What Can Weight Lifting or Resistance Training Do For You? | Article by Jean Menegus
Introduction
Weight lifting or resistance training is a great way to get healthy and stay fit. It can help you to lose weight, improve your mood, protect your joints and more!
Weight lifting or resistance training can help you burn calories
Weightlifting is a form of exercise that can help you burn calories, and exercise is one of the best ways to burn excess calories before they are stored as fat. You don't need to specifically do weightlifting, although it's an effective way to get in shape. However, other types of exercise, as well as a well formulated diet, will also help you to lose weight and stay healthy.
You should add some kind of physical activity into your life every day if possible. This could be running around with your kids or going for a walk after work with a friend or family member who enjoys being active! Start small—you don't have to run 10 miles every day unless that's something that appeals to you personally in terms of the form of exercise, duration, intensity and frequency of training each week.
Weight lifting builds muscle, which boosts your metabolism
As you age, your metabolism naturally slows down. This is why people gain weight as they get older. However, if you lift weights and build muscle, this can help speed up your metabolism so that it works more efficiently than before.
When you have a higher muscle mass, your body burns more calories even when at rest, compared to someone who has less muscle or none at all. Exercise physiologists refer to this as "metabolic fitness." People with greater metabolic fitness tend not only to have faster metabolisms, but also lower levels of body fat (since our body's energy needs are met through the energy we derive from food).
The reason for this connection between building muscle and burning more calories, is because each pound of lean muscle requires far more energy than a pound of fat does in order to maintain itself—and since lean muscle mass tends to be heavier than fat tissue on average, its presence adds up quickly in terms of increased metabolic rate!
Lifting weights can help you to lose weight
When you work out regularly and build up your endurance (which is also achieved through weightlifting), it increases how much energy your body expends during exercise—also known as "excess post-exercise oxygen consumption" or EPOC for short.
Ultimately, no matter what kind of workout routine you decide on for yourself—whether it be running 10 miles every day or simply doing some light stretching in front of the TV—the best thing you can do for yourself is get moving! The important thing here is consistency; make sure that every day ends with at least 30 minutes worth of physical activity, regardless of intensity.
Not only can lifting weights help you to lose weight, but it can also help you to gain weight in a healthy way
Weight lifting is also known as resistance training. It's a form of exercise that uses weights, resistance bands or your own body weight to build muscle mass. Weight lifting can help you lose weight by increasing your metabolism and helping you burn more calories throughout the day. But did you know that it can also help you gain weight in a healthy way?
When you lift weights, your muscles become stronger and bigger. However, if you don't eat enough food to support this increased muscle mass (and repair the micro-tears caused by exercise), then your body will start burning off its own muscle tissue for energy instead of fat stores—which defeats the purpose!
In order to maintain your new level of leanness, while still gaining some muscle mass, it's important to follow a good nutrition plan alongside regular sessions at the gym (and preferably with professional guidance. Get in touch if you need support with this).
Weight lifting is good for your body and brain
Have you ever seen those big, burly men at the gym in their tank tops with rippling muscles? You know those people who make you think, “There is no way I could ever do that.” They may be intimidating at first glance, but they are also a great source of information on how to lift weights safely and effectively if they have many years of experience or a professional qualification. However, it doesn't take a person with huge muscles to know the most about weight training, as many are gifted genetically, or have enhanced their performance by chemical means. In fact, many people have achieved "functional hypertrophy," which means they have gained much more strength than pure mass, and may even lift heavier weights than those physically bigger than them.
Any kind of weight lifting or resistance training will stimulate your brain cells, leading to better focus and memory. It's also good news if you're concerned about your risk for Alzheimer's disease; researchers have found that people who regularly exercise have a reduced risk of developing dementia later in life.
If you're looking for ways to get fit without heading back into the gym for another round on the elliptical machine or treadmill (or another hour-long class), then look no further than your own home—all it takes is some free weights, resistance bands, your own body weight and some motivation!
Resistance training releases endorphins, dopamine and serotonin to enhance mood
Endorphins are a type of neurotransmitter that's released in the brain during exercise. They're what make you feel better after a workout—and they can also help with pain management and relieve depression.
Dopamine is another neurotransmitter that's released during exercise, with similar effects as endorphins: it makes you more focused and energetic, so you'll be able to train harder too!
Serotonin is yet another neurotransmitter that has been linked to mood improvement through resistance training. This chemical regulates your sleep and appetite cycles, making sure you're well-rested for working out the next day.
Resistance training helps boost your confidence
You’re probably wondering, how does resistance training make you feel more confident?
