Not so long ago, people believed weight training was just for bodybuilders.
Now, weight training also called strength training or resistance training is an essential part of any good exercise program. Weight training is exercising with progressively heavier resistance to stimulate muscle development. Training our muscles plays an important role in being leaner and stronger. When done right, weight training has a positive impact on bones and muscles.
1. Helps weight loss
The human body is made up of fat weight and lean weight. A body with a higher percentage of muscle mass burns more calories even while resting. Your body mass helps to determine your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) – the calories you burn just by being alive. Weight training will help you build muscle and boost your metabolism.
Every pound of muscle burns roughly six calories per day at rest, said Tim Church, M.D., Professor of Preventative Medicine at Pennington Biomedical Research Center at Louisiana State University. That is about three times as many calories as a pound of fat, which burns roughly two calories per day self.com.
On average, adults can increase their muscle mass by 1.4 kg, and reduce fat weight by 1.8 kg after 10 weeks of weight training. Someone who does not weight train loses about 0.5 pounds (0.23 kg) of muscle each year. Therefore, a woman who weighs 120 pounds at 30 years old, at age 50 even weighing the same 120 pounds, would have experienced a shift in body composition. In this case, 10 more pounds of her weight will be fat mass.
2. Helps us change our body composition
When you weight train, you are the artist and your body is your masterpiece. If you attempt to lose weight without weight training, you might just end up a smaller version of current yourself. Targeting specific muscle groups, as bodybuilders do, can shape your body.
To look more athletic, train the shoulders (deltoid muscles) so they broaden compared to the pelvis. This creates a more V-shaped body.
If you want longer-looking, shapely legs, over-emphasize training the hamstring and bottom (gluteus maximus) muscles, and de-emphasize training the quads and adductor groups (front of thigh).
For a bigger chest, do inclined chest presses (pushing weights from the chest level) and pec flies (moving in an arc at chest level). These emphasize the upper chest muscles.theconversation.com
3. Helps us to age gracefully
The IDEA Health and Fitness Association reported in its January/February 2020 edition, Fitness Journal that the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) had released its first position stand in older adult resistance training. The NSCA demonstrated that “…resistance training can positively affect physical functioning, mobility, independence, chronic disease management, psychological well being, quality of life and healthy life expectancy”.
4. Keeps your bones healthy
By placing stress on your bones, strength training can increase bone density and reduce the risk of osteoporosis. Weight-bearing exercise in which a person is standing and gravity is pulling down on their body lightly stresses and strengthens the bones and muscles. Every time a muscle contracts, it pulls on the bones it is attached to, which stimulates the cells within the bone to produce structural proteins and move minerals into the bone.
In a 2014 Journal of Family and Community Medicine study, just 12 weeks of strength training with squats increased lower spine and femur (thigh) bone mineral density by 2.9 and 4.9 percent, respectively. health.usnews.com
5. Reduces risks of falls
Research by the NSCA showed that weight training reduced the risk of falls and fractures in older adults. In the United States, 30% of older adults experience at least one fall annually and that percentage goes up 50% for those over age 80.
No gym necessary
We do not even have to join a gym to begin weight training. We can build muscle without lifting weights at all by using resistance bands or body weight training. Training with resistance bands and body weight will be examined in detail later on.
The takeaway is that we need weight training to stay healthy and strong. Weight training on a regular basis improves your strength, endurance, appearance, confidence, and quality of life.