Nowadays, back problems, obesity and heart related issues have become common in the younger generation. This is mostly due to our sedentary lifestyles; we spend most of our time sitting in front of a TV, looking down at our cell phones, or working away at a computer.
Because of so much sitting and screen time, little room is left for any sort of physical activity in our daily routine. In order to live a long and healthy life, it is essential to incorporate some sort of workout routine into your lifestyle. Strength training is one such way.
What Is Strength Training?
Strength training is also known as resistance training because it uses resistance to strengthen the muscles and train the body. Strength training focuses more towards a health-based perspective rather than the cosmetic side of working out.
The main purpose of strength training is to make you feel better and stronger, rather than looking better. The essence of the exercise is to subject your muscles to progressive overload and getting your muscles out of their comfort zone. This way, every time they recover, they will be stronger than before.
Strength training puts load or resistance on the muscles which can be achieved through a number of different ways. Dumbbells and elastic training bands are mostly used in resistance training, but you can also use the weight of your own body to overload the muscles.
The Importance of Resistance Training
Strength training is also known as resistance training because it uses resistance to strengthen the muscles and train the body. Strength training focuses more towards a health-based perspective rather than the cosmetic side of working out.
The main purpose of strength training is to make you feel better and stronger, rather than looking better. The essence of the exercise is to subject your muscles to progressive overload and getting your muscles out of their comfort zone. This way, every time they recover, they will be stronger than before.
Strength training puts load or resistance on the muscles which can be achieved through a number of different ways. Dumbbells and elastic training bands are mostly used in resistance training, but you can also use the weight of your own body to overload the muscles.Resis
Why is Strength Training Good for You?
Strength training is highly beneficial no matter your age, gender or physical fitness level. It helps burn fat, builds muscle mass and improves fitness. It makes you stronger as you progress further and further.
As you get further into the rep zones and start lifting heavier weights, your body will automatically start to sharpen its mind-muscle coordination as well. This means that strength training also improves the nervous system of the entire body.
According to the study published in US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, strength training also increases the metabolic rate by almost 10%. Since muscles are put under resistance, they experience micro tears, which the body needs in order to recover. The body expends a lot of energy to repair muscles; therefore, the metabolic rate is increased. The recovered muscles also happen to be bigger and stronger as a result.
Strength training also helps the cardiovascular systems of the body by fighting obesity, diabetes, blood pressure and other health related factors. An increase in bone density also means that the body becomes less prone to arthritis and osteoporosis.
Resistance Training Importance for Older Adults
As we get older, our bodies get more vulnerable and prone to various diseases and degenerative conditions. To prevent that from happening, it is important to stay healthy and strong as you get older. Strength training does just that.
That is why, resistance training is even more crucial and beneficial for older adults than younger ones. Since strength training strengthens the skeletal muscles, it reduces the chances of getting sarcopenia.
A recent study published in the Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, found that if you lift weights for less than an hour each week, you might reduce your risk for a heart or stroke by 40 to as high as 70 percent.
According to research, strength training also plays a role in reversing the cellular aging process, making people look younger even at an old age. At an older age, resistance training also helps combat a slower metabolism, decreased muscle mass and increased fat levels, lower bone density and cardiovascular problems.
Improved Bone Health
As people age, their bone density starts to lessen and constant deterioration can even lead to osteoporosis. It is better to keep a healthy diet and exercise regularly early on to prevent that from happening in old age. “Physical exercise is considered an effective means to stimulate bone osteogenesis in osteoporotic patients”.
Since strength training puts stress on the bones, it makes them denser and stronger, thus reducing chances of osteoporosis. According to research conducted by Harvard Medical School, “Strength training, in particular, has more benefits beyond those offered by aerobic weight-bearing exercise. It targets bones of the hips, spine, and wrists, which are the sites most likely to fracture”.
Decreased Risk of Injury
Strength training makes the skeletal muscles stronger and that takes away some of the load from the bones and the joints. This way, the risk of injury is reduced by resistance training, especially during sports.
