The research is clear: Maintaining our muscle mass is key to supporting health and longevity. As we age, we naturally begin to lose lean muscle mass if we don't do anything to develop and maintain it. Strength training can help you preserve and build muscle mass at any age, supporting you in:

• Maintaining a higher metabolic rate, helping with weight management and preventing weight gain

• Maintaining bone health, reducing risk for osteoporosis and bone fractures

• Supporting joint health by fortifying critical connective tissue, like tendons and ligaments

• Having better mobility and function in daily life

• Preventing and/or better managing chronic conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and arthritis

• Reducing risk of falls

Slow-motion strength training is an effective, efficient and safe way to build muscle and strength while reducing the risk of injury. It does this in a variety of ways:

• Increased time under tension

  Slower movements keep muscles under load for longer, stimulating muscle growth more effectively than faster reps. 

• Enhanced muscle fiber activation

  Slow movements force muscles to work harder through the entire range of motion, activating more muscle fibers. 

• Improved form

  Slow and controlled movements help maintain proper form, reducing the risk of injury. 

• Fewer reps at a slower speed

  The amount of load placed on the muscle can be equal to or greater than more reps at a moderate pace. 

• Safety increases

  The slow pace limits the amount of resistance used, which decreases the risk of injury. 

No prior weightlifting experience is needed. Slow-motion strength training is effective for people at any point in their fitness journey, from professional athletes to people becoming physically active for the first time. Jeff has extensive experience working with people at all different levels of fitness and is adept at tailoring a program that will best fit your individual needs. The specialized and medical grade weight machines, combined with the slow and facilitated method of training help ensure that each client works their muscles properly in order to get strong and avoid injury.

While this certainly is an option, the research clearly shows that lifting weights with supervision leads to more strength gains in a shorter amount of time. Working with an experienced personal trainer will help you to achieve the right level of effort while at the same time ensuring proper form to help you prevent injury. Working with a personal trainer can also support you with consistency by providing additional accountability so you can stay on track with your fitness goals, even if you lead a busy life with competing priorities.

A common misconception about heavy weight training, especially among women, is that lifting heavy weights will lead to a bulky-looking physique. While lifting heavy can promote hypertrophy in muscles, leading to a size increase, the biggest determining factor is your genetics in determining muscle size. A lot of the initial muscle gains happen during the first year of strength training. In general, lean muscle mass is quite hard to develop and maintain, especially if you are over the age of 40.

Absolutely! The research suggests that strength training is one of the most important things you can do to rehab current injuries and prevent future ones. At Anchor Strength, we use state of the art medical grade equipment and careful supervision to ensure safe results.

Yes! The slow-motion strength training that you do at Anchor Strength will ensure that you get the absolute most out of every minute of your workout.