Why Strength Train

Why Strength Training is Important

I don’t want to “bulk” up. I don’t want to injure myself. I feel comfortable doing cardio every day. I am a runner. I am too old to lift weights. These are common things I hear when it comes to strength training!! Let me shed some light on the benefits and reasons that strength training is beneficial. It is never too late to start training. At any stage of life or age, strength training adds so many valuable benefits to life and increases our chances to live well as we age! 

There are many forms of exercise, but resistance training sits as the most beneficial in combating obesity, insulin resistance and mobility issues. Benefits of strength training are:

-       Increased strength and muscle mass

-       Increase metabolic rate

-       Decrease in body fat

-       Increase in bone density

-       Injury prevention

-       Increased mobility

-       Improvement in hormone balance: estrogen and progesterone for women; growth hormone and testosterone for men, insulin for both

-       Stress management

-       Increased immunity 

Building Strength, Metabolic Rate, Decrease Fat

Building and maintaining muscle mass is the best way to keep fat in a healthy range. Functional movements throughout your day can lend to burning fat and gaining strength! As you age your muscle mass naturally declines, thus it is important to incorporate two to three day of strength training a week, while also incorporating cardio and rest days. 

When lean muscle mass is present in the body it is more demanding of calories than fat, meaning it requires more energy to maintain lean muscle tissue than it does to maintain fat. As muscle mass is built, your metabolic rate increases. When your metabolic rate increases your caloric, expenditure becomes higher.  The leaner muscle tissue an individual has the higher their metabolic rate / metabolism will be. Having a higher metabolic rate means more energy is expended, calories burned at all times, even when at rest. 

 What is Metabolism and Metabolic Rate?

 Metabolism: The metabolism is a complex chemical process your body preforms every day to sustain life and function normally, like breathing and moving. Your metabolism allows you to break down food and drink to use as energy and also plays a role in building and repairing the body. This metabolic process keeps your body alive and healthy. 

Metabolic Rate: The metabolic rate is the speed at which the metabolism does its’ everyday processes. 

Resting Metabolic Rate: Is the energy your body requires to perform basic functions when at rest. Functions like, breathing, circulating blood and basic brain functions. Each individual is different but all of us have a minimum amount of calories/energy we need to consume each day regardless of external influences like, exercise.  

It is highly recommended to incorporate some form of strength training when desiring to lose weight or tone muscles. Cardio solely will not have as big an effect on your goals of weight loss or lean muscle gain. Over time your body learns how to adapt and becomes more efficient with calorie expenditure. This means that the body will burn less calories the longer, more consistent this type of routine becomes. 

Strength training with frequent changes to pattern and weight keeps the body’s central nervous system, muscle fibers and muscle cells active. Training creates an atmosphere for these systems to stay healthy as they adapt to the load being demanded of them. With the end results being strength gained and energy expended / calorie burned. 

 Stress Management and Increased Immunity

It has been said that stress, especially when chronic can open the door to unnecessary inflammation and disease. When your body is under stress it releases a hormone called cortisol. Cortisol can do your body good in short spurts but as time increases if cortisol levels rise too much it can actually lend to more inflammation. In addition to the physical effects of stress; stress can also impact you mentally. Stress can lead to depression, worry, lack of confidence and anxiety.

 Creating habits that allow you the opportunity to reduce stress is super important. Strength training is beneficial because as you train your body is pumping blood throughout your system and boost your immune system by causing an increase of the circulation of immune cells (9 types of white blood cells).

Training sets the body in motion to relieve stress and release endorphins. When endorphins are released, we can experience the relief of pain, reduce our stress and become more confident.

Increase of bone density, Injury prevention and Increased mobility

Have you ever thought about strength training to increase bone density? Crazy, right? Let me tell you the facts! As you stress your bones with pushing and pulling movements your bone forming cells are put into action, causing them to become stronger and denser. Over time you prevent bone loss and protect your bones from obtaining osteoporosis-related fractures.

 Stronger bones lead to a stronger skeleton. Once strength is built injury is prevented. Mobility also becomes easier when you have the strength to control your movements. Preforming daily activities can be done more effectively and easily while keeping injury free. 

In Summary

 There are so many great benefits to strength training. The best way to fight against any negative thought about strength training while also doing cardio is to link arms with someone who can help. A friend would work for accountability but in order to break though some of your thoughts, I suggest you link arms with a professional. Someone who will start you out with the foundations and help you build from there. Gaining strength should be done progressively to avoid injury and then paired with the right nutrition in order to gain and maintain lean muscle. 

You can start with a few of these basic moves:

+Squats to a chair

+Pushups against the wall, bench or floor

+High knee marches 

+Sit ups

+Walking 

+Walk stairs if you have them accessible to you 

+Floor hip bridges