Strength training facts for kids

A gym where people are doing strength training.

Strength training is a type of exercise that uses resistance to make your muscles stronger. It helps build both your physical strength and how long your muscles can work (endurance). You can do strength training in many ways, like lifting weights or using special machines that create resistance.

When done correctly, strength training is really good for your body. It can make your bones, muscles, tendons, and ligaments stronger. It also helps your joints work better and can lower your chances of getting hurt. Plus, it can make your bones denser, temporarily speed up your metabolism, and even improve your heart health.

To get stronger, you usually lift heavier weights or increase resistance over time. You do different exercises to work specific muscle groups. Strength training is mostly an activity where your body uses energy without needing a lot of oxygen, which is called an anaerobic activity.

Strength training is different from sports like bodybuilding, weightlifting, powerlifting, and strongman. These are competitive sports, but they all use strength training as a key part of their practice. Many other sports also use strength training to help athletes perform better, such as football, basketball, hockey, and track and field.

How Strength Training Works

The main ideas behind strength training involve how many times you repeat an exercise (reps), how many sets you do, how fast you do them (tempo), and the amount of force you use. All these things work together to change your strength, endurance, muscle size, or shape. This happens by making your muscles work harder than they are used to.

The right mix of reps, sets, exercises, and resistance depends on what you want to achieve. For example, doing fewer reps with heavier weights can build more strength. However, it might not help as much with your endurance.

Other Related Topics

• Calisthenics
• Exercise
• Flexibility training
• Healthy lifestyle
• Jogging
• Mixed martial arts
• Physical fitness
• Training
• Weight training

Images for kids

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  A back extension exercise.

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  Using a wrist strap for grip.

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  Arthur Saxon performing a lift with an early kettlebell and barbell.

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  Kids doing strength training with proper supervision.

See also

In Spanish: Entrenamiento de fuerza para niños