Strength is back as a hot trend: Technogym launches Biostrength

Strength training – or resistance training – is that macro-category of anaerobic exercise which implies muscle activity to oppose an external load. The basic mechanism at the core of strength training involves using muscle strength to fight back an external resistance: barbell weights, dumbbells, kettlebells or any gym equipment specific for certain muscle groups. In undergoing such dynamic, stimulated muscles go through a series of micro-damages, which are then fixed and repaired by the body through proteins. Over time, the loads used will have to be gradually increased to ensure a growing stimulation and the consequent adaptation of the body and muscle structure: with consistency, the end result is a bigger and stronger muscle.

After strength training’s golden age in the 80s, in recent years its trend is living a huge comeback. Strength training doesn’t necessarily mean powerlifting and bodybuilding, though. In fact, besides the aesthetic reasons linked to muscle definition and appearance, the causes of this return are to be traced in physical wellbeing and in a better quality of life: strength training boosts bone density, muscle endurance and texture, it improves metabolism, general posture, ligaments, tendons and joints condition, cardiovascular and nervous health, it helps balance body composition (lean mass / fat mass / muscle mass); strength training also enhances all sports performance, making you faster and more athletic, and it also gives a great contribution in post-injury recovery and physical reconditioning.

It goes without saying that working on strength is particularly important for sportsmen and sportswomen, as it greatly reduces the risk of injury and allows them to reach the ultimate peak of speed and athleticism. Strength training boosts all kinds of performance, even those not strictly related to endurance. As a matter of fact, within the fitness and sport contexts, strength is often referred to as the ‘mother of all qualities’, as muscle strength is the basis of the skills related to all sporting movements (both of sporting professionals and enthusiasts): it’s fundamental to overcome resistance, to become faster and more resilient and to develop endurance and stamina.

At the same time, training the body’s strength is fundamental for the elderly (>70), as it’s the most effective way to fight the age-specific and natural tendency to physical weakness, linked to muscle mass loss. Adding moderate/mild strength training sessions – prescribed by a doctor and guided by a trainer – to older people’s routines essentially decreases the likelihood of injury and makes it possible for them to live an active life, longer.

A widespread false myth of the fitness scene also sees cardiovascular training as the first and most effective choice to lose weight and get a leaner body. Actually, resistance training is a great tool to achieve these goals as well, as it greatly helps reduce excess body fat, both through actual exercise session and through after-burn – also known as EPOC (Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption) – which refers to the calories that the body continues to burn even after exercising. As already mentioned, strength training also activates the metabolism and balances body composition, meaning that it might be more effective than you think to lose weight and burn calories, even at rest.

Biostrength: the next-generation strength training equipment

One of the main hassles of resistance training is arranging the correct load, how fast to go with your movement, knowing how many repetitions are advisable for your goals, how log to rest. The answer to reach the best possible performance during your strength sessions is Technogym’s brand-new Biostrength.

Thanks to its artificial intelligence and the brand’s signature research in innovation, Biostrength adapts to you and guides you, ensuring up to 30% better results in the same amount of time, if compared to traditional training. Biostrength allows you to train with the right given load, range of motion, correct posture, speed of execution and even indicates the number of sets, repetitions and optimal recovery times. The patented Biodrive system – which uses aerospace technology – offers 6 different types of resistance, improving the effectiveness of your exercise depending on the goal you want to achieve.

Biostrength includes 4 programmes depending on your target: to develop muscle mass, to train power, to increase strength and to tone muscles. As a matter of fact, there’s much more than meets the eye behind resistance training theory and strength dynamics, and Biostrength is a great example of how to work with different types of muscular strength: maximal force is the maximum amount of strength we are able to express with a single repetition, and corresponds to the highest weight we are able to lift by performing a single movement; explosive force is the ability to express a peak force in the shortest amount of time, such as in a sprint or a jump, and it expresses the body's neuromuscular ability to adapt quickly to a stimulus; strength endurance represents our body's ability to withstand a prolonged workload and resistance, i.e. during sports performances that are not of short duration, as in cycling or rowing.

Biodrive also recognises when you’re too tired and the spotter function automatically reduces the load to allow you to complete the set, and it gives you reward badges as you achieve new goals to keep you motivated and to encourage you to improve: strength training, made easier than ever.