Strength training is much more than building strong muscles. Study has shown that strength training completely updates your metabolism which enhances your health. People with type-II diabetes, blood pressure, and high cholesterol are most benefitted from strength training.
Strength/resistance training boosts metabolic rate which means your body will burn more calories even when you are asleep. Some authors call it an therapy program – that’s a great improvement of thought, earlier it was just seen as an activity to boost your strength and now it is called a therapy.
Are you or someone close to you obese? Don’t worry this article will help you a lot. 39.8% of Americans face obesity. That a huge percent but it is not impossible to improve the condition. Resistance training has proven to help obesity as this increases lean body mass and reduces fat mass.
A study shows that resistance training enhances muscles mass up to 2.4 pounds. It also reduces visceral fat which is not easily visible, it is responsible for increasing cholesterol levels, causing diabetes, and heart diseases. The load during strength training activates hormones which indicates the body to burn fat and also boosts metabolic rate which will burn fat even during sleep. Thus, weight lifting causes weight loss and helps you get a desired body.
Recent studies show that the number of reps, sets, and the load determines the weight loss. Momentary muscle failure is important every time you workout, it means you do a particular workout till you are not able to do another rep. Therefore, progressive overload should be followed daily to achieve your goals. The study found a relationship between sets of exercises and hypertrophy (muscle growth). Researchers found ten sets lead to a muscle growth of 9.6%.
Benefits – Besides weight loss, it has several other advantages.
▪ Stronger bones: Strength training causes strain on muscles which activates the cells in bones. This in turn increases the bone density and flexibility, thus reducing the risk of osteoporosis.
▪ Better metabolism: Strength training boosts hormone levels which improves our health and our metabolic rate.
▪ Better balance: Strength training reduces fat and promotes muscles which improves balance of the body. This decreases the chances of falling and getting injured which is beneficial especially in old age.
▪ Improved thinking: This has proved to boost critical thinking and learning skills in older adults.
▪ More muscle mass: Muscle mass decreases with age but this can be reversed with strength training. Resistance training grows lean muscle mass and cuts off fat.
▪ Flexibility: The weight pressurises the body to adjust itself according to it which forces the body to move. This improves the flexibility.
▪ Disease management: Many complex diseases like arthritis, osteoporosis, back pain, and diabetes can be managed with strength training.
▪ More energy and good mood: Resistance training enhances the level of endorphins which is known to lift mood and energy levels.
▪ Healthy heart: Aerobic exercises and strength training go hand in hand. Twenty minutes of strength training is a minimum requirement. People have this misconception that weight lifting may cause heart attack but it is the opposite – it reduces seventy percent chances of heart attack.
▪ Controls blood sugar: Resistance training helps improve type-II diabetes. A study shows that strength training enhances muscle’s ability to pick up glucose or blood sugar. Inside muscle, cells pick up glucose from blood and deliver it to the muscles. Strength training improves the ability of the cells to pick glucose from blood.
▪ Lesser cancer risk: Visceral fat not only increases the risk of heart disease and diabetes but it is known to produce cancer-triggering protein – FGF2. Muscle wasting creates complications in chemotherapy by causing toxicity.
▪ Better image: Strength training improves muscle health and physique, thus improving your social image. It also enhances your confidence level in wearing whatever you want and however you present yourself.
▪ Live longer: More than any other benefit, this is the most motivating advantage of strength training. All the above mentioned benefits sum up to a better and longer living.
Now, you may feel motivated but may not know where to start. Straightaway, start at your home. Home workouts are the best, afterwards you can add anything according to your need. No need to think about gym right now. It doesn’t have to be expensive equipment. Two two-litre bottles of water can work as dumbbells, do the normal arm curl and that would be enough for you to get started with strength training.
If you don’t like normal exercises, you may try yoga. It is simple but very effective. These exercises never use weights but they make a person very flexible. Combine some aerobic exercises with your workout routine to fulfil your goals quickly like cycling, swimming, or simply running. They improve sleep pattern and gives your body a deep rest.
Here’s a guide to breathing properly during work out –
https://strengthtrainings.com/2020/12/20/breathing-technique-guide/
