Hello friends, strength training is one form of health care which has been proven, in all the studies ever done, to benefit against any form of disease as well as ageing. Some research has included human subjects as old as 98 years of age and has shown that strength training helps the elderly stay independent for a longer period of time. Surprisingly this is not recommended much even by doctors. The last time you visited a doctor for some health issue, you might have received some recommendation to improve your health – avoid sugar, reduce salt, go for walks, lose weight etc. But chances are your doctor didn’t specifically mention strength training. Most people including doctors don’t give their muscle that much thoughts when talking about health. How you treat your muscles can make a huge difference to your overall health. I also get lots of messages about what can be done for muscles at home or with parents and seniors. In this issue, I am compiling a best possible plan covering the functional needs that can be done at home with minimum equipment. In the next issue, I will try to cover some other ways of strength training and also more about stretching and mobility.
Weight Loss
Strong muscles never sleep. While strength training doesn’t burn as many calories as the same amount of time you jog or swim, it does appear to have a bigger after-burn. Technically called “excess post-exercise oxygen consumption,” it is the extra calories you burn after an exercise session as your body returns to its normal state. Generally, the higher the intensity and the lengthier the workout, the longer this excess calorie burn lasts. That means the more strength training you do, the more calories you can burn even after you put the weights down. One study found that on non- exercise days following strength training, participants burned an average of extra 240 calories a day through everyday activities— significantly higher than on days following cardio.
Other studies confirm that strength training can increase your metabolic rate (the rate at which your body converts energy stored to working energy) by up to 15%. This means you burn more calories, even while you’re sitting or sleeping.
Bone Strength
Like muscle mass, bone strength starts to decline earlier than you might imagine, slipping at an average rate of 1% per year after age 40—and even more steeply for menopausal women, who can lose up to 20% of bone mass in five to seven years in that phase of life. You can lose a fair amount of bone density and still remain in the normal range, but if bone loss occurs at a steeper rate, it can cause your bones to become weak and porous—a condition known as osteoporosis. Many studies have shown that weight-bearing exercise—defined as any exercise in which your body supports its own weight and works against gravity—can play a role in slowing bone loss. Several studies show it can even build a small amount of bone. Activities that put stress on bones stimulate extra deposits of calcium and nudge bone-forming cells into action. The tugging and pushing on bone that occur during strength and power training provide the stress. The result is stronger, denser bones. Walking or running protects only the bones in your lower body, including hips.
By contrast, a well-rounded strength training program that works out all the major muscle groups, can benefit practically all of your bones. Of particular interest, it targets bones of the hips, spine, and wrists, which, along with the ribs, are the sites most likely to fracture.
Improving Insulin sensitivity
While aerobic exercise provides more protection against diabetes than strength training does, the best protection comes when you do both types of exercise. According to an analysis done by the Harvard University of more than 32,000 men, who did 150 minutes of cardio a week, reduced their risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 52%. Those who did an equal amount of strength training cut their risk by 34%. But doing both cardio and strength training for the same duration – 150 minutes a week – reduced their risk by 59%. Similar research in women showed a 30% to 40% reduction. When diabetes does develop, strength training can help control it. One study of older adults with type 2 diabetes found that four months of strength training improved blood sugar control so much that 70% of the volunteers were able to reduce their dosage of diabetes medicine.
Joint Pain and flexibility
Strong muscles support and protect your joints, easing pain and stiffness and reducing your risk of developing osteoarthritis. Strength training may also enhance range of motion in many joints, so you’ll be able to bend and reach with greater ease. If you do develop osteoarthritis, strength training can ease pain and improve quality of life.
There are various other diseases like depression, side effects of cancer medicines, fibromyalgia, lyme etc where patients can benefit from strength training.
It’s time you make some investments in dumbbells. Having said that, you still need to do your cardio as aerobic activity is good for your heart, lowers your blood pressure, helps manage diabetes, leads to sound sleep, and results in better immune function and sharper mental function. Apart from strength training, a well rounded program should include aerobic activity, and flexibility & balance exercises. 150 minutes of aerobic cardio, 2-3 sessions of strength training (30-40 minutes each), dynamic stretching to warm up and static stretching to cool down, plus a few single leg exercises for balance, is an ideal weekly routine.
