Strength Training for Parents
Strength training is not something new. It’s not a trend. It’s a necessity for all of us, and as parents, the benefits of strength training are huge.
Strength training, sometimes called resistance training, is where you use resistance equipment, such as dumbbells, kettlebells, resistance machines, wall balls, to perform movements against force, (gravity).
Most everyday movements can be turned into strength training just by using dumbbells or even a weighted vest or backpack.
Now, I know we’re busy, there’s not enough hours in the day or enough hands to keep everything and everyone in check all the time. And somehow, between breakfast, the school run, work, commuting home, dinner, bath time, fitting exercise in can be a struggle.
The government and NHS recommend 150 minutes of moderate physical activity every week for adults, with 2 days a week minimum, being exercise that involves strength training.
Keep reading to find easy ways to fit this in, or learn more about High Intensity Interval Training and how I incorporate this into my exercise routine.
Why should parents strength train?
As parents, we can strength train in multiple ways, getting to the gym for a session, doing home workouts with weights, resistance bands or using the kids (honestly, they will love it too, and it keeps them busy for a bit!), setting up an obstacle course with your kids or doing a bodyweight circuit with furniture you have around your house or garden.
Exercising in this way helps to give us a physical and mental challenge a few times week, boosting self-confidence and a feeling of a sense of achievement. It can help to release stress and tension in a healthy way, promote physical and mental health, as well as being a role model for our children and helping them incorporate exercise into their lifestyles.
Strength training, and especially doing exercises that mimic movements that you do in everyday life, such as climbing the stairs, picking up your kids, carrying the shopping bags out of the car, baby carrying, or carrying the kids and all their stuff, will help you perform those everyday tasks easier, with less pain and with better posture awareness. So you will be stronger and fitter for your life and all the challenges it brings.
Read on to find out the physiological benefits.
Benefits of strength training
Resistance training has many physiological benefits for everyone, some of which include:
an increase in muscle mass and lean muscle tissue in the body - muscles need more energy to work so calorie expenditure is higher. Additionally, this means body fat reduces, so you are able to see more lean muscle tissue
adaptations in muscle fibres - when performed over long periods of time, some slow twitch muscles have the ability to mimic characteristics of fast twitch fibres, giving them a greater capacity for force
increase in tendon strength - again when performed over a substantial period of time, tendons are able to tolerate the amount of load and demand placed upon them, making them stronger and reducing the risk of injury to them, as the joint becomes more stable
postural improvements - with muscular strength improvements, muscular imbalances can even out so the right muscles are working at the right time, with an appropriate load. Body awareness also improves, which can help you to feel how you are standing and moving and know when something doesn’t feel right
A reduced risk of osteoporosis - regular strength training helps to increase the density of bones, especially the mineral calcium deposited within the bones
Example strength workout
Here is an example full body strength workout in the hypertrophy phase:
A - Squats 4x10
B1 - Bench Press 4x10
B2 - Bent Over Row 4x10
C1 - Step Ups 4x10 each leg
C2 - Glute Bridges 4x10
D1 - Plank 3x30 seconds
D2 - Kettlebell Marches - 3x10 each side
Here is an upperbody focused workout in the hypertrophy phase:
A - Chin ups 3 x til failure
B1 - Overhead Press 3x10
B2 - Seated Row 3x10
B3 - Face Pulls 3x10
C1 - Bicep Curls 3x10
C2 - Tricep Extensions 3x10
D1 - Russian Twists 3x10
D2 - Leg Raises 3x10
Here is a workout I have done many times holding my baby or toddler:
A1 - Squats 4x12
A2 - Reverse Lunges 4x12 each leg
B - Overhead Press 3x12
C - Goodmornings 4x12
D1 - Russian Twists 3x12 each side
D2 - Leg Raises 3x12
Example strength split
Here is an example strength split over one week with 5 training sessions:
Monday - Full body
Tuesday - Lower body
Wednesday - Rest
Thursday - Upper body
Friday - Core
Saturday - Full body
Sunday - Rest
Strength training three times a week might look like this:
Monday - Full body
Tuesday - Rest
Wednesday - Full body
Thursday - Rest
Friday - Rest
Saturday Full body
Sunday - Rest
Why I strength train
Being in the fitness industry for over a decade now, I truly know how important resistance training is and how it helps people.
Since having my two kids, strength training has been such a physical and mental challenge for me, but it is a love-hate relationship with it.
It feels so hard doing it, especially when it comes to increasing the weights, but I know how good I feel afterwards. Also, I know that by doing it, I can pick up and carry my kids when I need to, tandem carry them on hikes, push them up steep hills in the buggy, throw them up and down, and keep up with them playing football!
Strength training has made me feel, and look, how I remember my body before kids, but it has also helped me know that my body has changed, and now I have new goals and targets to reach.
As you can see, the benefits of strength training for parents are incredible.
20 minutes, 30 minutes or 60 minutes at least twice a week can help you achieve your fitness goals, keep healthy and active, as well as being a great role model for your kids to see.
Here are ten core exercises to include into your strength training programme.
https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/physical-activity-guidelines-for-adults-aged-19-to-64/
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-matters-getting-every-adult-active-every-day/health-matters-getting-every-adult-active-every-day