This is part two of our three part blog series on how exercise can help control chronic pain. For part one, click here. Part three will be available in a few days.

One essential component of a fitness program is having adequate strength for performing activities. Many athletes and young adults equate fitness with absolute power-type strength. The gauge of strength is how much one can lift for a single time. Often it is free weights on a bar. The goal is often to build up muscle bulk to be able to look good. This may be fine for young adults, but for most everyone a better goal is to maintain good strength and not excessive bulk throughout the body. Strength of muscles is necessary for us to have the ability to withstand the daily demands on our bodies.

Benefits of Strength Training

The studies on strength training are great for a variety of different health benefits. A longer life, lower cardiovascular risk, reduced risk of bone fractures and cancer have all been associated with twice a week strength and resistance training program. Healthy muscle also increases your metabolism and can be helpful in weight control. Good strength of muscles also reduces the risk of injuries to muscles, tendons, and joints. All these benefits are due to the fact that muscles are essential to keep us active, and strong muscles are essential for us to perform almost every function in life.

Strength training does not necessarily need a lot of training or equipment. If you have any medical issues, before you start, see your physician. If you have had significant problems with just being able to do simple activities, starting with a program with a physical therapist is often beneficial such that one learns how to build muscle strength appropriately and work on all your weak areas.

Beginning A Program

The first step is to commit to an exercise program. A good program will work a variety of muscles like upper body, arms, lower body, legs, neck and core muscles. Starting out at a fitness center often is helpful since they usually will have a variety of equipment and also will have athletic trainers on staff. Having a few sessions with a trainer can teach you how to use different equipment correctly, good mechanics to prevent injury, and help one develop a rounded program to do on your own. Starting slow with low weight and not stressing the body too much is important. It is okay to be sore after a workout, but your pain should not need to be medicated or continue into the next day.

For the self starter, most smartphones have numerous apps available with information on a variety of routines for strengthening. There is also a wide variety of information available on the internet for strength or resistance exercises and there are numerous books also available.  

Using the body position and gravity is a great way to start a strengthening program. Dividing up the exercises by region helps develop a balanced program that will involve the majority of the muscle groups.

• For the lower body – leg squats are excellent. Keeping the head upright, bend down slowly at the hips and knees, maintain the feet flat on the ground with the weight back on the heels. Lower yourself down, stop for a second then return to full standing and up onto the toes, then repeat. This works most of the muscles from the butt, hips, through the upper and lower legs to the feet. Repeating slowly for 7-10 times in a row does the lower half of the body. Doing two or three sets of these is a significant workout for this region.

• The back and core muscles which include the abdominal wall can be worked with several exercises. One of the simplest is doing a plank. Begin on a mat or carpeted floor, starting in face down position. Prop yourself up on your bent forearms with your legs fully extended and up on your toes. Keep the body in a straight line like a board and do not push up your hips or let the back sag. Maintain this position for 30-45 seconds and repeat this again two or three times. Once this is easy, you can change it up by balancing on one arm or leg, raising a leg and holding it, doing it on your side, or even using a wobble board for either the arms or legs.

• Abdominal muscles and hips can be worked by lying on the back and doing leg raises, holding the legs straight out and stiff with your heals held 6-12 inches off the ground. Opening and closing the legs and raising them all the way up works the hips and pelvic muscles. Also, abdominal crunches, by lying on your back and slightly raising the upper back builds abdominal muscles. Adding a twist to the crunches in each direction further engages more abdominal muscles.

• The upper back, shoulder and arm muscles are strengthened safely with resistance bands. Using these is often easier, simpler and safer then getting other bulky equipment. A set of bands or rubber tubing with a variety of strengths, a door to anchor the loop bands through, handles and a simple instruction book can be found on the internet for about fifty dollars. For the shoulders and upper body, anchor the bands from the top of the door. With your back towards the door, exercises include bringing the bands from a position held upwards with the arms and extending to down straight to waist level. Resistance can be adjusted by how much starting tension one has on the bands. Next hold the bands with tension to the chest and bend forward at the waist tensioning upper and lower back muscles. The last set, slowly extend both arms from a bent position to straight out and back like a push up while standing. Once finished while having your back toward the door, turn and face the door and one can do a pull down exercise with the arms standing and kneeling for the upper arms and shoulders. The resistance bands can also be anchored in the side of the door, and a butterfly exercises of the arms can be done facing toward the door and with the back toward the door.

A strengthening program like the one described above can be done in twenty to thirty minutes. It will work the majority of muscles in the body and does not require significant amounts of equipment. When the exercise becomes easy, adding the use of small hand and leg weights ranging from 2-10 pounds can increase the challenge inexpensively. Committing to a strengthening program is one component of a overall fitness program.