Your 2026 Mission! Build Muscle to Live Healthier for Longer
Over the last couple of years, lots of research has been published highlighting the importance of building and retaining strength as a key part of any fitness programme (* see references below).
Apart from the obvious immediate benefits, such as feeling healthier/stronger, reducing the risk of injury and aiding weight control, research is increasingly demonstrating that focusing on improving strength enables people to lead healthier lives well into old age – helping to delay conditions such as dementia and enable people to live mobile, independent lives for longer.
So what can you do in 2026 to help you improve your strength?
We have a number of suggestions for you!
New Gym Programme
Perhaps you had a gym programme designed for you when you joined the Club? Have you ever revisited and refreshed this? Our PTs are always happy to do a second induction for members and help you to incorporate strength work into your training schedule in a gradual and safe way. You can book your induction at Reception or by calling 01234 607111.
Personal Training
There is no better way to start to benefit from resistance training than by getting some expert help – especially if you are new to weights. Our PTs take the time to understand your goals and your needs (and any potential constraints due to prior injury, etc.) and will help to motivate you along the way.
You can book 30, 45 or 60 minute sessions, and packages are available from one session per month to two per week.
You can find details of all our PTs on the new App, including their contact details so you can contact them directly. Or you can always speak to them in the gym.
Strength Training Courses – Advanced and Beginner
We have been running a highly successful advanced weight training course for a couple of years, and PT Neeraj will be repeating his successful formula with another 8-week course in 2026.
We are also launching a new beginner course, for those that are completely or relatively new to weight training. Its content will be based around the advanced course, but it will last 6 weeks and be tailored specifically to allow more time to get participants up to speed.
Both courses will start in the first few months of 2026, and if you are interested to participate in either of them, you can register your interest by emailing our Fitness Manager on [email protected].
Body Pump Technique
Our Body Pump classes are a really fun way to introduce yourself to some strength work. If you have never done one before, and want to see what you are missing, then take a look at our Club Towers Live website on a Monday or a Saturday when we live stream “pump” from our high impact studio. Or you can now view them on these same days on our new app.
Because the classes are dynamic and fast-paced, it is really important to learn the correct lifting technique for each exercise. We help with this by running Body Pump Technique classes with Katy and Garry.
The next Body Pump Technique classes will run on Sunday 4th January (Garry) and Thursday 8th January (Katy) and these can be booked on the app 6 days in advance in the usual way. After this, the next classes will run at the start of February.
Core Strength and Other Classes
Building strength does not just mean bulging biceps and giant glutes! Core strength is equally important and should be the foundation of any training program. And we’re not just talking about washboard abs either! Our Les Mills Core classes focus on the whole trunk of the body, including some of the smaller muscles that stabilize our hips and knees, alongside the posterior chain (back of the body) to really “bullet proof” us.
Again, you can get a feel of what these classes involve on our Club Towers Live web-site or by viewing them on the new app.
Finally, our gym floor workouts are always hugely popular and normally include some weight-bearing exercises that will improve your overall body strength. These 30 minute classes are a great introduction to doing some strength work, and are available every day of the week.
Give Yourself a Challenge
One popular way to motivate yourself to take up strength training (and continue with it) is to set yourself a challenge. One popular challenge currently is Hyrox, which combines functional and cardio work so that you need to be both strong and fit. There are numerous events throughout the year across the country.
We hope you enjoy getting and feeling stronger in 2026! Don’t delay – take some action today!
Just a few of the many examples of research on this topic:
- All-Cause Mortality Reduction: A comprehensive meta-analysis published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that individuals who engaged in weight lifting had a 9% to 22% lower risk of dying during the study period compared to those who did not. When combined with aerobic exercise, this risk reduction was even greater, up to 41% to 47%.
- Optimal Dosage: Another meta-analysis, also in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, suggested that performing approximately 30 to 60 minutes of muscle-strengthening activities per week was associated with the maximum reduction in all-cause mortality risk, with diminishing returns (or a plateau) at very high volumes. Public health guidelines, such as those from the World Health Organization, recommend at least two sessions of muscle-strengthening activities per week.
- JAMA Network Open (2022) – Older adults doing strength training at least twice a week had significantly lower all-cause mortality risk.
- American Journal of Preventative Medicine (2022) – 30 to 60 minutes of strength training per week is associated with up to a 20% lower risk of premature death.
