing straight! If you want to get lean, toned, ripped, strong, lose fat, be fit, or healthy, you need to build muscle. There are a lot of myths in the fitness industry, including that if you lift weights you will get bulky, it's bad for your joints, it stunts kids' growth, to name a few. If you want to achieve any of the above, building muscle is key...and that is accomplished by building strength!
6. Helps Against the Effects of Aging - As we age, from around the age of 30, our muscle starts to diminish. If no strength improvement is undertaken, this will contribute to our old age condition of frailty. So, if we concentrate on building strength (building muscle), we combat this process as much as possible which could mean that we maintain our independence for longer.
7. Helps with Chronic Conditions - Strength training can help with symptoms of many conditions, such as arthritis, obesity, heart disease, back problems, depression and diabetes.
If you are interested in improving your strength, we run beginners' courses for those who would like to incorporate strength programming into their training. Contact us at Lincoln Barbell Club!
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