Benefits of Weight Lifting | HBR Personal Training

The first thing you probably think of when it comes to weight lifting is bodybuilders.

Most people, especially women, are afraid of weight lifting. The fear isn’t that they want to get muscular, it’s that they associate weight lifting with bodybuilders, who they associate with free weight lifting and doing bench presses… Weight lifting cannot actually bulk you up. The hormone that builds muscle (testosterone) is much higher in men than in women. If you are not supplementing with any artificial hormones, you probably won’t get big just by lifting weights.

Regardless if you’re trying to build muscle or not, consider these science-backed benefits of resistance and strength training before your next workout

1. Increases Metabolic Efficiency + Body’s Ability to Burn Calories
   The 1½ pound of muscle lost each year after the age of thirty produces 1½% reduction in Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) each year. Low BMR means that your body is less likely to convert food you consume into energy, meaning this food will be stored as body fat. Even when we sleep, our muscles use ~25% of our body’s calories. If you implement the principles of effective muscle training and stay consistent with the program, you’ll increase your body’s lean muscle mass and increase BMR. This allows you to condition your metabolism to work efficiently, even when you are just resting. An increase in muscle tissue leads to an increase in metabolic rate, while a decrease in muscle tissue can result in a lower metabolism.

2. Improves Performance and Physical Appearance
   Because muscles use energy to move, weight lifting can help physical performance. Weight training increases the muscle’s strength, size, and endurance, which can improve other daily activities like work, sports, playing with your kids, etc. Weight lifting also has a positive impact on your overall body composition and appearance because it could influence your level of confidence, self-esteem, and self-worth. For instance, consider a person weighing 170 pounds, with a 20% body fat composition, 136 pounds of lean body weight (organs, bones, water, muscle, etc.) and 34 pounds of fat weight. Through weight lifting, they may replace 5 pounds of fat with 5 pounds of muscle. Even though they may still weigh 170 pounds, they will have 17% fat with 141 pounds lean body weight and 29 pounds fat weight. The body might remain the same, but their strength, muscle tone, and metabolism has improved and they will have a fitter appearance.

3. Reduces the Risk of Injury
   Our muscles act as shock absorbers and serve as balancing agents in our bodies. Well-conditioned muscles can help lessen the repetitive landing forces that you can get from weight-bearing activities like jogging or playing basketball. Well-balanced muscles can reduce the risk of injury that occurs when a muscle is weaker than its opposing muscle group. To minimize the risk of unbalanced muscle development, it’s recommended that you train both the muscle and its opposite muscle group when working out. Example: when you are doing bench pressing exercises for your chest, you can do some rowing exercises for your back muscles.

Even if you’re not trying to build muscle, incorporating strength training into your fitness routine can improve your heart health, lower your blood sugar levels, help with your posture, and better your sleep.

So what are you weighting for? 😉