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time to add in weight training exercises to your routine. Now there are an unlimited amount of exercise machines, methods and techniques; far more than I can cover in this short article. So for beginners, never a bad idea to seek the advice of an expert for some direction and for those getting back on the wagon, start basic, slow and don’t think you can immediately go back to the same weights you did in the past. A good rule of thumb is to perform a variety of exer- cises that work all the major muscle groups. Muscular strength is dependant on


two variables: increase in muscle size and increased neural function. The increase in neural function is what is known as “Neural Adaptation.” Neural adaptation in strength training occurs during the first 4-6 weeks of beginning an exercise regiment. As your nervous system builds stronger links to your muscles cells, you will see increases in muscle memory and a dramatic increase in muscle strength. As this initial adaptation


slows, increased muscle size becomes more responsible for increases in strength later on.


Lastly, if I have not already convinced


you of the benefits of exercise here are a few other major ones:


• Decreased Low Back Pain


A study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research re- vealed that lifting weights 2 times per week can decrease low back pain by 18% after 4 months of training. If you lift 4 times a week it will decrease by 42%.


• Increased Metabolism Your metabolism is the rate at which


your body burns energy (calories) to func- tion. Whether or not you are sleeping, rest- ing, walking, eating or exercising your body is burning calories. Studies show that after a


• Weight Training Increases Flexibility Yes it is true; don’t believe the old


myths about becoming “muscle bound.” The University of North Dakota studied the flexibility of two groups of college students over a 5 week period. One group performed just stretching 3 times a week and the other group did weight training 3 times per week. The results of the study showed that the group that did weight training had greater gains in flexibility than the stretching group.


• Weight Training Can Help Maintain Bone Mass


For girls, 90% of peak bone mass is ac-


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quired by age 18. Weight bearing exercise and weight training during the teen years will increase this process, but as you grow older, it is a fact that you lose bone mass. So even if you were active as a teen it is im- portant, especially for women, to continue working out. Studies show that with lifting weights increases bone density, even as much as 1-2% per year.


• Maintain Muscle Mass


After age 35, we all lose on average 1-4% of lean muscle mass a year. This per- tains to both men and women. Continuing to weight train combats this.


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In closing, just a few last few words to think about, as humans one of the hardest things to do in life is make a “change.” It starts simply with the desire to do so, but many times the most difficult part about both weight loss and exercise is just “get- ting started.” As I said above this all begins with goals, write them down and use them as motivation. If you have the will to reach your goals there is no reason you will not succeed.


Are you Ready for Better Health?


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Dr. Jim Hendricks is a doctor of chiroprac- tic at Freeport Integrated Health Center in Freeport and has been in practice for 15 years. His undergraduate education is in Sports Biology and he is Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. His main focus of care is musculoskeletal injuries and pain with a special interest in sports injuries. For more information go to www.freeporthealth. com. See ad on page 21.


strenuous workout, your body will continue to burn an additional 100 calories a day for up to 3 days.


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