Weight training has so many benefits for everyone! It has the potential to keep you young, strong and fit. You can learn about yourself and grow in so many ways. Below is a collection of benefits you will receive if you incorporate weight training into your lifestyle.
Weight training can keep you young and improve your quality of life as you get older. Around the age of 30 your body naturally begins to slow down. One of the side effects of this is a condition called sarcopenia where you begin to lose muscle mass. This particular condition can actually be reversed through weight training. If you build more muscle you will have a greater chance of maintaining your quality of life as you get older as you will have more muscle to lose before it would affect your ability to perform everyday tasks. Weight training is also beneficial in maintaining and improving bone mass and density (possibly preventing osteoporosis), muscle balance and reducing injuries during sport, work and everyday life. In fact training with weights can improve your quality of life at any stage- from young to old.
I think weight training is the best way to lose weight. If you use the right training protocols you can burn fat, build muscle, optimise your hormones for well-being while making the most of your precious time. I have tried many forms of exercise to get into shape, however, I always look and feel better when my exercise regime solely involves weight training (plus stretches afterwards).
You can become a better athlete by using weights. If two athletes have the same skill level, but one is stronger, who would be the better athlete? In most circumstances, if not all I would go with the stronger athlete. Extra muscle mass developed through weight training can give you more strength and power (power = strength + speed). That’s why most top athletes incorporate some form of weight training in there exercise regimes so they can move faster, jump higher and dominate over weaker opponents in contact sports.
Weight training can make you smarter. Knowing how to train and diet to optimise results requires a lot of analysis of literature and experimenting with training protocols and nutrient ratios. The old idea that weight trainers are “all muscle and no brains” is a fallacy, especially for natural trainers who must continually learn and critically analyse all the information that is out there (which is often generated by companies for profit rather than to truly help you achieve your muscle and strength goals). Weight training can help develop thinking skills that can be used to achieve your muscle goals. These very skills, like goal setting can be utilised in other areas of your life too.
Weight training can affect your mood and self- esteem for the better! I know of a lot of students at school where weight training has given them more confidence and provided opportunities to shine in front of their peers. Weight training helped me to be more confident as a teenager. It has also never failed to make me feel better after a stressful day at work, or provide an energy boost before I get back into work again. Weight training is my own special “me” time and my own form of meditation!
Other benefits of weight training are:
• Better sleep patterns
• It can prevent depression
• Can improve quality of life for people who suffer from health conditions like diabetes, cancer and metabolic syndrome.
• Improved posture
• A more active metabolism (burn more calories)
• You can develop skills which can be applied to other aspects of your life like: persistence, goal setting and enjoying hard work.
Although this is not an exhaustive list of benefits it clearly details more than enough reasons to weight train. In my opinion weight training is one of the best ways to improve your quality of life!