76:: Strength training really is *that* girl in your exercise handbag!

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I know you guys are probably so sick after

hearing so much about this next essential

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for our exercise handbag, but it truly

is one of the foundational elements.

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So let's dive in to strength training.

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Welcome back to Wellness Exists, the Pod.

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I'm your host, Dr.

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Kelsey Vic, a board

certified orthopedic Dr.

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Physical Therapy and a pelvic

floor physical therapist.

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And we've been covering the

essentials as part of our exercise

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handbags, which are basically the.

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Handbags that we might have different

styles that we enjoy, whether that's

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Pilates or bar or sculpt or yoga, but

the foundations and the essentials that

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we carry in those handbags should be

relatively similar across the board

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and just tweaked a little bit depending

on The style of handbag that we enjoy.

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So our first essential was high

intensity interval training

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and sprint interval training.

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Our second was jump training.

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Last week we chatted about

zone two and how it might not

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be as essential as we thought.

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And then this week we're adding strength

training, which truly is maybe one of the

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most foundational ones in the handbag,

especially as women and especially

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as women throughout the lifespan.

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So if you've missed any of those other

episodes, they do build on each other.

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So if you're missing a few key components

today, maybe check out the previous

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three and you might have a better

understanding of where this series has

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been and then where it's also going.

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So before we dive into strength

training, I have this concept

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called a longevity fund.

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And the longevity fund for me is basically

little deposits that I make into this fund

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throughout life that allows me to build up

a solid foundation for my health overall

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that I can pull from at a later date.

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So should I go through an injury or.

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Have something happen where I have

to take a significant amount of time

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from exercising off or a mental health

disturbance, anything like that.

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I have this longevity fund as backup

where throughout my life I've been putting

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little bitty deposits, whether that's

exercise, whether that's water, whether

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that's a healthy meal, whether that's

a meditation or a mindfulness practice,

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whether that's hanging out with my

friends to fill my cup, whether that's.

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Diving more into my faith.

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All of these little bitty deposits

into that longevity fund help

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to build that solid foundation.

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That way when I do get a little bit

older and my body's not as strong

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as it used to be, I can rely on

this longevity fund and rely on

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the foundations that I've built up.

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Over time, over my lifespan in order

to help me basically live life to the

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fullest in those final few years of

my life, final decades of my life,

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or when I undergo an injury, where

I'm not able to do all of the things

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that I'm currently able to do now.

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So a big motivation for me

in my own health and wellness

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journey is this longevity fund.

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It comes back.

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To me wanting to build this

solid foundation so that

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I can pull from it later.

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And from I guess a clinical standpoint

and from a physical therapist standpoint,

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a lot of the patients I work with,

those who have built solid longevity

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funds, who've exercised consistently,

who've eaten right, who've slept

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really well throughout their life.

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They heal better.

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They recover better.

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They have a better mindset going

into rehab, and my goal is to get

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everyone, especially girls, to

build up these longevity funds

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so that we're able to just push.

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Our bodies and how we interact with

the world forward that much more.

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I have so many patients who I

mentioned in the jump training episode

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where we talked about osteoporosis

and osteopenia and bone fractures.

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I have so many 80-year-old women who

have fallen and fractured their femurs

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or their thoracic spine or their lumbar

spine, their upper back, or their lower

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back, their hips, where we're working on.

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Helping them walk a little bit

better, helping their posture a little

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bit better after these fractures,

and after these injuries where?

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I know the research was not

there in the past to know what

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bone marrow density even is.

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Why are women affected more than men?

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So I think it's super important that we

start to educate about that and know,

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especially with bone marrow density,

it peaks way early in our lives.

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So helping people to understand that

women, especially, that this is the

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prime time to start to incorporate some

of these healthy routines, some of these

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essentials into your exercise handbag,

so that we can help build up our bodies,

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build that solid foundation for life.

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So I guess that's my big deeper why, and

one that strength training ties heavily

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into, honestly one that these essentials

in our exercise handbags ties to a lot.

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And honestly, one of the prime reasons

for the series because of how important

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it is that we really put little deposits

into each of our longevity funds.

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So as popular as strength training

is, it is for a very good reason.

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It's very protective against

a lot of different things.

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So not only does it help us with

our toning and our current aesthetic

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goals, but it also is protective

for our entire musculoskeletal

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system, our bone health, our brain,

our balance, especially as we age.