“Resistance training provides dynamic loads on the joints, therefore creating physiological changes in the bone, muscle, and connective tissue”. These changes in the entire skeletal system make the body stronger and less prone to injuries. As mentioned above, resistance training strengthens the bones. This helps avoid fractures such as that of the hip joint which are common in old age.
As one gets in better shape due to regular strength training, they also develop more confidence. This confidence helps them workout harder without falling and experiencing injuries as well.
Keeps Diseases Off
Just like any other form of exercise, strength training improves the functioning of the immune system. This makes the body healthier and less susceptible to various diseases. On top of that, resistance training also keeps blood pressure and diabetes levels in control, helping those with chronic diseases to manage them properly.
Strength training builds muscle that increases general fitness and provides additional storage for glucose that helps people suffering from type 2 diabetes. If somebody has experienced a stroke, gradually increasing resistance training can help strengthen the muscles and reduce future risk.
Regular resistance training also improves posture and alleviates back pain by improving muscle function. Exercises that strengthen the core can also reduce back pain by strengthening the muscles around the spine.
It Improves Posture, Sleep, Mood and Energy Levels
Strength training raises your circulating levels of endorphins, which serve to improve not only your mood, but also give you an increase in energy levels. As a result of resistance training, endorphins are released in the body. Endorphins are hormones that elevate the mood and make a person feel happy.
Strength training also improves quality of sleep. “When a person exercises, the body positively responds to it by reducing the stressors that contribute to insomnia like anxiety and depression”. On top of that, since workouts allow you to rest well at night, high-quality sleep enables your muscles to recover from the day’s strenuous tasks.
Another benefit of resistance training is that it gets blood flowing and gets you breathing and delivering oxygenated blood throughout the body. This naturally increases the energy levels of the body.
It Boosts Metabolism & Fat Loss
Whatever goals you may have when it comes to fitness, having a fast metabolism is a benefit to achieving your dream body or fitness level. Every form of exercise promotes fat loss and an increase in metabolism, and resistance training is no different.
Strength training boosts metabolism for as long as two days and it builds strong muscles. Muscles at rest burn around 50 calories/day per pound of muscle, while fat cells only require about 3 calories per day per pound of fat.
When you develop muscle that is more active metabolically on a regular basis, you will increase your metabolism, enhance the way your body utilizes calories and lose more fat.
It Enhances Mental Health
Mental health is an integral part of our being and affects how we think, act, feel and make decisions. Therefore, it is vital to maintain perfect vital health at every stage of life. Strength training improves mental health in the following dimensions.
- Cognitive Abilities
“Studies suggest that, in older adults, resistance training can improve and delay the decline in memory, attention and decision making.” A study on mental illness reported that compared to brain training alone, resistance training combined with brain training led to improved cognitive function, with benefits maintained for 18 months afterward. - Self Esteem
Self-esteem is a measure of how you see yourself and it is often linked to physical appearance as well as mental health. Research published in New Mexico’s Flagship University states, “Resistance training has been shown to improve self-esteem in healthy, younger and older adults as well in cancer, cardiac rehabilitation and depression patient populations”.
- Depression
Resistance training can reduce the symptoms of depression without causing any of the side-effects that come with medication. “Exactly how this works is still a little fuzzy but there are potential social, cognitive, and neurobiological factors that could help explain how and why resistance training may reduce depressive symptoms.” - Anxiety
Anxiety is generally manifested with feelings of nervousness, fear, apprehension and worry and it can cause severe disorders if not dealt with on time. Various researches conducted demonstrated that resistance training is a meaningful intervention for people suffering from anxiety.
Strength training or resistance training has countless physical, mental and cosmetic benefits. No matter what age, gender or lifestyle you belong to, it is never too late to make strength training a part of your life.
It can help you get stronger, look better or simply feel better about yourself. Make sure to warm up well every time you work out, and do not over burden your muscles. If you are looking to start with the resistance training, read our article on beginner’s guide to battle ropes.
