Promotion of strength training

Abstract

The health benefits of strength training have been well established by numerous intervention studies. Based on such studies, current physical activity guidelines recommend strength training to improve public health. However, previous reviews have not focused on the behavioral aspects of strength training. Thus, this chapter briefly reviews research trends in the prevalence and correlates of strength training, and interventions to promote strength-training behavior. Previous studies have reported 3.9–21 % of the populations in each country engage in strength-training behavior. Recent studies have begun to reveal the environmental correlates of strength-training behavior (e.g., access to strength-training facilities), as well as socio-demographic and psychosocial correlates (e.g., age, perceived health benefits, and barriers to participation). Although a community-wide campaign has been reported, intervention studies to promote strength-training behavior are limited. Further well-designed observational studies examining correlates of strength-training behavior and large-scale intervention trials are warranted to confirm effective strategies to promote strength-training behavior.