Weight training, also known as strength or resistance training, is physical activity designed to enhance muscular fitness using free weights, weight machines or body weight.
What’s all the hype about? Regardless of age, weight training is key to ongoing health and your ability to complete day-to-day tasks.
Here are five benefits of weight training.
1. Improved Strength & Body Mechanics
Increased strength is an obvious benefit, but its significance should not be overlooked. Weight training rebuilds and grows muscle tissue, enabling you to lift more weight over time.
Think about a routine task you struggle to complete, such as carrying your 6-year-old or packing groceries into your house. Incorporating weight training into your fitness regime will help you gain the strength you need for everyday tasks.
Additionally, strength training helps you develop better body mechanics. Things like balance, posture and coordination can all be improved by strengthening your muscles.
2. Reduced Body Fat
Great news – weight training helps reduce body fat by increasing your resting metabolism. What does that mean? Not only will your body burn calories during a workout, it will also burn calories when you’re not exercising. Score!
Basically, your body continues burning calories in the hours following a strength training session. Depending on the intensity of your workout, your resting metabolism could stay elevated for several days. Now that’s a good reason to start weight training…
3. Lower Risk of Injury
Muscles, tendons and ligaments support your joints and help your body stay aligned. Weight training strengthens muscles and tendons, as well as increases the flexibility of ligaments, which reduces the risk of strains, tears, falls and other injuries.
If you are prone to injury due to age, lifestyle or the nature of your work, strength training will help lower your risk of injury.
4. Better Bone Health
Bone loss is inevitable with age. One of the best ways to control bone loss is to incorporate weight-bearing exercise into your fitness routine.
As little as 30 minutes of high intensity strength training twice per week can improve bone density, structure and strength, lowering your chances of experiencing osteoporosis or osteopenia.
5. Improved Mental Health
Weight training, along with other types of exercise, releases endorphins that can improve your mood and decrease stress.
Additionally, scientific studies have examined the effect of weight training on depression and anxiety. Strength training can help reduce symptoms for both depression and anxiety, resulting in better mental health.
So, the next time you need a mental boost, hit the gym and put those muscles to work!
Remember…
Remember, you don’t have to lift heavy weight to experience the benefits of weight training. Start low and increase your weight as you build strength. It’s not going to happen overnight – you have to be persistent and the results will come.
Happy training!