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So strength training

affects us positively Now.

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And way in the future, which is why

it really is the well-deserved popular

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girl that everyone's talking about.

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From the most basic standpoint, strength

training or resistance training is

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muscle contraction against an external

resistance to improve strength,

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endurance, or the size of a muscle.

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So the important thing to note is that

we are contracting against a resistance,

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whether that is shortening a muscle

or lengthening a muscle, or we can

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also have static contractions against

a resistance, such as like holding a

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platter in your hand when you're at

a dinner party trying to serve food.

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That's.

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An example of a static muscle contraction.

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But you can do the same thing with a

dumbbell or with a weight, or with a

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band or a variety of external resistances

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so how does strength training

actually affect us physiologically?

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The very first mechanism.

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That we gain strength by is actually

through neural adaptations, which is

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basically improving the connection of

our brain to our skeletal muscle fibers.

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Initially.

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Strength training increases our ability

to recruit those motor units, which is

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basically a collection of muscle fibers

that are stimulated by a motor neuron.

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Our bodies figure out what to recruit.

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Better when we start a strength

training program, nerves are how we

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communicate with those muscle fibers,

and so this first little strength gain

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that you might experience is actually

based on our neural adaptations, which

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basically means better communication

between our brain and our muscles.

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Not necessarily increasing the size

of the muscles, but how we communicate

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from our brain to our muscle tissue.

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So physiologically, we also

experience muscle hypertrophy.

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So when we lift a super heavy resistance,

our muscles undergo small micro tears or

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micro damage that basically stimulates

a rebuilding and repair process.

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That is why rest and

recovery is so important.

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Exercise is actually the stimulus

for muscle growth, but it's not

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where muscle growth happens.

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It just stimulates that micro damage

to cue our bodies to send in all

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of those Resources to repair and

rebuild stronger than we were before.

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So muscle is repaired and rebuilt

during the recovery Exercise is

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just the stimulus for that repair.

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Our body is queued to reinforce that

area so that we can handle the load

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better next time, which is why it's

also important that we consistently load

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the muscles bit by bit over time in a

heavier way so that we don't become static

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and plateau at a certain resistance.

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We always want to be pushing that

threshold a little bit more to

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stimulate that muscle hypertrophy.

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Depending on how you train different

reps, schemes and set schemes,

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your muscles will improve in size.

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They'll improve in overall strength,

You can look at it as how much weight

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you can lift for one, repetition.

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The maximum amount of weight or strength

training can also help with muscular

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endurance, so a sub maximal load.

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So a lighter load, a lot of repetitions

compared to strength, which is a

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high resistance for one repetition.

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So we've chatted about some of the

benefits of strength training, but

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here's a little bit of a list, and

I know you guys have heard them, but

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it's truly important and it truly does

affect so many systems within our body.

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Strength training increases bone

marrow density, so important for women.

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We chatted about this with the

jump training episode previously,

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but when we stimulate muscles, we

are also stimulating the bones.

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By working our muscle tissue.

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We're also stimulating bone growth

and bone reinforcement in those areas

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of the muscles that we're working.

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We also get improved metabolism with

strength training, decreased risk of

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cardiovascular disease, diabetes in

some cancers, improved mental health and

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cognitive function, especially as we age.

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Strength training also improves balance

and decreases fall risk as we age.

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I've mentioned fall risk a

lot, but it's so important.

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And I know a lot of us are in our

twenties and thirties, and it's not

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something we're thinking about right now.

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But as a physical therapist,

I can tell you it is something

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that a lot of my patients think

about, especially as they age.

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Strength training can also, of course,

improve your posture and reduce pain,

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and there's huge mental health benefits.

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A few of the benefits by age, knowing that

strength training not only affects us now

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even earlier as adolescents, but also well

into our eighties and nineties as well.

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So for adolescents, up to 40% of our bone

mineral density is accrued during puberty,

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which basically means that strength

training helps to set the foundations

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for our entire musculoskeletal system.

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It also helps to fine tune movements

As adolescents, we're trying to learn

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new movement patterns and strength

training really reinforces that when we

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are younger girls, and then it reduces

injury risk, especially in sports.

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In our twenties and forties,

strength training helps to maintain

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bone marrow density and fight

against that bone breakdown.

