Why Is Strength Training Important?

Strength training is not just about bodybuilders lifting weights in a gym. Lifting weights will tone and sculpt the figure of your body. You will have a flatter tummy, shapelier arms, firmer legs, and you will look great in your clothes. But the benefits don’t stop there. Being strong gives you a sense of empowerment. It means that you can be more independent and self-reliant. Muscle growth is a healthy process that provides many physical benefits. Too often, people ( frequently women) do not engage in strength training because they are afraid it will make them ” too big”. This unfounded fear can prevent them from obtaining the full benefits of a strengthening program. Not only do women have fewer muscle fibers than men, especially in the upper body, but additionally, the primary anabolic ( muscle-building) hormone testosterone is dramatically lower in women than in men. Therefore, women rarely develop overly large “manly” muscles without the use of anabolic drugs. I believe that the positive message about women and strength training has finally turned the corner. I know so many women who are regular strength trainers that it is no longer uncommon. For years, all I heard were women saying they don’t want to build muscle. The reasons were different, but most sounded something like ” I don’t want to look like a man” or ” I don’t want to bulk up”. Men have much higher levels of testosterone, which leads to greater muscle growth, compared with women. So unless you set out with a goal in mind of training like a bodybuilder, it’s just not going to happen.

With a well-designed program, women typically see an increase in muscle size with a corresponding decrease in body fat, resulting in smaller dimensions and improved muscle definition. For men, the increase in muscle size depends on proper training and nutrition, and the upper limits of size are related to genetics. Two essential principles form the basis for muscle growth. First, the muscle must be stimulated to increase its size. Second, the most productive stimulus for muscle growth is a well-balanced diet that provides adequate calories. If either of these principles are ignored, muscle simply will not adapt. The body needs the basic building blocks ( carbohydrate, protein, and fat) to repair and remodel muscle. Everyday dietary patterns, the timing of nutrient intake around the workout, along with proper sleep and a healthy lifestyle, all contribute to the effectiveness of muscle repair and, therefore its growth. You are what you eat. You are also how you eat and when you eat. Through the years, many of us have been led to believe that weight loss only came in the form of cardiovascular exercise. But from what I have witnessed not only does strength training help in shedding pounds, it helps maintain weight loss, too. If you follow a weight-training routine 3 times a week you will increase the number of calories burned in your normal daily activity (in addition to those burned during exercise), helping you to maintain your current weight. All of us want to feel strong, determined, and confident in everything we do. Strength training can benefit in all aspects of your life. Put it in your fitness plan and feel stronger, healthier, and more confident!

 

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