You Seriously Need to Strength Train

October 25, 2009
Author: iopener

Most people think that strength training is for body builders with 6 pack abs, but that just simply isn’t the case. Strength training improves your balance, strengthens your bones and helps you lose weight, as it makes you look and feel better. Strength training can benefit people of all ages and can be particularly beneficial for those with health issues such as arthritis or heart conditions. Consider the following facts:

1. Strength training protects bone health and muscle mass: After puberty, both men and women begin to lose about 1 percent of bone and muscle strength every year. One of the best ways to stop, prevent and even reverse bone and muscle loss is to add strength training to your workouts.

2. Strength training makes you stronger and fitter: Strength training is also called resistance training because it involves strengthening and toning your muscles by contracting them against a resisting force.

3. Strength training helps you develop better body mechanics: Strength training has benefits that go well beyond the appearance of nicely toned muscles. Your balance and coordination will improve, as will your posture.

4. Strength training plays a role in disease prevention: Studies have documented the many wellness benefits of strength training. If you have arthritis, strength training can often be as effective as medication in decreasing arthritis pain. Strength training can help post-menopausal women increase their bone density and reduce the risk of bone fractures.

5. Strength training translates to more calories burned: You burn calories during strength training, and your body continues to burn them afterwards. More calories are used to make and maintain muscle than fat, and in fact strength training can boost your metabolism by 15 percent, which can really jump-start a weight-loss plan.

The number-one rule here is to be creative. Don’t limit yourself to just lifting weights, expensive machines or a gym membership. Push-ups, jump squats, lunges, hiking and even mountain climbing are all examples of exercises that provide strength training.

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