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It also helps to build lean mass,

which is muscle mass and support a

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healthy weight by balancing our body

composition, helps our reproductive

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health and menstrual cycle symptoms

and our menstrual cycle regularity.

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And it also, of course, reduces

the risk of injury and helps our

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recovery after injuries, which a lot

of the time in our thirties is when

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our bodies start to be like, oh.

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I can no longer do this, or, oh, I

can't warm up quite as well as I used

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to and jump into it as quick as I can.

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So strength training's super important

throughout our twenties and forties as

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well for perimenopause and menopausal

women, it counters the menopause

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related bone loss and muscle loss.

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Strength training also counters the

metabolic changes and weight gain and it

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helps with hot flashes, mood and sleep.

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And then in women, 50 plus helps to

preserve strength, reduce fall risk,

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fights against chronic diseases,

protects against pelvic floor

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symptoms as we age, and then also

fights against cognitive decline.

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So these are just a few,

but it basically shows.

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That strength training really does

tap into so many systems within

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our body, and it truly should be an

essential in our exercise handbag.

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And to spell it out for you, I guess if

we don't strength train, it can lead to

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osteopenia, osteoporosis, which is weak

or frail, fragile bones, and then an

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increased risk of fracture as we age.

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It can also lead to sarcopenia or

muscle loss, and as we age, it's also

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a lot harder to build that muscle.

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So again, setting that foundation

not only for our bone health, but

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also for our muscular health in

our earlier years of life, is huge.

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Without strength training, we

also have an increased risk for

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falls, fractures, cardiovascular

diseases, and metabolic changes.

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So basically a strength training's great.

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We need to incorporate it.

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So as far as a basic framework for

strength training and the current strength

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training recommendations, the guidelines

are three to four days a week of strength

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training hitting each body region twice.

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So whether you do two upper body days,

two lower body days, three full body

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days, one upper, one lower, one full

body, you can mix it around as long as

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you're hitting each body region twice.

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It is recommended about two to four sets

of each exercise with the important part

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being that you reach muscular fatigue

no matter what weight you're lifting.

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The weight should just be heavy enough

that you are able to reach fatigue

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within that, like I'd say maybe one to 30

repetition range depending on the style

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of exercise handbag that you choose.

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And we'll talk about that a

little bit later 'cause that

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can definitely get confusing.

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Strength training and your strength

training routines are also a great

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place to add in jump training.

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Super easy to go straight from squats

and to squat jumps, and really get

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like more bang for your buck during

each session rather than having to

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say, oh, I'm jump training today.

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I'm strength training tomorrow.

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You can totally combine them.

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External resistance is hugely important.

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We actually need that stimulus, we need

that weight, that external resistance,

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whether that's body weight, whether

that's actually lifting a dumbbell

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in order to create change and create

that micro damage within our system

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to cue that repair and rebuilding.

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So when they say in class, I've taken

some classes where they say, bend your

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elbow, create your own resistance,

straighten your elbow like you're pushing

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through, creating your own resistance.

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That is you mentally trying to create

that resistance rather than actually

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having that external resistance, which

is a key component of strength training.

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So it's still great for you.

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It still might get mobility.

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It still might help with that

mind muscle connection, but it's

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technically not strength training.

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So how do we incorporate strength

training knowing that we all have

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different handbag styles that we prefer?

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It's very hard to make a one

size fits all recommendation.

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10 pounds for you might feel like

five pounds for me, and vice versa.

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Someone might be able to

do five pound bicep curls.

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Someone might be able to do

25, and that's their limit.

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So it just totally depends on your body,

your foundation, your prior history of

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exercise and what your body can tolerate.

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But here's a few guidelines and

things to look out for, depending on

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the style of workout that you enjoy.

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So if you're an at home workout,

girly or a gym, girly lunges, squats,

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bicep curls, bands, weights, cables,

there's so many ways to implement

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external resistance, especially

at the gym, but at home as well.

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You also have body weight and you

can add more weight through dumbbells

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or bands or household equipment.

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That's also totally external resistance.

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When you think about bar Pilates

and sculpt, I know this is probably

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where a lot of the judgment comes

in, where bar you're usually using

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like one to three pound weight.

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Same with sculpt.

