3 Reasons Strength Training Should Be a Non-Negotiable Part of Your Routine
By Coach Keller
At Evergreen Strength, we know our members love to get outside, move their bodies, and get their heart rate up. Whether you’re riding singletrack, skiing Baker, running local trails, or backpacking in the mountains, chances are you’re already getting plenty of cardiovascular exercise. But there’s another essential piece of the fitness puzzle: strength training.
We recently switched our Mountain Strength classes from twice a week, to three days a week, giving you more opportunities to focus on the lifts and accessory movements that build a stronger foundation for everything else you do.
Why the shift? Well, because we believe strength training deserves a more prominent place in your weekly routine. Here are three reasons why:
1. Become a Stronger, More Capable Athlete
Cardio builds endurance, but it doesn’t replace strength. Building muscle and improving your ability to produce force can help you perform better in the activities you love.
Research shows that increased strength training can improve running economy, meaning runners use less energy to maintain a given pace. It can also improve important performance measures in endurance athletes, including muscular strength and power.
What does that mean for you? More power on the bike, better control on technical ski terrain, greater pulling strength for climbing, and a stronger foundation for tackling challenging trails. Accessory movements also help address weaknesses and build strength in the muscles that support your primary lifts and sport-specific movements.
Almost all of us have imbalances in our bodies. This can be a result of old injuries or simply from having a dominant side. Over time, these imbalances will continue to grow if we don’t address the muscle groups individually. This is why we do so many unilateral movements at Evergreen (think single-arm press, single-leg romanian deadlift, etc.). This helps us find the weaker muscles in our body and ask them to help us out a little more.
This means more holistic strength and power, and less time nursing a tweak in our back or shoulder.
The takeaway: Strength training doesn’t compete with your favorite activities. It helps better prepare you for them.
2. Build Stronger Bones and Support Healthy Aging
Strength isn’t just about being strong or looking jacked today. It’s an investment in your future body as well. (Old and jacked? Now we’re talking…)
Resistance training places mechanical stress on your bones, which helps stimulate the processes that maintain bone strength and density. It also builds and preserves muscle mass, supports balance, and helps you maintain the ability to perform everyday tasks as you age.
These benefits matter whether you’re carrying a heavy pack, hauling skis, lifting a child, moving furniture, or simply wanting to stay independent and active for decades to come. The goal is to build a body that continues to serve you well throughout your life so you can keep playing long after everyone says you can’t.
The takeaway: The strength you build today helps support the active life you want to lead tomorrow.
3. Invest in Your Long-Term Health
Even if you’re already logging plenty of miles and getting your heart rate up regularly, strength training offers additional health benefits that aerobic exercise alone may not provide.
The World Health Organization recommends that adults perform muscle-strengthening activities involving all major muscle groups at least two days per week, alongside their regular aerobic activity. This recommendation is based on evidence that combining the two types of exercise provides additional health benefits.
The research backs it up. A 2022 systematic review and meta-analysis published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, which examined 16 studies, found that 30–60 minutes of strength training per week was associated with the greatest reduction in risk of premature death, cardiovascular disease, and total cancer. At these levels, the estimated risk was approximately 10–20% lower, while diabetes risk also declined with 60 minutes per week of strength training.
These findings suggest that strength training offers meaningful benefits beyond simply improving performance. Regular resistance training helps maintain muscle mass and physical function, while supporting a more resilient body as you age.
In other words, being aerobically fit is excellent, but it isn't the whole picture. Building and maintaining strength is another important way to invest in your long-term health.
The takeaway: A well-rounded fitness routine trains your heart and lungs and your muscles. Aim for at least two days of strength training each week to support both your athletic goals and your health for years to come.
Make Strength Part of Your Week
You don’t need to give up your rides, runs, ski days, or climbing sessions. And it’s not that those activities aren’t valuable. They’re just not the full picture. Make sure to make room for the type of training those activities can’t replace.
Our Monday, Wednesday, and Friday strength classes give you dedicated time to work on your major lifts, develop holistic strength, and build a more capable and powerful body .
You put in the miles. You get outside. You challenge your cardiovascular system. Now let’s make sure you’re building the strength to keep doing all of it for years to come.
See you in strength class! 💪
