Specific types of exercises have many benefits for bones, muscles, and the heart. Some exercises also offer the healthiest ways to maintain weight and strengthen your body. But strength training is a program that provides all these benefits.
Strength training or resistance training involves physical activities that improve muscle strength. This type of training is beneficial as the target muscles need to go against resistance from the outside.
The idea is to apply resistance to overload the muscles, so they can adapt and become stronger. But it’s a common misconception that strength training is for weightlifters only.
The truth is, strength training is suitable for all people. Yes, regardless of age and fitness levels. It helps prevent muscles loss during aging. It also benefits people with chronic health conditions.
The Benefits of Strength Training
Apart from giving you a toned body, it also helps in improving your health. Here’s why you need to start considering resistance training:
Stronger and Fitter You
A strong body and fitness are the most apparent benefits of strength training. But it’s not just about that. Muscle strength is vital in doing your daily tasks without trouble, especially when you get older and lose some muscles.
It’s called resistance training for a reason. It’s because it includes activities to strengthen the muscles through resisting force. And while training is the primary reason you get stronger, diet and supplements play a role as well.
Bodybuilders get the most toned bodies because they drink protein shakes or milk protein concentrate along with a rigorous diet.
Protects your Bone and Muscle Mass
Once we reach 30 years old, we start to lose lean muscle mass due to aging. And it will only continue as years go by. But high-intensity resistance training can have a huge impact on preventing loss of muscle mass. Also, it improves your overall performance as it protects your bone health and structure.
Physical activities like muscle training preserve or, better yet, increase muscle mass and power. These things are crucial for joint, bone, and muscle health.
Efficient Calorie Burning
All physical activities help in boosting your metabolism. But combining aerobic activity and strength training is a much more efficient method in burning calorie.
However, when you do resistance training, your body will demand more energy according to the energy your body exerts. In short, the harder you work out, the more energy is needed. And when more energy is required, you burn more calories than you do when you do aerobics.
Maintaining a Healthy Weight
As mentioned, the human body tends to be less functional through age. Notice how stronger, quicker, slimmer, and more energetic you were before? Those things usually diminish as you get old.
But strength training can help you stay youthful and energetic. It allows you to do all the physical activities you need to do to keep unwanted fats away.
Aerobic exercise is indeed one of the best ways to maintain weight. But strength training keeps your metabolism immensely active even after exercising.
What’s even better is that you can reduce more body fat when you combine strength training with a low-fat diet. People who follow their diet and perform resistance training exercises can improve in four months. Of course, as long as they strictly adhere to their programs.
Developing Better Body Mechanics
Strength training is also a great way to improve your coordination, posture, and balance. Studies show that a once-a-week resistance training can increase a person’s muscles strength by 37 percent. It also increases the muscle mass by 7.5 percent and the full functions of the body by 58 percent.
Improving strength is particularly important for people at risk of falls. It’s because your balance depends on your strength. The stronger your muscles are, the better your balance will be.
Managing Chronic Health Conditions
According to studies, strength training also helps in reducing symptoms of chronic diseases. It’s particularly helpful in reducing symptoms of HIV, heart disease, and obesity.
Strength training and a lifestyle change improve your body’s ability to control glucose. And controlled glucose is essential in dealing with type 2 diabetes. What’s more? Resistance training prevents mobility problems caused by cancer and heart disease.
While strength training is recommended to everyone, it would be wiser to consult your doctor first if you have any health conditions. Your physician can guide you and advise you about what kind of strength training suits you best.
It would also be better to work with a professional fitness trainer. They offer all kinds of support to ensure that you achieve your health goals with the safest and most effective training programs.
