Want to look good and feel better? Try strength training—you’ll build strength, improve your muscle tone and boost your self-esteem and metabolism. Here’s how: You know exercise is good for you. You look for ways to incorporate activity into your daily routine and you set aside time for longer workouts at least a few times a week. However, if your aerobic workouts aren’t balanced with a proper dose of strength training, you’re missing out on a key component to overall health and fitness.
With a regular strength training program, you can reduce body fat, increase your lean muscle mass and burn more calories.
Use It or Lose It
Muscle mass naturally diminishes with age. If you don’t do anything to replace the muscle you’ve lost, you’ll increase fat. Strength training can help you preserve and enhance your muscle at any age. Strength training also helps you develop strong bones. By stressing your bones, strength training increases bone density and reduces the risk of osteoporosis. If you already have osteoporosis, strength training can lessen its impact.
Control Your Body Fat
As you lose muscle, your body burns fewer calories, less efficiently—which can result in weight gain. The more toned your muscles, the easier it is to control your weight.
Reduce Your Risk of Injury
Building muscle protects your joints from injury. It also helps you maintain flexibility and balance and remain independent as you age.
There Are Many Benefits
As you grow stronger, you won’t fatigue as easily. Strength training can boost self-confidence, improve your body image and reduce the risk of depression. It can also make you get a better night’s sleep. People who strength train regularly are less likely to struggle with insomnia.
Give your muscles time to recover—rest one full day between exercising a specific muscle group. When you can easily do 12-15 repetitions of a certain exercise, increase the weight or resistance. Remember to stop if you feel pain. Although mild muscle soreness is normal, sharp pain and sore joints are signs that you’ve overdone it.
When to Expect Results
You don’t need to spend hours a day lifting weights to benefit from strength training. Two to three training sessions a week, lasting 20-30 minutes, are sufficient for most people. You may enjoy noticeable improvements in your strength and stamina in just a few weeks. With regular strength training, you can increase your strength by 50% or more within six months—even if you’re not in shape when you begin.
Strength training can do wonders for your physical and emotional well-being. Make it part of your quest for better health.
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Michael Cohen has been in the fitness industry for over 30 years. He associates with fitness experts, and consults with them on a daily basis.
