When many people hear the term “strengthening exercises”, they immediately think of heavy weights and challenging gym routines, but as the Guardian recently pointed out this couldn’t be further from the truth.
In fact, regularly doing some basic strengthening exercises in the comfort of your own home can make a significant difference to your body and help prevent injuries when you’re carrying out all manner of activities.
Physiotherapist Tristan Chai told the newspaper why it’s so important to spend some time strengthening your body, as well as exercising in other ways.
He explained that, if you go for a run but you have weak glutes and quads, then it’s your calf muscles that will be doing a lot of the work. This can result in you being “more sloppy” with your running technique and, in turn, that means your hip and knee joints will be absorbing more of the impact while you run.
“You want those muscles to be strong to support joints and also to optimise your movements,” he added.
The news provider stressed that it’s important to get specific advice about any exercises from a physiotherapist in Maidenhead, or wherever you live, especially if you have any pre-existing injuries, but introducing the likes of step-ups, bridges and calf raises to your exercise routine can have significant benefits to your strength.
As an article for ABC Money recently noted, having strong muscles also means your endurance and power will be improved, while strength training can also be important to help you recover after an injury.
