Mike James examines two important but often neglected aspects of physical fitness

To many people, the terms strength and muscular endurance seem interchangeable. Both evoke images of strong, muscular bodies straining sweat glistening torsos of Schwarzeneger proportions while furiously pumping iron.

Although closely related, there is a subtle difference between the two. Strength may be defined as the force a muscle or muscle group can exert against resistance in one maximal effort. A weight lifter pressing a heavy barbell above the head, Dean Lukin style, is a classic example of strength.

Muscular endurance is the ability of a muscle group to perform repeated contractions against a light load for an extended period of time. A person in the gym performing high repetition bench presses or high speed extended drill on a speed-ball is demonstrating muscular endurance. In a sporting context Olympian Stephen Moneghetti displays excellent levels of both aerobic and muscular endurance in completing the gruelling 42 kilometres marathon run.

So by their strictest definitions, strength implies a short maximal effort and muscular endurance requires repeated efforts over an extended duration. While our two examples (Dean Lukin -(1984 Los Angeles version, not the 1992 svelte model) and Stephen Moneghetti, are extreme opposites, the average sports performer requires a balance of both strength and muscular endurance. This balance will depend on the nature of the event.

Australia's Gold Medal 1500 metre swimmer Kieran Perkins requires strength to spring powerfully from the starting blocks and to surge ahead at various points of the race. He also requires great muscular endurance to maintain his stroke while resisting fatigue. The same applies to our gold medal winning "Oarsome Foursome" rowing combination.

Strength and Muscular Endurance for the Average Person.

While strength and muscular endurance is necessary for these elite olympians, what about the average person just looking for a little bit of extra fitness and conditioning?

In today's highly automated society, it appears there is little need to be physically strong. For many of us the only time we require minimal levels of physical strength is when we hang out the washing or take out the garbage. Some people claim to get enough strength by pilling up bills and jumping to conclusions!

Why then should we include a strength and muscular endurance component into our fitness program? Isn't aerobic and flexibility work enough? After all who ever dies from a small bicep anyway? True enough, but there are practical situations where strength and muscular endurance can be very important. Let me illustrate this with a personal anecdote.

My brother's job as an airline pilot requires him to be in good physical condition. Like all pilots he has to pass a yearly medical examination which monitors his weight, blood pressure and aerobic fitness. While he is not a fitness fanatic, he jogs regularly and watches his diet.

For years he ridiculed the pursuit and maintenance of strength via weight training and traditional exercise like push ups and sit ups. "Why do people waste their time doing those things?", he would say. "That's only for mirror watchers, all you need to get fit is a pair of runners and two legs".

Strong sentiments -however, sentiments he was to rue dearly one day after taking his outboard motor boat out to sea for a spot of fishing. About one kilometre from shore the automatic motor stalled. To start it again he needed to pull the motor's rip-cord. While the strength required to do this is only minimal, my brother simply couldn't find the upper body strength to start the motor.

After five or six attempts his shoulders, arms and chest were fatigued. Suddenly he was in a life threatening situation. On dry land the kilometre back to shore would have been comfortably covered with a five or six minute jog. But out at sea, he was in a sink or swim situation. Even though he was a good swimmer in his youth, he was now too tired to attempt a one kilometre swim. Fortunately he was spotted by a passing fisherman who started the boat manually with one swift pull of the rip-cord.

Even though this is a fairly extreme example it indicates the practical implications of including strength and muscular endurance components into our personal fitness program.

On a daily basis, manual tasks are made easier by this form of training. You will be able to tackle jobs like painting, gardening and moving furniture without suffering undue aches and pains in muscles you didn't know existed. You only need to visit a doctor's or physiotherapist's waiting room on Monday mornings to see how people suffer from these traditional weekend activities.

How to Improve Strength and Muscular Endurance

Research indicates that the best way to increase strength and endurance is by some form of progressive resistance training (P.R.T.) The most common and effective form of P.R.T. is weight training. A properly structured weight training program can increase strength by employing heavier weights with a lower repetition range ie: 4 to 8 reps. Muscular endurance can be improved by utilising lower weights with higher repetitions ie: 10 -20 reps.

The advantage weight training has over other forms of strength training is it's capacity for progressive overload. This means that once a muscle or muscle group adapts to a particular weight and repetition range, the weight can be increased thereby overloading the muscle and causing it to work harder, resulting in increased strength levels.

The best way to increase strength and endurance is by some form of progressive resistance training. The most common and effective form is weight raining.

This is not meant to totally decry pushups, sit-ups, chinups and the more traditional forms of strength training. These can prove a very useful adjunct to a fitness program, particularly for people with a limited time-frame or no access to weight training equipment.

The traditional boxer's speed-ball is another very useful training apparatus. Patience is required for beginners but once you establish a rhythm it is an excellent way to improve hand/ eye co-ordination and power in the arms and shoulders. The speedball also has many other sporting applications and is used extensively in training by sprinters requiring faster arm action and by racquet sports people to improve reflexes and timing.

The extent to which you train for strength and muscular endurance will depend on the time you have available and your specific fitness/sports goals. For the average person, 10 -20 minutes of weight training, speed-ball or calisthenics done in a cross-training format with aerobic and flexibility work three times per week, will provide a good balance approach to physical fitness.

Before embarking on weight training or any type of strength program, consult a qualified physical educator who is experienced in progressive resistance training. He or she will be able to set realistic goals for your body type and ensure that you balance muscle groups using correct exercise techniques.