Weight training is a physical activity that moves your body against some form of resistance. Aimed to improve muscular strength and fitness, it involves exercising a particular muscle or muscle group by using your own body weight, free weights, or weight machines. But as well as enhancing muscle mass, strength training has a number of other health benefits. So, what are the perks of lifting weights?
1.Boosts metabolism
Lifting weights improves your body’s ability to burn fat, not just during exercise, but afterwards too. When you push your body with resistance training, it encourages it to build lean muscle. Lean muscle requires more energy than fat tissue – it uses more oxygen and needs more caloric expenditure, and so increases your metabolic rate. Therefore, the more lean muscle you have, the more calories your body will burn at rest.
2.Helps cardiovascular health
By boosting your metabolism and therefore helping to maintain a healthy bodyweight, strength training will be beneficial to your cardiovascular health. The likelihood of developing a cardiovascular illness, such as heart disease and stroke, increases when you have more body fat. It therefore makes sense that, alongside a healthy diet, resistance training is a good way to increase your cardiovascular health. Make sure you get plenty of nutrients, especially protein, if you’re weight training to help you recover and build lean muscle. Nestle BOOST Optimum consists of 50% whey protein blend, which helps to maintain muscle mass.
3.Less pain and injuries
Muscle mass decreases with age, so anything that reduces that is going to make you stronger and healthier. Weightlifting strengthens your muscles and can help you to maintain muscle mass into older age. It also increases your bone density, which is something else that tends to deteriorate as you age. Maintaining your bone density as you get older is vital for reducing the risk of breakages and fractures. Lifting weights will not only help with this, it’ll build stronger connective tissues that reinforces joint stability and help prevent injury. Weight training can also strengthen spinal bone density, which will build a strong back and core, thus preventing back pain.
4.Increases flexibility
As your body ages, your flexibility decreases, making you more prone to injury and less mobile than you used to be. Weight training, however, can enhance your flexibility and mobility by increasing your joint range of motion (ROM). ROM refers to the degree at which you are able to move a joint from full extension to full flexion. Any limitations in your ROM will therefore hinder your ability to carry out exercises properly and can increase injury. Generally speaking, weaker muscles will have a lower ROM, whilst stronger muscles are associated with a high ROM and flexibility.
5.Improves mood
A healthy body means a healthy mind, so strength training is a good way to keep your brain alert. As weight training helps you to keep in shape and reduces your risk of disease and injury, it will improve your overall quality of life. A better quality of life means will have a positive effect on your overall mood. Also, exercise releases endorphins, which are natural painkillers associated with feelings of wellbeing. Anything that challenges your body and helps you to release endorphins, such as weightlifting, is bound to make you feel better mentally.
Conclusion
As well as increasing lean muscle, weight training can keep you trim and reduce your chances of illnesses and ailments associated with getting older.