What are the health benefits of weight training?
Weight training also considered as strength training because both help to increase the strength, performance and muscle size. It is a favorite activity of Olympic athletes, bodybuilders and weight lifters (power lifters).
Nowadays many people aware of the health benefits of weight lifting or weight training.
The benefits of weight training are numerous such as, can help prevent illness, improve balance, correct posture, better sleep, improve confidence, reduce stress and anxiety and many more you will know here, keep reading.
1. Reduces Body Fat
Weight training is a best activity in case of excess adipose tissue (fat mass) or metabolic disorders (heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes). Though, lifting weights help to speed up the fat loss process and, allows us to burn extra calories and muscular gain.
In the elderly, studies have shown a significant reduction in fat with less muscle loss. These excess fats are responsible for many major metabolic disorders. But when you reduce body fat and build muscle, this will give you a massive metabolic boost.
2. Maintain your Muscles
As you age there is significant loss of muscle mass. On average, we lose almost 4 to 9% of our muscle mass within few days when we are inactive. Although, we can't predict the exact number because each person has different genetics.
Studies have shown that weight training prevent muscle loss, because when you lift weights, it break the muscle tissue and, after rest it gets bigger and stronger.
3. Weight Training Boosts Metabolism
Metabolism is important, it decides how much calories you will burn while resting or throughout the day. The good thing is we can speed up our metabolism with weight training or by gaining muscle mass. Having higher muscle mass automatically increases the metabolism which consumes more calories at rest.
After lifting weights, your body works hard to rebuild muscle tissue which requires extra energy to repair them. It takes almost 72 hours to recover the muscle. In short, regular resistance training could increase energy expenditure according to studies.
4. Better Insulin Sensitivity and Prevent type 2 Diabetes
It is a condition where, insulin hormone acts abnormally on our cells and increases the risk of obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes. However, weight training improves insulin resistance.
In fact, insulin also helps to control blood sugar levels, which reduce the risk of diabetes and help to maintain blood glucose in the body.
But, Weight training does even better; it increases the insulin sensitivity and your body able to use the glucose as an energy source whether the insulin available or not.
When you do weight or resistance training on regular basis, it also lowers your hemoglobin A1C level.
5. Good for Bone Density
Weight training has a positive impact on the skeletal system because, it keeps the bone function proper and prevents osteoporosis, lower back pain and, other bone related problems in older adults.
Also there are many studies shows that weight training has great impact in both young and old people, which help to maintain or increase the bone density more than any other activity.
As your bone density increases, it could significantly reduce the risk of falls, and bone related problems such as osteoporosis.
6. Better Cardiovascular System
However, there are many activities that are recommended such as, running, skipping rope and, other endurance activity are considered important for cardiovascular health. But weight training also has great effect on your heart and blood circulation.
Even a study shows that weightlifting provide the similar benefits as aerobic endurance training in reducing the major risk factors of cardiovascular disease. Lifting weights less than an hour per week could reduces the heart disease risk up to 40 to 70 percent.
However, weight training (with or without cardio), helps to maintain blood pressure, lower blood glucose and increases the heart capacity which allows proper circulation in body.
7. Better Mental and Physical health
Weight training ease the anxiety, depression, lower the pain such as lower back pain and, improves your cognitive ability. It also helps to make you feel good, increase self-esteem and, reduces your stress. During or after weight training your body releases certain hormone (endorphins, dopamine and serotonin) which allows us to feel better.
8. Improve your Confidence
As your overall physique and health improves, you will feel much more confident in front of others. People who are confident in themselves also do better in their life. Our body and health are the most important part of our life which influence many factor.
Weight training makes your appearance better such as correct posture, size and, shape which help you look better and different from other people. It also makes you feel comfortable which help boost your confidence level.
Other Benefits of Weight Training
Here is the list of few more benefits:
- Improve your daily activities such as leaning, turning, bending and climbing stairs or lifting.
- Improves overall flexibility and reduces the risk of back pain.
- Higher muscle mass, burn more calories even at rest.
- Strengthens muscles, tendons and ligaments, which lower the risk of injury.
- help you stand up and sit down easily, and improves your balanced and stability.
- Increases the good cholesterol which decreases the bad cholesterol.
- Regulate your blood pressure, especially if it is high.
- Lowers the risk of cancers.
- Boost testosterone hormone in the body.
- Help you fall asleep faster, deeper and better.
- Boost your immunity and reduces the risk of colds, flu and infections.
Last-Line
Properly performed weight training involves better good form and controlled movements; also it is not necessary to lift heavy weights. It is proven that, weight training can lower the risk such as insulin resistance, metabolic problem, glucose metabolism, blood pressure, and body fat which are linked to diabetes, heart failure and cancer.
To get these benefits you need only 20-30 minutes of workout per day. There are many places where you can do weight training. If you don't know where to start, then it's better to join gym and ask your trainer, friends or any expert.
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