University News

Want to ‘strengthmaxx’? Start with these 3 simple moves

A uniquely spelled suffix is having a moment. “Maxxing,” as in maximizing, is appearing after all sorts of words. There’s “sleepmaxxing,” when people lean into their sleep routines with sound machines, cool, dark bedrooms and stretching. There’s “careermaxxing,” with people maximizing networking, job hopping and thinking strategically about their professional lives.

Now there is “strengthmaxxing,” lifting weights and doing resistance training to the “max” in the name of health and longevity.

Portraits of Erica Perkins and Jackie Lebeau.

Erica Perkins, left, is executive director of UVA Rec. Jackie Lebeau is UVA Rec’s senior director of fitness. (Left photo by Matt Riley, University Communications; right photo contributed)

“There’s been tons and tons of research associated with cardiovascular exercise and the benefits that it produces,” Erica Perkins, executive director of UVA Rec at the University of Virginia, said. “And now, there’s starting to be an equal amount of research being put toward the benefits of muscular strength training.”

The American College of Sports Medicine, Perkins noted, just released a position paper saying, “Healthy adults should perform progressive resistance training.” The organization recommends healthy adults do this activity at least twice a week, but doesn’t specify duration because there are so many variables, like a person’s physical health, the time they have to exercise and how much, if any, weight they can bear.

The professional advice of Perkins and Jackie Lebeau, UVA Rec’s senior director of fitness, comes in handy here.

“In all things fitness, there’s always these trends or new buzzwords, and sometimes it’s really just the same thing. It’s just a new word,” Perkins said. But she and Lebeau say it’s still a great motivator to get moving.

Squat, lunge, push up. Repeat

“Everybody’s lifestyle and schedule and preferences are so different that we try to tailor things for those individuals for what they can sustain,” Perkins stressed. “If all you have is 10 minutes, then we’re gonna figure out how to make the most of those 10 minutes.”

“There are five basic movements in the human body: the push, the pull, the squat, a one-legged move and then a twist,” Lebeau added.

Squats, lunges and push-ups are foundational, she said, because they condition bodies for real-life movement patterns, like reaching for something in the cabinet above your refrigerator.

Move

“We sit and stand all day, so making sure that you’re maintaining the lower body strength to do that particular motion is really important,” Lebeau said.

So get squatting. To do the movement, she said, from a standing position, sit back, like you’re settling into a chair.

“A squat should be conducted with a person’s weight back in their hips and heels,” Lebeau said. Squats can be modified for hip or knee issues by reducing depth, adjusting the stance, using a support, and keeping the resistance light, allowing people to build strength safely.

Illustration of the proper form for a squat.

(Illustration by Tobias Wilbur, University Communications)

Perkins’ and Lebeau’s second favorite move is the lunge. Perkins describes a lunge as essentially a single-leg squat. To do it, stand tall, step one foot forward, and lower until both knees bend – front thigh parallel to the floor, back knee toward the floor. Keep your torso upright, then push through your front heel to stand back up.

Illustration of the proper form for a lunge.

(Illustration by Tobias Wilbur, University Communications)

Lunges help build strength, stability and coordination in ways that mirror everyday movements. And like squats, they can be modified by changing the range of motion, using supports like the back of a chair or a ballet bar.

Finally, the fitness experts recommend the malleable push-up. For the standard movement, begin in a plank position, slowly lower your chest to the floor, bending your elbows, and push through your hands to return to the starting position. Modifications include doing push-ups on your knees or standing push-ups using either a stable chair or the wall.