‘Strength training’ is a term used for any exercise routines which are dedicated to increasing muscle size, strength and staying power. This could involve stomach crunches, bench presses or deep squats. In general, strength training will help you massively with your body building gains as you will last longer and perform better in the gym. Additionally, it’s what will cause the most obvious alterations to your body shape and tone.

Strength training is great for combating muscle loss, which on average is between six and eight pounds every decade after your twenties. It also increases bone density since everything gets stronger to deal with the additional load bearing of weights. Long term, this will also help with relieving joints, preventing arthritis and reducing the pain that it can cause. Putting on muscle will keep your body fat down too, as maintaining a pound of muscle takes more energy than a pound of fat. This in turn keeps your metabolism boosted, so you’ll be working out even when you’re sitting around. Since strength training works out your whole body’s core, it’s also one of the best remedies for lowering back pain.