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It's usually lighter weights where you

see all of these other girls lifting

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1520 pound dumbbells for bicep curl bar,

sculpt Pilates classes typically utilize

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a little bit of a lower weight range

and a little bit of a higher rep scheme.

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So it definitely is a form of resistance

training, but the important thing is

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that you're reaching muscular fatigue no

matter if you're lifting one pound, two

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pounds, three pounds, or 15 or 20 pounds.

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So although it might be a lower actual

dumbbell or lower weight, you usually

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will have to do more repetitions in

order to reach that muscular fatigue.

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So we wanna reach muscle failure

prior to form breakdown, no matter

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the type of resistance or strength

training that you're performing.

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They've also shown that 25 to

30 rep ranges can help with

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things like aesthetic goals.

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those body composition changes

that a lot of girls want.

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And it can also help with mitochondrial

capacity, which if we think about

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it, mitochondrial capacity endurance,

we're doing those higher rep ranges,

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which usually equate to endurance.

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However, these lower loads, so

one to three pound dumbbells,

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higher reps of 25 to 35.

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Are not going to improve your

strength substantially unless you're

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starting from ground zero where

you haven't lifted weights before.

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Where lifting one pound is actually a

large jump from what you used to lift.

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If you're coming from a sort of trained

environment, lifting those one to three

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pounds, don't expect that to transfer

over to being able to lift a heavier box.

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If you think about it.

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You're lifting one to three pounds

35 times, that's not going to

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help you lift a super heavy box

one time when you're moving it.

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It makes sense logically.

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We want that specificity,

so it does have benefits.

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It is resistance training as long as

you're meeting the principle of muscular

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fatigue prior to form breakdown,

but do not expect your strength to

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actually improve with that lower

weight, higher repetition scheme.

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I think some of the true benefits come

when we actually vary, when we stick

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to one stimulus for a long period of

time, whether that's a three pound

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weight for 35 reps, or whether that's

a 25 pound weight for four reps.

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If we stick to that.

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For too long of a period of time,

we're going to experience plateaus.

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So variation in the amount of weight

you're lifting, the amount of reps

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you're doing, the exercises you're doing,

the direction of the exercise you're

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doing is actually hugely beneficial.

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That's why I love when girls tell

me I strength train, but I also do

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sculpt, or I do Pilates and dance.

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Like it's a way to get that strength

training, but vary it a little bit

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so that you're not consistently doing

six repetitions of bicep curls at 15

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pounds, you're gonna plateau after that.

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So it's very good to vary it so

that we don't start to plateau.

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So to sum it all up, the key for

strength training is we want to

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reach muscular fatigue, muscular

failure prior to form breakdown.

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We also want to progressively overload.

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We don't wanna plateau, so we want

to continue to increase either weight

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amount or the amount of reps that

we're doing, or the amount of sets

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we want to continually progress.

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We also want to include variability,

whether that's in the exercises we do,

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the weights that we're lifting, the

amount of repetitions that we're doing.

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We want to vary it to offset some of that

plateau, but we also want specificity.

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So if you really are training for a

big move coming up, you're not gonna

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want to be doing as much low weight,

higher repetition things in order

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to protect yourself with moving.

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you really wanna train how

you're going to perform.

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We've now covered the popular

girl in our exercise handbag.

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Definitely an essential for us as

women, especially now and as we age.

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So if you've missed the previous

episodes of high intensity interval

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training, sprint interval training,

we chatted about cortisol.

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In that episode.

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We did jump training and bone marrow.

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D and we've also done zone two training.

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If you've missed any of those episodes,

take a look at the ones right before this.

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We are doing this exercise handbag

series throughout September, so We

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still have one more essential to cover

and I'm excited to dive into it next

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week because we're actually talking

about the nervous system as well.

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So I hope you're excited.

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I hope you got a lot

out of today's episode.

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You learned something about your

body as a female, and I would love if

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you shared this episode and actually

taught another woman about strength

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training and her body as a female.

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That's my huge goal with this podcast

is just large scale education.

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So again, that we can all build our

longevity funds and really just push

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like girlhood and womanhood forward.

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So when we're all 80, we're gonna be up

in the mountains skiing, like no issue.

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That would be wonderful.

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So I hope you guys enjoyed this episode

and I'll see you guys again on the

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next episode of Wellness B, the pod.