Benefits of Strength Training

  

The benefits of strength training go beyond just having a stronger and more beautiful body. 


Building lean muscle through strengthening exercises helps increase your metabolism. 

This means by adding some form of strengthening workouts to your weekly routine, you can burn more calories and lose weight.

Increasing your BMR is just one of the many advantages to strength training for weight loss and for your health.  

There are lots of other benefits to this type of exercise.

Many people associate strength training with body building.

Although body builders do lots of workouts to build muscle strength, you don't have to "bulk up" just to gain some lean muscle mass. In fact, body builders have to work hours and hours to achieve their results.

If what you are looking for is a leaner and toner body, then strengthening exercises will get you the results you want.

What Are The Benefits of Strength Training

Health Benefits

One of the main benefits of strength training is the many health benefits.  These health benefits include;
  • Increase in the “good" cholesterol (HDL) and decreased “bad" cholesterol (LDL)

  • Reduced risk of diabetes

  • Minimizes risk of heart disease

  • Lowers Blood Pressure

  • Lowers Risk of Breast Cancer

  • Decreases risk of osteoporosis

  • Reduces effects and symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS)

  • Reduces the chance of getting a cold and other illnesses
Increased Bone Mineral Density

Bones are constantly remodeling, meaning the tissues break down at the same time they build up.

The peak of remodeling takes place during puberty. However, as we age we all lose bone mass. 

The bones will naturally become thinner as your existing bone breaks down faster than new bone can be rebuilt. 

When this happens, you lose important calcium and other minerals in your bones. 

Getting sufficient calcium and performing strengthening exercises are the top two suggestions to minimize the loss of bone density.  So as you can see, this is a great benefit of strength training.

Increased Strength

One of the more obvious benefits of strength training is increased strength.  This increase in strength and muscles means an increase in the number of calories you burn. 

By building lean muscles you are increasing your metabolism and aiding in weight loss.

Increase the Range of Activities

With strength training, you are building not only muscles but endurance, flexibility and balance.  This increased strength and mobility means reduced risk of injury when doing everyday normal activities like lifting, etc.

Reduce the Body Fat

Strengthening exercises can assist in reducing your excess body fat.  With the increased endurance you can perform more efficiently when doing aerobic exercises. 

The increased muscles mean a higher metabolism.  This in turns means you will be burning fat and less likely to store foods as fat.

Improved Health for Seniors

senior couple stretchingStrength training does not reverse aging, after all there is no fountain of youth, but it can help slow down the aging process. 

The benefits of strength training in seniors includes faster healing from injuries, reduced risk of injury through improved balance and strength and improved overall health and state of mind.


Improve Heart Condition

One of the benefits of strength training is a lower heart rate, meaning your heart is working more efficiently. 

This helps to lower blood pressure and reduces risk of heart disease.

Rehabilitation Benefits

If you are injured one of the best ways to rehabilitate is through strengthening exercises.  By strengthening the muscles around the injured area, you are able to recover more quickly from your injury.


Looking and Feeling Great

This of course is one of the main benefits of strength training for many people.  After all, most people start a resistance training program for the sole purpose of getting a fit and tone body. 

Strength training can give you a great look and make you feel better about yourself.


Better Sleep

This is one benefit of strength training that many people don’t even think about. 

But proper exercise can help you sleep more soundly at night. 

And getting the proper sleep aids in weight loss, reduces stress, helps regulate insulin levels which can help you lose belly fat.


Illustrated Strength Training Exercise

To be effective at strength training and get all these benefits, you must do your training on a regular schedule. 

You should include at least 2 or 3 days a week to your resistance training and do the exercises properly. 

To see some common resistance band exercises or dumbbell exercises demonstrated with instructions, just visit the free fitness videos page for a full list of illustrated strengthening exercises.

To get the full benefits of strength training, be sure to learn more about the different types of strength training exercises.


Additional Articles

Resistance Band Exercises
Strengthen your muscles using resistance bands. These types of exercises are great if you are just starting out. You can use different resistance levels by using a variety of resistance bands.

Dumbbell Exercises
Another great way to do your strength training at home is using dumbbell weights. There are different weights so that you can workout with different resistance levels.

Abdominal Exercises
When doing your strength training, don't forget about the abdominal muscles. With these stomach exercises you will be working your core muscles.