What Are The Benefits Of Muscular Strength & Endurance?

Muscular strength is how much weight you can lift for one repetition, typically using the bench press or the squat exercise. Muscular endurance is defined as how many reps you can do, usually measured with sit-ups or push-ups. The American College of Sports Medicine encourages you to participate in a strength training program at least two days a week to reduce your risks of diseases such as osteoporosis and diabetes.

Increased Bone Mass

Moderate-intensity, muscular endurance training, or lifting 60 percent of the one rep max for several repetitions, increases bone mass in children. Moderate-intensity training helps to maintain bone mass and decrease the rate of bone loss in adults. Muscular strength training is a very high intensity form of weight training. Increase your bone mass by lifting very heavy weights, heavy enough you can only do between one and six repetitions of an exercise. Heavy resistance training increases bone mineral density of the hip and spine in postmenopausal women compared to moderate-intensity training.

Increases Muscle Mass

You begin to lose your muscle by the age of 30. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, this muscle loss is most noticeable around your 50th birthday. In his article, "Training for Independence," Thomas Mahady reports you will lose nearly 25 percent of your total muscle mass and strength, and possibly another 25 percent when you turn 90. Muscular strength and endurance training reduces your rate of muscle loss, and even increases your muscle mass if you lift sufficiently heavy weights. Use heavy enough weights so you can only complete between six and 12 repetitions to build your muscle mass.

Decreased Risk of Falls and Fractures

According to a 2009 article by Angela Fern, published by the American College of Sports Medicine, falls are the leading cause of injury death and disability for those 65 years and older in the United States. Muscular strength and endurance training improves joint stability and reaction in all age groups, but is most important among the elderly because they are more at risk of fracturing their bones when they fall.

Improved Functional Capacity

Functional capacity is defined as your ability to perform your everyday activities such as bathing, eating, housework, gardening and working. If you fracture your bones when you fall, your ability to perform your daily tasks are hampered. When you lose your muscle, it will be much harder to carry the same amount of groceries at 65 years old compared to when you were 30. Your muscles, bones, joints and internal organs naturally deteriorate with age. Prevent and reduce the rate of such deterioration by regularly engaging in a muscular strength and muscular endurance training program.