man looking at camera in the gyn

Why is strength important?

Strength is one of the most important pillars and is needed to achieve almost anything in life.

I’m very careful about using the term ‘need‘. Because it can sometimes put guilt on a person and we’ve enough of that in our lives (especially if you are Irish).

However, if you are reading this post, you likely care about most if not all of the following:

  • Looking good
  • Feeling good
  • Performing in work or life
  • Having a healthy mind and body
  • Possessing the above for as long as possible

If so, no matter your age or background you need to have strength of mind and body if you want to achieve any of these things.

What is strength?

  • Building the resilience and capacity of mind to take on any stresses that come your way so you can perform at the level you want. Building the foundational mobility and strength of body to mitigate any potential health or physical challenge or take on any physical pursuit in the future.
man doing bench press secured by the trainer

Background

I was never particularly sporty or athletic as a kid, I tried (painfully) but it wasn’t until I was in my 20s when I was shown that physical (and mental) capacity was open to everyone. Not being physically ‘fit’ had an effect on not just my body but my mind as I lacked confidence and comfort in who I was.

One thing that made me write off the possibility of being physically capable, was that being physically fit was classed as being good in an endurance activity (running/swimming/sports). But this isn’t physical capacity, this is just being able to perform in one way, it will make you better at that activity (to a point) but it doesn’t mean you can do any of these things:

  • Look good (most don’t have an effect on building muscle or sustainable fat loss)
  • Feel good (usually the feel good effects last during the activity but wear off quickly after)
  • Prevent injury (you won’t build resilience to falls or breaks now or in the future as you only use your own bodyweight)
  • Build capacity to hard challenges in life

My Belief

I believe there are 3 pillars to becoming your best self of which strength is one of them.

What I’ve seen over the last 15 years of working in this industry when it comes to physical fitness, strength is lumped in with endurance activities, as if there is an option between them. There is no option, if you aren’t addressing your strength, you aren’t physically capable.


I’m not saying to not do any of these activities, it’s good to move and enjoy it, but have strength as your foundation to allow you do them and have the opportunity in the future.

To achieve your goals are you just ticking off an endurance box or are you really building the foundation needed?

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