The Benefits of Weight Training
Working out is an important part of attaining optimal fitness. However, with numerous options, it often becomes confusing to pick an exercise that would benefit you the most.
Most people assume that Weight Training is done by athletes and bodybuilders for gaining muscle mass.
However, this workout routine is not as intimidating as it looks, and it can be easily performed by anyone. All you need is a few weights, the right technique, and you'll be good to go. Weight training is also known as strength training, and it has numerous benefits that we have mentioned in this article.
1. Reduces Belly Fat
Belly fat, also known as abdominal fat, is the bane of our existence. Your belly is also conditioned to store more fat since it contains the highest number of fat-storing adipose tissues in your body, which means that your belly is a hotspot for fat accumulation. Therefore, many people try different types of exercises and workout routines to get rid of their belly fat.
However, it has been discovered that weight training is the most effective exercise when it comes to burning belly fat. Weight training increases your body's Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) that increases the overall heart rate. An increased heart rate leads to greater fat burning and improved muscle mass. The metabolism is also increased, and it promotes overall calorie burning as well.
2. Improves Heart Health
Clogged arteries are among the leading causes of heart attack, and excessive body fat promotes the presence of clogged arteries. Therefore, weight training can certainly help to improve the presence of overall fat in your body.
As mentioned before, strength training increases your BMR and induces the process of fat burning. However, not all fat is bad. There is good cholesterol as well that is also known as HDL, and this cholesterol is highly beneficial for your heart health.
3. Blood Sugar Regulation
Weight training is known to greatly improve blood sugar levels, especially in people suffering from diabetes. Diabetic individuals who are battling Type 2 diabetes should include strength training into their everyday routine, and it will help in the better regulation of their blood sugar levels.
Weight training also improves your body's ability to take up glucose which means that there won't be any excess sugar in your blood that could lead to diabetes or further aggravate your existing condition. Our muscle cells contain carries that carry glucose from the blood and transport it to the muscle cells. This function is also greatly enhanced through strength training.
4. Decreases Risk of Cancer
Cancer is one of the deadliest diseases known to mankind, and weight lifting is an ideal workout for reducing the likelihood of suffering from cancer. According to studies, the visceral fat cells trigger the production of a cancer-causing protein known as fibroblast growth factor-2.
Therefore, the more visceral fat you have, you will be at greater risk of developing cancer. Furthermore, it has also been noticed that if a person has more muscle mass in their body, then they respond to the cancer treatment more effectively as opposed to people with less muscle mass.
5. Reduces Risk of Injuries
If you have greater muscle mass in your body, then you will have a reduced risk of getting injured. Weight training strengthens your muscles and makes them immune to getting injured.
If your muscles are weak, then they will become strained, and you might end up suffering from tendonitis. Furthermore, weight training also enhances the thickness of the collagen fibrils in your tendons to make them stronger. This is also really helpful in injury prevention.
6. Mental Health Booster
It’s common knowledge that any type of physical activity is extremely beneficial for improving your mental health. While weight training does give you a temporary high during your workout, it also deals with the conditions of depression and anxiety.
7. Enhances Flexibility
Weight training is the ideal exercise that engages all the muscles in your body. It also allows your body to make use of the entire range of its motion and mobility, which improves your overall fitness levels.
8. Confidence Booster
Who doesn't like to look good? It's basic human nature to like someone who is fit. Furthermore, having a nice tone body with your ideal body weight will make you more attractive to others and yourself. This will greatly increase your confidence and do wonders for your overall body image.
9. Improves Bones Health
Our bones tend to become weaker with age. There comes the point when your bones become so weak that they lose their bone mineral density which leads to conditions such as osteoporosis. However, weight training is the perfect exercise to make your bones stronger and increase your bone mineral density.
During this exercise, your body is being pulled down by the force of gravity, and this adds a little stress on your body. This stress helps to increase the strength of your bones and makes them stronger than before.
10. Retains Weight Loss
Many people complain of gaining all their weight back once they have lost it. However, if you regularly perform an exercise such as weight lifting, then it will greatly improve your BMR, which will help to burn calories and your overall fat mass.
Furthermore, the best part about this routine is that it keeps burning calories even after you’re done working out due to your increased heart rate. This property of weight training makes it the ideal workout to keep excess body fat at bay and maintain a healthy weight.
11. Final Word
Weight training is an exercise that intimidates several people due to all the heavyweights they have to lift. However, this exercise is fairly easy to perform since you can start off with light weights and gradually progress to heavier weights.
Furthermore, weight lifting has several benefits such as fat loss, improved heart health, improved brain health, stronger bones, and increased mental well-being. All these benefits make weight lifting the perfect workout.