Years ago when you did a certain sport, weight training was taboo. You might have been scared it would make you slower, less agile or get you injured. Most people thought weight lifting was for the body builders and power lifters or the defensive line in football. Athletes focusing on distance thought only their aerobic system needed to be worked to get better. That’s part of it and I will explain. We have three energy systems in our body — aerobic and two types of anaerobic.

Aerobic is exercising with oxygen. Your intake and usage are the same. You feel like you can go on forever but not at a fast pace. It moves distance runners, swimmers and cyclists through most of their races. It’s a low power, long endurance energy system which is fueled by oxygen and fat (glycogen and lipids).

Then there is the anaerobic system, which is broken down into two systems: anaerobic glycolytic and ATP.

Anaerobic glycolytic gives you powerful strength endurance between 10 seconds and two minutes. An example can be a 200M sprint, freestyle swim or 800M run.

ATP (adenosine triphosphate) system gives you short-term power between 8-10 seconds. An example can be a 50M swim, 100M sprint, power lifting, throwing a javelin or shotput. These systems are fueled with byproducts from ATP, food and phosphocreatine.

Fortunately, we have come a long way, including strength training in most sports. Even Galen Rupp, American bronze medalist in the marathon at the Olympic Games in Rio De Janeiro, has mentioned in other articles that his strength training got him the strength, speed and endurance to become as strong as he is now. More and more, you see young athletes and adults add strength training to their workout regimen and seeing great benefits because of doing so.

Strength training for athletes does need to be sports specific. I have seen it too many times when athletes “hit the gym” with non-specific strength training and they get slower and less agile in their sport. So it is very important to get with a certified trainer or coach who is helping you in setting up your workout for your specific needs. Even if you are not competing because you are a recreational athlete, one of the best benefits of strength training, in my eyes, is that it minimizes the stress on connective tissues of your musculoskeletal system, which are your ligaments, tendons and cartilage. And, it makes the entire support system more durable. And, as I mentioned last week, if you don’t use it, you lose it! So why not add strength training into your workout regimen whether you are an athlete or not. The benefits are great!

Ester H Marsh Health & Fitness Director JF Hurley Family YMCA