Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsBenefitsCompared to EnduranceExercise ExamplesActivities to TryCautions to Avoid InjurySolo vs. Group TrainingWhen to Consult a Trainer
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Benefits
Compared to Endurance
Exercise Examples
Activities to Try
Cautions to Avoid Injury
Solo vs. Group Training
When to Consult a Trainer
Benefits of Muscular Strength and Endurance
Developing muscular strength and endurance provides numerous health benefits that can significantly improve your quality of life. Some key advantages include:
Building muscular strength and endurance isn’t just about appearance—it’s about feeling stronger, healthier, and more confident in your daily life. Strong muscles make it easier to carry out everyday tasks, like lifting groceries or climbing stairs, while also protecting your bones and joints. Regular strength training can reduce stress, enhance mental well-being, and help prevent long-term health problems, making it an essential part of a healthy lifestyle.
Muscular Strength vs. Endurance
Muscular strength training strengthens muscles, and endurance training helps keep thecardiovascular systemhealthy.
The musculoskeletal system is vital for physical health and includes three key components: muscular strength, endurance, and flexibility. If these areas are not maintained, you may experience weakened muscles, reduced joint function, and challenges in staying healthy and active:
Muscular Strength Exercise Examples
Here are some exercises to target muscular strength:
Squats (Body Weight or Weighted)
Squatsare a fundamental lower body exercise that strengthens the quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves. You can perform squats with body weight or add dumbbells or a barbell for extra resistance.Do them as follows:
Dead Lifts
This exercise works multiple muscle groups, including the back, glutes, hamstrings, and the core. It’s a great way to build overall body strength.They are done this way:
Lunges
Push-Ups
Push-ups are a body weight exercise that targets the chest, shoulders, and triceps. Push-ups help build upper body strength and can be modified to suit different fitness levels.To do:
Activities to Build Muscular Strength
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends the following physical activity guidelines for adults (ages 18–64) to maintain health and prevent disease:
For older adults (ages 65 and older), the CDC recommends the above, along with activities to improve balance, such as standing on one foot.
Activities that help to build muscular strength include:
Talking to your healthcare provider before starting any new exercise program is always a good idea, especially if you have preexisting health conditions or concerns. They can guide you on which exercises are safe and suitable based on your health status, age, or fitness level.
Here are tips to help avoid injury:
Training with a group or alone both have health benefits.If you train alone, you can go at your own pace, choose the exercises you like, and plan your workouts around your own schedule.
Solo training examples include:
Benefits of solo training include:
Exercising in a group may make working out more exciting and social. Group training is great if you enjoy teamwork and feed off the energy of others to push yourself harder.
Examples of group training include:
Benefits of group training include:
When to Consult a Professional Trainer
Working with a personal trainer can be beneficial when starting an exercise program or maximizing strength training results. A trainer can teach proper form and technique to avoid injury, customize exercises to meet individual goals and perform exercises correctly.
Seek guidance from a trainer if:
Summary
Muscular strength is essential for everyday tasks, health, and athletic performance. Strength training offers numerous benefits, from improving metabolism and joint health to enhancing mental well-being. By incorporating exercises like squats, push-ups, and dead lifts, along with activities like yoga and cycling, you can build strength effectively. Remember to prioritize safety, explore training options, and seek professional guidance when needed.
14 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Kell, R.T., Bell, G. & Quinney, A.Musculoskeletal fitness, health outcomes and quality of life. Sports Med 31, 863–873 (2001). doi:10.2165/00007256-200131120-00003Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Benefits of physical activity.Medline Plus.Exercise and physical fitness.Lorenzetti, S., Ostermann, M., Zeidler, F. et al.How to squat? Effects of various stance widths, foot placement angles and level of experience on knee, hip and trunk motion and loading. BMC Sports Sci Med Rehabil 10, 14 (2018). doi:10.1186/s13102-018-0103-7Cholewa JM, Atalag O, Zinchenko A, Johnson K, Henselmans M.Anthropometrical determinants of deadlift variant performance. J Sports Sci Med. 2019 Aug 1;18(3):448-453.American Counsil on Exercise.Lunge.American Counsil on Exercise.Perfecting the push-up for all levels.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.What you can do to meet physical activity recommendations.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.What counts as physical activity for adults.Medline Plus.How to avoid exercise injuries.Kanamori, S., Takamiya, T., Inoue, S. et al.Exercising alone versus with others and associations with subjective health status in older Japanese: The JAGES Cohort Study.Sci Rep6, 39151 (2016). doi:10.1038/srep39151Iowa State University.Group exercise may be even better for you than solo workouts - here’s why.American College of Sports Medicine.Investing in a personal trainer.Ahmed S, Rashid M, Sarkar A-s, Islam MJ, Akter R, Rahman M, Islam S, Sheel D, Polash SA, Akter M, et al.Fitness trainers’ educational qualification and experience and its association with their trainees’ musculoskeletal pain: A cross-sectional study. Sports. 2022; 10(9):129. doi:10.3390/sports10090129
