Only 30.2% of adults in the United States engage in muscle-strengthening activities for the recommended sessions per week. Even more alarming, 6/10 Americans don’t do any muscle-strengthening activities at all.
Engaging in muscle strengthening workouts like lifting heavy weights can fight off illnesses and conditions relating to your bones. If the above statistics relate to you or you are just interested in strength training, this guide is for you.
Read on to learn the many benefits of lifting heavy weights.
You Get Stronger
One of the obvious benefits of lifting heavy weights is that you get stronger. Heavy weights can increase the strength and power of your muscles. However, you don’t have to worry about getting too bulky.
Your muscles will be thicker and stronger, but not larger. So if you are afraid of lifting heavy weights because you don’t want to put on too much muscle, this is a good thing to know.
When you are stronger, everyday tasks are easier. If you continue to train with heavy weights, you’ll be able to continuously increase the amount you lift.
It’s a good idea to spend a few weeks completing 5-8 reps on a heavy weight exercise. Once these weeks are up, you can move onto a different exercise that involves heavy lifting to ensure your body doesn’t stay stagnant.
After a while, you’ll notice a difference in your muscle mass and definition.
Cuts Fat
Another one of the weight lifting benefits is that it is a great method for cutting fat. Exercise of any kind burns calories, but strength training can help you burn calories even while you’re not working out.
After lifting weights, you’ll feel an after burn that allows your body to continue burning calories. When you have a larger muscle mass, the number of calories you burn each day increases.
Some people find it harder to lose fat as they age. This is normal for those who don’t work out and are losing muscle. When you lose muscle, you gain more fat.
When this happens, your body will begin to change in composition. Your metabolic rate will be affected because muscle is more metabolically active than fat is.
Luckily, strength training can reverse these problems and help you burn fat better.
Increases Hormones
Heavy weights can increase hormones in your brain as well as developing more muscle. There are many hormones heavy weights produce, one being IGF-1.
The IGF-1 hormone enhances cognitive function while stimulating connections in the brain. As you age, this hormone will come in handy even more. You’ll be able to think and learn better.
Prevents Injury
Along with strengthening your muscles, your bones and connective tissues are strengthened with heavy lifting. With this additional strength, you will have more stability to prevent injuries.
When you undergo weight lifting, your body can ward off other symptoms and conditions that may occur from working out. Those conditions include arthritis, back pain, chronic pain, and fibromyalgia.
Osteoporosis is another common condition that can lead to fractures and other bodily issues. Strength training plays a role in slowing bone loss and can even build bone. This helps prevent osteoporosis and injuries relating to the condition.
Improves Endurance
Another one of the reasons to lift weights is that it can improve speed and endurance. Running economy refers to the amount of energy and effort it takes to complete a run. Heavy lifting can also improve your running economy.
Fights Aging
Adults that don’t work out at all can lose a lot of muscle mass over time. Muscle weakness is not something to take lightly as you age because it can lead to death in severe cases.
With heavy resistance weight training, you can reverse and even fight the loss of muscle mass. When you strengthen your bones, you are using your muscles instead of losing them.
Those over the age of 35 can especially benefit from lifting heavy weights at least two times out of the week. Males around this age will begin to produce less testosterone, a hormone that repairs damaged muscle fibers.
As discussed above, heavy weight lifting can increase hormones just like testosterone.
Women can also fight aging by lifting heavy when they are 35 or older. It can help develop lean muscle and burn fat to combat the aging process.
Builds Confidence
There are a lot of physical aspects that people consider when deciding on a certain workout program. One thing some often overlook is how exercising can build confidence, including exercising with heavy weights.
If you haven’t worked out in a while or are just beginning to implement heavy weights into your workout regimen, it can be a struggle to get started. However, the benefits of weight lifting outweigh the cons of getting started.
After getting into a routine, you’ll find newfound confidence. Training with heavy weights has other mental health benefits like reducing anxiety, increasing happiness, and easing symptoms of depression.
Let’s be honest, lifting heavy weights just looks cool. If you are still uneasy about giving heavy weights a shot, look for a personal trainer that can recommend the right program for you.
Benefits of Lifting Heavy Weights Explained
Heavier resistance training is harder and requires more force and focus. Yet, the benefits of lifting heavy weights make it an attractive option for anyone willing to try.
Our best advice to someone interested in heavy lifting is to go for it! Although it may seem intimidating at first, trying a program in a safe environment will place you in good hands.
At Dynamic Fitness, our personal training experts are ready to help you reach your workout goals. Get a free three-day pass now to get started!
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