Weight lifting, also called resistance training or strength training, is the activity of lifting barbells and other heavy weights.
Most people, especially women, are afraid of weight lifting.
The fear is not that they don’t want to get muscular, but it’s because they associate weight lifting with bodybuilders, and they have images of them lifting free weight or trying to bench press.
Weight lifting cannot bulk you up. The hormone that builds muscle (testosterone) is more in men than in women. Additionally, if you are not supplementing with any artificial hormones, you probably won’t get big by just lifting weights. Below are some benefits of weight lifting.
1. It Increases Metabolic Efficiency and Your Body’s Ability To Burn Calories
The 1 ½ pound of muscle lost each year after the age of thirty produces 1.5% reduction in BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) each year. Low BMR means that your body is less likely to convert the food that you consume into energy. This the food that is stored as body fat. Even when we are asleep, on average, our muscles use 25% of calories.
If you implement the principles of effective muscle training and stay consistent with the program, you can have an increase in lean muscle mass in your body and increase your BMR. This means that you can 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 leads to a decrease in your metabolic rates.
2. It Improves Performance and Physical Appearance
One result of weight lifting is that it increases physical performance. Muscles use energy to produce movement. Weight training increases the muscle’s strength, size, and endurance, hence improving your work, sports, or everyday activities.
Weight lifting also has a positive impact on your overall body composition and appearance. This can influence your level of confidence, self-esteem, and self-worth. For instance, a person weighing 170 pounds and has 20% body fat composition, 136 pounds of lean body weight(organs, bones, water, muscle, etc.) and 34 pounds of fat weight. Through weight lifting, he/she may replace 5 pounds of fat with 5 pounds of muscle. Even though he may still weigh 170 pounds, he/she will have 17% fat with 141 pounds lean body weight and 29 pounds fat weight. The body might remain the same, but his strength, muscle tone, and metabolism will be improved, and he will have a fit appearance.
3. It Reduces The Risk Of Injury
Our muscles act as shock absorbers, and they serve as balancing agents in our bodies. Well-conditioned muscles can help in lessening the repetitive landing forces that you can get from weight-bearing activities such as playing basketball or in jogging. Well-balanced muscles can reduce the risk of injury that occurs when a muscle is not stronger than its opposing muscle group.
To minimize the risk of unbalanced muscle development, it is recommended that you train both the muscle and its opposing muscle group during your workout. For instance, when you are doing the bench pressing exercises for your chest, you can do some rowing exercises for your back muscles.