When most people think of strength training they think of big bodies lifting heavy weight constantly putting strain and stress on their body through grueling workouts.
While this can definitely be a way of training that some people enjoy, others may not find the clangin’ and bangin’ of weights enjoyable.
Luckily, strength training can be done in a variety of ways. The benefits of strength training go far beyond simply building muscle and bulking up.
What can strength training do for your body?
Build muscle
Resistance training sends a signal to the body that more muscle is needed to keep the body prepared. If you constantly place heavy loads on your body, the body will be forced to adapt with more muscle to be able to handle the increasingly heavy load.
Increase metabolism
Having more muscle on the body is more metabolically demanding than fat. Muscle will burn 7-10 calories per pound of muscle per day as opposed to fat which burns roughly 2-3 calories per pound per day. Having more muscle on the body means you will naturally be burning more calories than if you had more fat on your body.
Increase energy levels, libido and self esteem
Most people know that when you increase strength you also increase lean muscle mass which can lead to looking and feeling better. You can also increase energy and libido by balancing out hormones and helping your body work more efficiently.
Increase functionality
As you build up the strength to move under heavier loads as well as consistently improving your mobility you’ll be able to move confidently into everyday tasks knowing you can handle whatever it is that you’ll be lifting, carrying, pushing or pulling.
Help balance out your body and strengthen weak areas causing pain.
Our body can have many imbalances around muscles that can cause compensations and thus lead to aches and pains. To counteract this, working on strength and building muscle where there is weakness will help to correct the compensations and balance out the body for pain free range of motion.
Strength is essential for everybody. Being able to move comfortably through full ranges of motion while you do everyday tasks is a major advantage.
Carrying groceries, shoveling snow, planting flowers, opening doors and grabbing something off the top shelf all require some sort of strength to complete. And being able to complete these tasks under your own strength can be an empowering feeling. Now get out there and pick up some iron!
