Mountain Home Athletic Club

• Body weight. You can do many exercises with little or no equipment — use your body weight instead. Try push-ups, pull-ups, abdominal crunches, leg squats, and lunges.
• Free weights. Barbells and dumbbells are classic strength training tools which provide greater results more quickly but require a higher degree of form and safety awareness.
• Weight machines. Weight machines are a great option for your resistence training when form and safety are of utmost concern or you want to isolate specific muscles.

Use it or lose it

Muscle mass naturally diminishes with age. "If you don't do anything to replace the lean muscle you lose, you'll increase the percentage of fat in your body," says Edward Laskowski, M.D., a physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn., and co-director of the Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Center. "But strength training can help you preserve and enhance your muscle mass — at any age."

Strength training also helps you:

• Develop strong bones. By stressing your bones, strength training increases bone density and reduces the risk of osteoporosis.
• Control your weight. As you gain muscle, your body burns calories more efficiently — which can result in weight loss. The more toned your muscles, the easier it is to control your weight.
• Reduce your risk of injury. Building muscle protects your joints from injury. It also helps you maintain flexibility and balance — and remain independent as you age.
• Boost your stamina. As you grow stronger, you won't fatigue as easily.
• Improve your sense of well-being. Strength training can boost your self-confidence, improve your body image and reduce the risk of depression.
• Get a better night's sleep. People who commit to a regular strength training program are less likely to have insomnia.
• Manage chronic conditions. Strength training can reduce the signs and symptoms of many chronic conditions, including arthritis, back pain, depression, diabetes, obesity and osteoporosis.