14 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Kell, R.T., Bell, G. & Quinney, A.Musculoskeletal fitness, health outcomes and quality of life. Sports Med 31, 863–873 (2001). doi:10.2165/00007256-200131120-00003Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Benefits of physical activity.Medline Plus.Exercise and physical fitness.Lorenzetti, S., Ostermann, M., Zeidler, F. et al.How to squat? Effects of various stance widths, foot placement angles and level of experience on knee, hip and trunk motion and loading. BMC Sports Sci Med Rehabil 10, 14 (2018). doi:10.1186/s13102-018-0103-7Cholewa JM, Atalag O, Zinchenko A, Johnson K, Henselmans M.Anthropometrical determinants of deadlift variant performance. J Sports Sci Med. 2019 Aug 1;18(3):448-453.American Counsil on Exercise.Lunge.American Counsil on Exercise.Perfecting the push-up for all levels.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.What you can do to meet physical activity recommendations.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.What counts as physical activity for adults.Medline Plus.How to avoid exercise injuries.Kanamori, S., Takamiya, T., Inoue, S. et al.Exercising alone versus with others and associations with subjective health status in older Japanese: The JAGES Cohort Study.Sci Rep6, 39151 (2016). doi:10.1038/srep39151Iowa State University.Group exercise may be even better for you than solo workouts - here’s why.American College of Sports Medicine.Investing in a personal trainer.Ahmed S, Rashid M, Sarkar A-s, Islam MJ, Akter R, Rahman M, Islam S, Sheel D, Polash SA, Akter M, et al.Fitness trainers’ educational qualification and experience and its association with their trainees’ musculoskeletal pain: A cross-sectional study. Sports. 2022; 10(9):129. doi:10.3390/sports10090129
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Kell, R.T., Bell, G. & Quinney, A.Musculoskeletal fitness, health outcomes and quality of life. Sports Med 31, 863–873 (2001). doi:10.2165/00007256-200131120-00003Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Benefits of physical activity.Medline Plus.Exercise and physical fitness.Lorenzetti, S., Ostermann, M., Zeidler, F. et al.How to squat? Effects of various stance widths, foot placement angles and level of experience on knee, hip and trunk motion and loading. BMC Sports Sci Med Rehabil 10, 14 (2018). doi:10.1186/s13102-018-0103-7Cholewa JM, Atalag O, Zinchenko A, Johnson K, Henselmans M.Anthropometrical determinants of deadlift variant performance. J Sports Sci Med. 2019 Aug 1;18(3):448-453.American Counsil on Exercise.Lunge.American Counsil on Exercise.Perfecting the push-up for all levels.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.What you can do to meet physical activity recommendations.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.What counts as physical activity for adults.Medline Plus.How to avoid exercise injuries.Kanamori, S., Takamiya, T., Inoue, S. et al.Exercising alone versus with others and associations with subjective health status in older Japanese: The JAGES Cohort Study.Sci Rep6, 39151 (2016). doi:10.1038/srep39151Iowa State University.Group exercise may be even better for you than solo workouts - here’s why.American College of Sports Medicine.Investing in a personal trainer.Ahmed S, Rashid M, Sarkar A-s, Islam MJ, Akter R, Rahman M, Islam S, Sheel D, Polash SA, Akter M, et al.Fitness trainers’ educational qualification and experience and its association with their trainees’ musculoskeletal pain: A cross-sectional study. Sports. 2022; 10(9):129. doi:10.3390/sports10090129
Kell, R.T., Bell, G. & Quinney, A.Musculoskeletal fitness, health outcomes and quality of life. Sports Med 31, 863–873 (2001). doi:10.2165/00007256-200131120-00003
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Benefits of physical activity.
Medline Plus.Exercise and physical fitness.
Lorenzetti, S., Ostermann, M., Zeidler, F. et al.How to squat? Effects of various stance widths, foot placement angles and level of experience on knee, hip and trunk motion and loading. BMC Sports Sci Med Rehabil 10, 14 (2018). doi:10.1186/s13102-018-0103-7
Cholewa JM, Atalag O, Zinchenko A, Johnson K, Henselmans M.Anthropometrical determinants of deadlift variant performance. J Sports Sci Med. 2019 Aug 1;18(3):448-453.
American Counsil on Exercise.Lunge.
American Counsil on Exercise.Perfecting the push-up for all levels.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.What you can do to meet physical activity recommendations.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.What counts as physical activity for adults.
Medline Plus.How to avoid exercise injuries.
Kanamori, S., Takamiya, T., Inoue, S. et al.Exercising alone versus with others and associations with subjective health status in older Japanese: The JAGES Cohort Study.Sci Rep6, 39151 (2016). doi:10.1038/srep39151
Iowa State University.Group exercise may be even better for you than solo workouts - here’s why.
American College of Sports Medicine.Investing in a personal trainer.
Ahmed S, Rashid M, Sarkar A-s, Islam MJ, Akter R, Rahman M, Islam S, Sheel D, Polash SA, Akter M, et al.Fitness trainers’ educational qualification and experience and its association with their trainees’ musculoskeletal pain: A cross-sectional study. Sports. 2022; 10(9):129. doi:10.3390/sports10090129
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