Benefits of Weight Training
1. Weight training enhances strength and muscle tone and increases basal metabolic rate (BMR).
2. You burn more calories around the clock.
3. Prolonged cardiovascular exercise alone can lower your BMR or the number of calories you need to maintain bodily functions after an initial calorie burn.
4. Muscle requires more energy to maintain than fat, even when you’re just sitting on the couch!
5. The more muscles you have activated and toned, the more manageable everyday tasks like climbing stairs or lugging around your groceries will be – which can help you stay lean and healthy for life.
6. Weight training can help prevent osteoporosis by increasing bone density and muscle strength.
7. It can also reduce the risk of functional decline in seniors, improving their quality of life.
8. As you age, your body naturally starts to lose lean muscle mass, which lowers your BMR and slows your calorie-burning capabilities. Weight training can help you maintain muscle mass and, therefore, prevent age-related weight gain and health complications.
9. Building muscle requires calories; strength training keeps your muscles nourished with a constant supply of nutrients, making it easier to stay lean year-round.
10. Weight training helps you maintain your independence into old age.
11. It can also help prevent injuries when daily tasks become too strenuous.
12. You’ll look and feel better!
13. The body is a complex machine, and how it responds to stress like cardiovascular exercise and weight training is complicated. I can’t give you a definitive answer on whether it’s better to lift weights before cardio or vice versa because your body is unique, and several factors could affect your results.
What is strength training:
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Strength training, also called resistance training or weight training, involves using resistance to muscular contraction to build strength, anaerobic endurance, and the size of skeletal muscles.
When is the best time for strength training:
Strength gains can be made by exercising with weights three to four days a week (3:1 work: rest ratio) but should never be done to complete muscular failure. Also, adequate rest is needed between workouts for muscles to recover.
Who should perform strength training:
People who intend to build strength are advised to exercise the large muscle groups using heavyweights, train movements that flex or extend major joints, and combine these types of exercises to achieve maximum benefits.
How does strength training affect performance:
Strength training can benefit an athlete’s performance in sports involving short bursts of speed, quick direction changes, or other explosive movements. These types of sport-specific training improve running speed and jumping ability, ultimately benefiting the sprinter, distance runner, skier, football player, basketball player, or soccer player.
What are the benefits of strength training:
-Increase in muscle strength, power, and endurance.
-Increased bone density.
-Reduced potential for injury.
-Improved quality of life regarding physical health conditions such as osteoporosis, obesity, arthritis, diabetes mellitus type 2.
Strength training is recommended to be performed at least twice per week for a minimum of 12 weeks.
-Increased muscle, tendon, ligament, and joint flexibility.
-Decreased risk of falls in older adults (elderly).
-Increase in self-confidence and self-esteem.
For maximum resistance, an initial “strengthening phase” should include lighter weights for 8–12 repetitions using a controlled movement, whereas a “muscle endurance phase” should involve low weight for 15–20 repetitions.
The resistance chosen should be light enough to allow the intended number of repetitions but heavy enough so that no more than a minimum of 30 reps can be performed.
How long does it take for strength training to show benefits:
Muscular strength, neural adaptation, and muscle hypertrophy may be evident after a few weeks of resistance training.
Strength training exercises are specific to the joint angle being trained so that each set is performed within 5–15 degrees of the desired angle.
The term “resistance training” has recently become popular to refer to all forms of strength training, including dynamic weight lifting and bodyweight exercises.
A patient can begin a resistance training program as soon as they have the required muscles and movements and a suitable exercise plan that fits their lifestyle.
How long should you perform an exercise for:
For beginners, long-term programs may be 2–3 months long and can be continued to yield lifelong benefits.
How many days a week should you perform strength training:
For people with no weight-bearing conditions, 3–4 days per week for 30 minutes each session is recommended to improve muscle mass and bone density.
If a person has a weight-bearing condition, they may need a lower load and a reduced exercise frequency.
How long should you work for:
It is recommended that each repetition be performed slowly and controlled, with a normal breath taken at the end of the effort. Depending on the velocity, a repetition will take 3–5 seconds to complete, whereas a set should last 15–90 seconds.
How long should a rest period be between exercises:
Rest periods of 30–90 seconds are recommended between each set to reduce fatigue and injury risk.
It is also important to allow enough time for recovery after each individual exercise. Otherwise, an inadequate load may be used. This would not allow the muscle to experience a full range of movement and may not allow the muscle to adapt.
Disadvantages of weight training:
The disadvantages of young athletes performing resistance training are varied, just like the advantages. For example, strength training for novices can be safe and effective, but only if performed with the correct technique and adequate supervision.
Additionally, older people may also need to consider the amount of stress that will be placed on their muscles. Overexertion of muscles and overtraining may occur especially if the technique is incorrect or not varied.
Too heavy weight can cause injury to muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Additionally, heavier weights may result in a slower progression for novice lifters, as they will be lifting weights that are more difficult for their neuromuscular system to control.
A common misconception is that resistance training can be performed without other exercise, such as cardiovascular exercise. This would be ineffective because muscle strength and endurance cannot be improved in a cardiovascular system without performing a complementary form of resistance training. Improved power, speed, and flexibility should also be included when developing a training program.
People should understand that a resistance training program is specific to the individual. The frequency, intensity, and duration of each session will depend on an individual’s current fitness level and stated goal. Thus, it’s important for a personal trainer to have knowledge in many aspects of health and fitness and good people skills.
Benefits of weight training for men:
Weight training has also been proven to benefit older individuals by improving strength and allowing them to maintain their independence for longer.
Another critical point is that women are less likely to injure themselves when training with lower weights than men because of the increased flexibility in their tendons.
Benefits of weight training for women:
It is also crucial that as women age, they do not lose as much muscle mass as their male counterparts due to estrogen, which can help them retain it.
Furthermore, the effects of weight training on bone health and osteoporosis should be noted. Strength training can improve bone density and prevent frailty in old age.
Finally, as mentioned before, weight training can benefit individuals with certain medical conditions, such as metabolic syndrome and osteoarthritis. It
has been proven to safely help these people lose body fat and weight and reduce blood pressure, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels.