In decades past, lifting weights was considered to be the sole province of athletes and bodybuilders, but today the doors of the gym have opened to anyone who wants to improve their health and fitness by practising weight training. Modern research has demonstrated that weight training provides significant medical benefits such as strengthening bones and increasing healthy muscle tissue. Weight training can be adapted to any level of age, ability, or fitness, so almost anyone can do it! Weight training uses weights to provide the muscles with the resistance they need to make them grow. There are a variety of weight machines, and free weights like dumbbells and barbells to choose from, depending on what part of your body you wish to focus on developing.
A great weight training regimen requires a bit more than just lifting weights, a healthy diet is also key to success. Muscles require plenty of protein to grow, so adding healthy supplements like whey protein powder to your diet will bring you the best possible results!
Weight training is extremely beneficial to people who suffer from chronic health conditions, and makes anyone who engages in it feel improvements in their physical and mental health! The following are just some of the health factors weight training can have a positive effect on:
- Managing Weight
- Lowering Blood Sugar
- Improving Brain Health
- Stabilizing Blood Pressure
- Lowering Cholesterol
- Increasing Bone Density
- Improving Metabolism
- Relieving Chronic Pain
- Lowering The Risk Of Heart Disease
- Treating Depression And Anxiety
- Honing Learning and Thinking Skills
- Improving Self-Confidence
- Correcting Posture
- Boosting The Immune System
When beginning a weight training program it is best to consult with a professional trainer who can teach you how to lift safely so you don’t end up injuring yourself! Like any athletic practice, there is an amount of risk involved that can easily be avoided with proper knowledge, and by using the correct skills.
The basic steps of a weight training routine are as follows:
Warm Up – Begin each session by warming up your cold muscles, which are more easily injured, by taking a brisk walk and engaging in some dynamic stretching.
Start Light – Lifting only light to moderate weights in your early sessions is critical to avoiding sore muscles and possible damage due to overexertion.
Gradually Increase Weight – Slow and steady wins this race, increase the heaviness of the weights you lift incrementally over time as your muscles become capable of greater challenges. You should begin to feel some fatigue after ten to fifteen repetitions, if this happens faster you should lower the amount you are attempting to lift. Never continue to lift if you feel pain, that’s your body signalling it’s had too much!
Get Enough Rest – Once you have worked a set of muscles into a state of feeling fatigued it’s best to give them a rest for a couple of days while you focus on other parts of your body. This time is needed for healing and will serve to make your muscles stronger and ready to take on heavier-weight challenges.
We hope you enjoy weight training, it’s a great way to get in shape!