Some Key to the instruction:
Reps – Each time you perform the movement in an exercise, that’s called a rep. If you cannot do all the reps at first, just do what you can, and then gradually increase reps as you improve.
Set – One set is a specific number of repetitions. For example, eight to 12 reps often make a single set.
Tempo – This tells you the count for the key movements in an exercise. For example, 3–1–3 means lift a weight in three counts, hold for one count, then lower it on a count of three.
Rest – Resting between sets gives your muscles a chance to recharge and helps you maintain good form.
Warm up & Cool down – Before doing any of the workouts, spend 5 to 10 minutes warming up all major muscle groups. A warm-up enables your body to ease into exercise. Your heart rate and breathing gradually increase, pumping more nutrient-rich, oxygenated blood to your muscles for exercise. Your joints become more lubricated and your muscles more pliable so they perform better, and you’re less susceptible to discomfort or even an injury.
Excellent ways to warm up include marching in place and gently swinging your arms, walking on a treadmill, pedaling an exercise bike, or mimicking the workout exercises without holding any weights. Start slowly, and gradually increase your pace. Static stretching is not recommended as warm up. Dynamic stretching is recommended for warm up.
After your workout, spend 5 to 10 minutes cooling down by walking around. I do 10 minutes of breathing exercise – inhale with nose to count of 5 and exhale with mouth to count of 7. Cool down slows breathing and heartbeat, gradually routing blood back into its normal circulatory patterns. You can also do some static stretching of the muscles worked.
Make sure to keep these 10 minutes before and after every workout.
A suggested program:
1.Reverse Lunges
Muscles worked- Gluteus, quadriceps, hamstrings, gastrocnemius
Reps: 8–12 for strength, Sets: 1–3, Tempo: 3–1–3 for strength, Rest: 30–90 seconds between sets
How To Reverse Lunge
Progression: Do stationary lunges, so that you’re not stepping back with one foot at the beginning of each lunge. Stand with one foot in front of the other and bend your knees. Finish all reps, then switch legs and repeat to complete one set. Add DB weight as you feel comfortable. To make it harder, step forward into the lunges, or use heavier weights. 2.Push Ups Muscles worked- Pectoralis, deltoids, triceps, rectus abdominis, erector spinae, gluteus
Reps: 8–12, Sets: 1–3, Tempo: 3–1–3, Rest: 30–90 seconds between sets
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The Perfect Push Up | Do it right!
Progression: Very well explained in the video below
Can’t Do A Push-Up? How To Start Push-Ups From ZERO
3.Wood chop
Muscles worked- Pectoralis, deltoids, gluteus, obliques,quadriceps, hamstrings, rectus abdominis, erector spinae
Reps: 8–12 on each side, Sets: 1–3,Tempo: 3–1–3, Rest: 30–90 seconds between sets
Matt Dawson’s Workout: Dumbbell Woodchop
Progression: You can start without weight and gradually increase weight as your strength improves.
4.Bent-over row
Muscles worked- Latissimus dorsi, trapezius, rhomboids, deltoids, biceps
Reps: 8–12 with each arm , Sets: 1–3, Tempo: 3–1–3, Rest: 30–90 seconds between sets
How To: Dumbbell Bent-Over Row (Single-Arm)
Progression: Keep increasing weight of dumbbells
5.Bridge
Muscles worked- Gluteus, hamstrings, erector spinae
Reps: 8–12, Sets: 1–3, Tempo: 3–1–3 , Rest: 30–90 seconds between sets
Wellness Wednesday: The glutes exercise you need to know
Progression: When comfortable doing this, extend one leg off the floor to do one-leg bridges.
6.Superman
Muscles worked- Deltoids, latissimus dorsi, erector spinae, gluteus, hamstrings
Reps: 8–12, Sets: 1–3, Tempo: 3–1–3, Rest: 30–90 seconds between sets
Exercise Tutorial – Superman
Progression: To make it harder hold in the ‘up’ position for 3-5 seconds
7.Overhead press
Muscles worked- Deltoids, triceps
Reps: 8–12, Sets: 1–3, Tempo: 3–1–3, Rest: 30–90 seconds between sets
The Perfect Overhead Dumbbell Press
Progression: You can do it sitting on chair to make it easier. Add more weight as you progress.