Well, when you start to lift weights and build muscle, it helps boost your self-esteem in several ways:
You will be able to accomplish things that you couldn’t before. For example, if you’re lifting weights on a regular basis and eating better than ever before (which I highly recommend!), then this will allow you to do things with friends or family that might have been too difficult before. You might be able to carry groceries inside without feeling exhausted afterwards! Or maybe try something new like rock climbing or hiking. You can also take on new challenges in the gym—for example, attempt that squat or deadlift for heavier weight than last time, and targeting your whole posterior chain! Start small but always aim high when working out, because the positive changes will come over time as long as consistency is maintained in both diet and exercise routines.
By gaining confidence from physical activity such as weight lifting sessions, a person can increase his/her energy levels during stressful situations, such as activities requiring mental stamina throughout the day.
Weight lifting can protect your joints
If you're a woman, or if you're simply worried about the long-term effects of osteoporosis on your bones and joints, weightlifting is for you. Lifting weights strengthens muscles and builds bone density, which can help prevent joint injuries throughout life. Lifting weights also increases the density of both male and female hips, helping prevent osteoporosis later in life.
Studies have shown that high-intensity weight training may even be effective in reducing pain associated with arthritis, as well as improving overall function. Weightlifting also helps to strengthen muscles that support the spine—something that's especially important as we age so our backs can stay strong, while limiting any imbalances or weaknesses that cause them to "freeze." This can be chronic and painful for many people, who also carry the risk of slipped disks and pain medication dependency.
Resistance training compliments cardiovascular fitness
Resistance training can compliment cardiovascular fitness in many ways. One such way is by increasing oxygen consumption. Resistance training, especially for strength training, requires more oxygen than fat loss or endurance training. A study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research demonstrated this fact by showing that resistance training increased oxygen consumption during exercise just as much as if they had done steady-state cardio instead of weight lifting. It has also been demonstrated that adding resistance to a metabolic circuit increases your calorie expenditure even further. This can be beneficial for people who wish to lose weight or get leaner, however it doesn't mean you are required to do so since both forms of exercise are effective at burning calories and building muscle mass.
If you're new to exercise or haven't been exercising for very long, then incorporating some form of resistance can help build up your muscles quickly due to the added stress on them, compared with other types like aerobics, which do not put as much stress on muscles overtime. However, if you want something less intense, there's always yoga or pilates. Just remember though, that greater gains come when pushing yourself past limits, so while doing lower intensity work might seem easier at first, it won't give you results quite as quickly either.
Weight lifting will tone and shape your body in a healthy way
You may have heard the term “tone” used in relation to weight lifting or resistance training. Tone is a leaner look, while shape is a more defined look. Both are good and can be achieved through resistance training.
You’re probably wondering if your body will become “toned” and/or “shaped” after starting a strength-training routine. The answer is yes! You’ll notice an increase in muscle definition, as well as increased energy levels!
Weight lifting will help build lean muscle mass on your entire body: arms, chest, back, legs and abs—more of which leads to more fat loss than cardio alone does.
Heavy weight lifting enhances appearance (the way you look) of muscles by increasing the size of muscle fibers through hypertrophy. Consistent resistance training allows for visible change in muscles size and striations, especially if training is focused on isolating specific muscle groups with low repetitions and substantial weight resistance. It is also possible to train for hypertrophy without gaining significant size, by targeting muscle failure with low repetition ranges and thereby causing micro tears in muscle fibers. This leads to increased densification of muscle fibres without increasing the size of the muscles themselves.
When you lift heavy weights, your body adapts by building more muscle fibers. This is known as hypertrophy, which means "more than normal." By being consistent with weight lifting exercises, such as those performed with dumbbells or barbells at the gym or on machines at home, you can build your muscles and improve your strength over time.
If you're training for hypertrophy (to increase the size of your muscles), it's important to choose a weight that's challenging enough, but not too heavy so that you can't complete all repetitions in an exercise set before reaching muscle failure—this means doing straight sets from start to finish with small rests between exercises.
In addition to increasing strength and size through resistance training, muscle elasticity improves as well, which allows for increased range of motion and flexibility during everyday tasks, such as bending down or running up stairs so that movement becomes easier overall. Less force is required from joints, which results in less strain on them.
Conclusion
If you are looking for a way to improve your health, look better and feel stronger, then weight lifting may be something worth exploring. It can help you get stronger, lose weight and build muscle definition; all these things can help boost your confidence and overall well-being. If you want to try weight lifting at home without any equipment or set up costs, then there are plenty of exercises that require no equipment at all!
Fitness programs require additional nutritional intake to ensure your body is getting everything it needs. Please get in touch to discuss the metabolic demands of exercise and how a nutritional program can support your overall health. Visit the contact page to get in touch.