Kenneth Gardner

Exercise experts have long emphasised the importance of muscular strength and endurance in contributing to the total development of one's physical fitness. Enhanced muscular strength and endurance can lead to improvements in the areas of performance, self image, injury prevention, body composition and lifetime muscle and bone health.

Muscular strength refers to the maximum amount of weight a person can lift in one effort, while muscular endurance is the ability of a muscle to repeatedly exert itself. An individual with a moderate-to-high level of muscular strength and endurance will be able to perform everyday tasks such as lifting objects, carrying books or groceries and climbing stairs with ease. Muscular strength and endurance are extremely beneficial when participating in recreational activities. Individuals with poor fitness levels tend to tire more easily and are less effective in activities like hiking, running and playing tennis. Increasing your muscular strength and endurance will enhance your enjoyment of recreational sports by allowing you to achieve high levels of performance and to handle advanced techniques.

Increased muscular strength and endurance also provides protection against injury as they help to promote and maintain good posture and appropriate body mechanics when carrying out everyday activities like walking, lifting, and carrying objects. Strengthening the muscles of the abdomen, hips, lower back and legs will help to support the back in prope and help prevent lower back pain.

Developing muscular strength and endurance contributes to improved body composition and metabolic functioning. Strength training improves body composition by increasing muscle mass, thereby slanting the body composition ratio towards fat-free mass and away from fat. Building muscles through strength training also allows you to lose fat as metabolic rate is related to muscle mass. The more muscle mass you have, the higher your metabolic rate will be. A high metabolic rate means that a nutritionally sound diet combined with regular exercise will not lead to an increase in body fat.

Weight training also leads to an enhanced self image by providing stronger, firmer looking muscles and a toned, healthy body. Men tend to build larger, stronger, more shapely looking muscles, while women tend to lose inches, increase their strength and develop greater muscle definition.

Here is a list of weight training exercises to help increase your muscular strength and endurance.

LYING DUMB-BELL CURLS (biceps exercise)

Spartan instructor Orlando Porter demonstrating a few exercise moves for The Gleaner team last year. - Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer

Lie on your back on a flat bench while holding a dumbbell in each hand.

Allow each hand to hang as low as possible, with both palms facing inwards towards the bench.

As you begin the movement, slowly turn your wrist outwards, pointing your thumbs away from the bench as you raise the dumbbells.

Slowly return to start and repeat.

MACHINE BENCH PRESS (chest exercise)

Position yourself on a machine bench press.

Simply begin by pressing the weight outward/upward in an explosive fashion.

Return to the start position in a slow and controlled fashion.

Repeat movement.

HANGING ABDOMINAL LEG RAISE (abdominal exercise)

Hang from a pull-up bar with your legs straight down.

Raise your leg by bringing your knee up toward your chest.

Slowly return to the starting position and repeat.

BARBELL CALF RAISES (calf exercise)

Stand in an area near a squat rack and place a barbell on your shoulders, behind your neck.

Begin by pushing your toes down so that your heels become raised, and you are on your toes.

Flex your calves at the top of the movement for a count.

Return to start and repeat.

Kenneth Gardner is an exercise physicologist at the G.C. Foster College of Physical Education and Sports. Email: yourhealth@gleanerjm.com.