8.Bicep Curl
Muscles worked: Biceps
Reps: 8–12, Sets: 1–3, Tempo: 3–1–3, Rest: 30–90 seconds between sets
How to Do Standing Dumbbell Curls
Progression: Sit on Chair and do to make it easier. Increase weight as you progress.
9.Side plank
Muscles worke-: Erector spinae, rectus abdominis, obliques, transverse abdominis
Reps: 2–4 on each side, Sets: 1, Tempo: Hold the plank position 15–60 seconds, Rest: 30–90 seconds between reps
How to do the perfect Side Plank and most common mistakes
Progression: To make it easier you can do with knees bend and feet behind you
Side plank from Knees
10.Reverse Fly
Muscles worked- Deltoids, rhomboids, trapezius
Reps: 8–12 ,Sets: 1–3, Tempo: 3–1–3, Rest: 30–90 seconds between sets
How To Do A Reverse Fly with Nicole Uribarri | The Right Way | Well+Good
Progression: Increase Dumbbell weight as your strength improves.
Give at least 48 hours of recovery between training. If you do twice a week, give 72 hours. If you have never done strength training or suffering from some disease or an unstable chronic health condition, including these:
• heart disease (or multiple risk factors for it)
• a respiratory ailment, such as asthma
• high blood pressure
• joint or bone disease
• a neurologic illness
• diabetes
• a joint replacement
It maybe a good idea to talk to your doctor and list the exercises you are doing. You should talk to your physiotherapist if you are recovering from some injury.
Only 4 weeks to go for The Growth Retreat, a networking event, I am hosting at Rishikesh from 8-11th December 2022. Every week we bring you a write up by one of the esteemed guest speakers of the Retreat, giving you a sneak peak of what they will be sharing with the participants of the Retreat.
Food – The cause of health issues & its solutions
by Pramila Mundhra
The food we eat has a great impact on our health and ageing. If we make the right choices, it can prevent most diseases, delay degenerative process of the body and ensure a great quality of life.
Many of us are still not aware of the extent of power, our food habits can have on our mind, moods and performance. Food habits and lifestyle have changed drastically in last few decades that it has messed up our hormonal systems. We are surrounded by highly processed, easily available foods so often that the will power to buy and cook healthy regularly is challenging to keep up for many.
Food on our plate has to be looked from an aspect of Nutrient density rather than just calories and in a way which stimulates optimal hormonal response. Hormones control our hunger, capacity to store or burn fat which has the greatest impact on our health. Modern external environment is exploding with endocrine disruptors which also cause wide range of harm to our health, without our awareness.
We need to look at health in a holistic manner as mind, body and emotions are closely connected to what we consume. Factors such as sleep, stress levels, physical movement, quality and quantity of food collectively determine our overall health.
As the world is moving rapidly towards an environment which keeps us wired, stressed and sedentary most of the time, it is imperative that we adopt a multi pronged approach and cultivate simple yet powerful habits to keep us sane, productive and healthy in long term. Food remains the major cause of most health issues, hence the solution lies in change of food choices.
Pramila Mundra holds a Masters Degree in Food Science and Nutrition. With more than 20 years experience in the field of Nutrition, she has recently added a Certified Diploma in LOW CARB nutrition and a course in Preksha Dhyana Meditation. Pramila also conducts “Healthy recipes” workshop when time permits.Her line of treatment focusses on individual health goals, studying their history, making simple lifestyle changes and a step by step, customised meal planning with a holistic approach to help achieve optimal health. She runs her own Health and Wellness clinic at Adarsh Palm Retreat, Bangalore.
You can connect with her on Twitter at @pramilaMundra
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See you next week .
Sandeep Mall
The information provided in this newsletter is not medical advice, nor it should be taken as a replacement for medical advice. I am not a medical Doctor so I don’t prescribe anything. Most of the tools suggested are based out of scientific research and my experiments with them. Your healthcare, your wellbeing is your responsibility. Anything we suggest here, please filter it through that responsibility.
