Strength training is an important aspect of military fitness and resilience. Building muscle through strength and endurance training can increase bone density, improve balance and stability, and reduce your risk for injury. There are several training options for getting strong: free weights, machine weights, body-weight exercises, and/or circuit training are all effective strategies for building muscle. For more details, read HPRC’s Performance Strategies for Muscular Strength. If you have never done a resistance-training program, learn the proper form first by working out with a professional instructor, which will keep you injury-free and help you choose a program you can stick with. Training for the PFT/PRT? Read more about building muscular strength and endurance for optimal test results.

Part of a comprehensive fitness program involves improving your muscular strength and endurance. One way to figure out how much weight you should be lifting is to determine your one-repetition maximum (1RM). The American College of Sports Medicine recommends lifting 8–12 repetitions of 60-80% of a person’s 1RM to improve muscular strength and endurance. However, doing a 1RM test isn’t always feasible or safe if you don’t have someone to spot you. Instead, try using this this quick-and-easy calculator to estimate what your 1RM should be for a given exercise.

A 2011 study of musculoskeletal injuries in an Infantry Brigade Combat Team deployed to Afghanistan found that mechanical low back pain, which results from stress and strain on the back, was the most common diagnosis. Overuse was the most common cause. Fortunately there are measures you can take to decrease your chance of injuring the muscles and ligaments of your back and spine. Stretching can reduce and help prevent lower back pain, but it’s also important to be careful with posture and lifting techniques. Look at the Everyday Solutions offered by the Mayo Clinic. The University of Maryland and the American Council on Exercise also offer valuable tips for prevention. If you are experiencing back pain, you need to see a qualified healthcare professional for an accurate diagnosis and exercise program.

At some point or another, your child or teen might pick up those dumbbells you have lying around the house. They’ve seen you lift weights as part of your regular exercise routine and decided they want to get stronger too. But you might wonder if strength training is safe for your kids.

Lifting the size weights you use might be too much for kids and teens, but in general strength training (also referred to as resistance training) can be a safe and healthy way to improve muscular fitness for children and teens, starting as early as seven or eight years old, when their coordination skills have developed enough. The goal should be improving muscular fitness while having fun and learning effective training methods.

As a parent you need to make sure your kids are supervised and receiving age-appropriate and skilled instructions in order to reduce the risk of injury. With proper technique and safe practices, strength training is not dangerous for growing bodies. However, light weights, exercise bands, or your child’s own body weight should be used to build his or her strength. Currently, there are no specific guidelines for exactly how much lifting they should do. However, according to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) one to three sets of six to 15 repetitions, two to three times per week is considered reasonable.

Resistance training is not the same as bodybuilding, weightlifting, or powerlifting, which are associated with competition, high intensity, and maximum weights. The American Academy of Pediatrics and ACSM are opposed to children using these methods or the use of "one-rep-max" (a method sometimes used to assess strength) due to the increased risk for injury.

While a medical examination is not mandatory, it is recommended for children who want to begin a strength-training program. And remember that strength training is something you can do with your children. Family fitness is a great way to keep you and your child healthy and active while you spend quality time together.

When you begin a resistance training program, how do you know how much weight you should be lifting? Most muscular fitness programs are designed around lifting a percentage of your maximum strength.

The first step in this process is to determine what your maximum strength is. A popular technique for assessing muscular strength is the one-repetition maximum test (1RM), or the maximum amount of weight you can press once but not twice. Alternatively, multiple repetition tests can be performed as a reliable estimate of maximum strength. One study found that a five- repetition test was the most accurate, but no more than 10 reps should be used to estimate strength. This instructional video will demonstrate the ACSM protocol for a 1RM test. This protocol can also be applied to a multiple-repetition test. For example, determine the maximum amount of weight you are able to lift five times, but not six times, for a five-rep max test. If you have doubts about whether this is the right test for you, be sure to consult your doctor.

The second step is to determine what percentage of your 1RM, in weight, you should use to improve your muscular strength and endurance. Typically, improvements in muscular strength are seen when using 60-80% of your 1RM. Increased muscular endurance is achieved using about 50% of your 1RM. Read more on muscular fitness and more details on how to train for each here. Once you have assessed your maximum strength, use this conversion chart from the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) to determine percentages of your 1RM.

Happy lifting!