How Much Strength Do You Really Need?
Well… how much quality of life would you like?
Strength isn’t just about lifting heavy weights—it’s about resilience, independence, and thriving through life – both the daily movement and activity, along with the challenges. The more strength you build, the more freedom and longevity you create for yourself.
At APEX PWR, we believe strength training isn’t just for athletes—it’s for everyone who wants to stay strong, active, and independent for life. This week’s article highlights how strength can act as your retirement fund.
Strength as a Reserve: Your Retirement Fund for Life
Think of muscle strength like a savings account.
🔹 The more you deposit (train) earlier in the life, the bigger your strength reserve later.
🔹 The more you have saved (maintained), the better you handle life’s unexpected expenses (injuries, illness, aging).
🔹 If you have too little saved, you might struggle when life throws challenges your way.
🔹 Challenges aside, strength makes daily movements like standing up and sitting down, getting out of bed, going to the bathroom, walking up and down stairs and enjoying anything extra in life MUCH easier!
Let’s look at three different scenarios:
🟦 The Blue Avatar: Built for Resilience
This person has consistently strength-trained throughout their life. They have a large strength reserve, allowing them to stay active, independent, and capable even as they age. They have freedom—to lift their grandkids, hike their favorite trails, and live life on their own terms.
🟥 The Red Avatar: Hitting the Disability Threshold Early
This person never prioritized strength training. Over time, they lost muscle mass and strength, hitting the disability threshold earlier than necessary. Everyday tasks—like climbing stairs, carrying groceries, or even standing up from a chair—become difficult. They lose independence and may require assistance for daily living (and at an earlier age).
🟩 The Green Avatar: Late Start, Big Comeback
This person didn’t strength train in their younger years, but they started in mid-life. While they may not reach the strength levels of the blue avatar, they reverse their decline, regain function, and stay above the disability threshold—maintaining their independence and quality of life.
The takeaway? It’s never too late to start.
Why Strength Matters in Tough Times
Setbacks in life are going to happen – at all ages. They can happen in early adulthood with changes in jobs (or sudden loss of one, leading to you being on the hunt), they can happen with the birth of a child (and any complications that may arise after that), they can happen as kids get busy and their schedules take priority. Especially for those parents out there that have young kids and a family of their own PLUS aging parents. Here’s a scenario .. Let’s say a loved one falls ill, and you need to take care of them. This means:
❌ Less time for your own structured exercise
❌ More stress, poor sleep, and less recovery for you
❌ A likely decline in your own strength & health
If you started with low strength levels, this temporary setback might push you below the threshold of being able to care for yourself.
But if you’ve built a strong reserve, you can withstand temporary declines, continue caring for your loved one, and maintain your own independence. Obviously this can vary greatly depending on your age, but a dip is the most likely scenario.
It’s the same idea as having $20,000 saved vs. $10,000 saved. A sudden expense of $10,000 (like a major home repair) wipes out the smaller savings account, but the larger account still has reserves left. Strength works the same way—the bigger your reserve, the more life’s challenges feel like a small setback instead of a crisis.
Building Strength, Building Independence
Strength isn’t just for the gym. It’s for:
✔️ Lifting your kids or grandkids without struggle
✔️ Carrying groceries without pain
✔️ Getting up from the floor with ease
✔️ Preventing falls, injuries, and loss of independence
✔️ Staying active in the things you love—hiking, skiing, tennis, and more
Every strength training session is an investment in your future. The sooner you start, the more you build your reserve, and the longer you maintain your independence and quality of life.
It’s Never Too Early or Too Late to Get Stronger
At APEX PWR, we help people at all stages of life build real, functional strength. Whether you’re just getting started, making a comeback, or want to take your training to the next level, our expert team is here to guide you.
📍 Start strength training today with our personal training, group training and physical therapy programs:
👉 apexpwr.com
Invest in your strength now, so you can live life on your terms—for decades to come. 💪🔥
Previous Blogs
Why Success Starts with a Plan – And How to Apply It to Your Nutrition
Why Success Starts with a Plan – And How to Apply It to Your Nutrition The Power of a Plan for Nutrition Success Think about the biggest achievements in life. You don’t accidentally save for retirement. You make a plan, set a budget, and stay consistent.You don’t spontaneously end up on a dream vacation. You
Expert Soccer Injury Rehab in Tigard & Beaverton, OR: Returning to Play After Knee Surgery
Expert Soccer Injury Rehab in Tigard & Beaverton, OR: Returning to Play After Knee Surgery At APEX PWR, we understand the challenges soccer athletes face when returning to play after knee surgery. Our sports physical therapy team in Tigard and Beaverton, OR is dedicated to guiding male and female soccer players—from youth to professional levels—through
Load Management for Runners in Tigard, Oregon: The Key to Injury Prevention
Load Management for Runners in Tigard, Oregon: The Key to Injury Prevention If you’re a runner in Tigard, Oregon, or the greater Portland and Beaverton areas, you’ve likely heard about the importance of progressing running volume gradually to prevent injuries. You’ve likely heard about the 10% rule. In reality, 10% is likely too much too