Strength and Muscle Building Deconstructed

Simply put, strength training or strength conditioning is building and maintaining the muscles which support your body - the stronger you are, presumably the easier it will be for yourself to cart your own carcass around on a day to day basis. Incorporating sit ups or push ups, or lifting traditional free weights is obviously a great way to remain trim (lose fat and reduce weight), gain lean muscle mass, increase strength and even reduce stress.

The more lean muscle you have, the more calories your body will consume on a day to day basis maintaining your body's equilibrium state. Once you get to a certain level of fitness, your body has a miraculous way of "remembering" that level of fitness through muscle memory. Of course, this highly depends on your dietary habits and what you are eating in order to supplement your muscles.

In order to build a strong foundation of strength, obviously the proper exercises are required to develop and tone your strength. Sports specific movements are required for your muscles to fire in the same manner they would while competing in whatever sport you are participating in. Obviously, a top level skier would need to develop strength in a different manner than a swimmer or cyclist - but the fundamental purpose is exactly the same : gain strength and fitness for the task at hand. Of course this doesn't rule out the average population that simply wants to overall tone their bodies and acquire that healthy physique.