Lifting weights or strength-training is more than just people trying to get buff by hauling heavy weights on iron bars. Building muscle through strength-training offers a lot of proven health benefits for everyone. These exercises not only help build muscle mass but help improve the overall quality of life. Which is why more people today are focused on building stronger muscles rather than just burning excess fat to get slimmer.
Here are the top 7 health benefits of strength-training that are sure to make you a believer.
1. Improved Physical Performance
As your muscle strength increases, you will notice better physical performance too. When the muscles increase in size, strength, endurance and power you are able to do everyday tasks with more ease. You will be able to do physical activities like walking, running, going up the stairs or even carrying groceries with much more efficiency.
2. Improved Metabolic Activity
Increasing muscle mass through strength-training boosts your resting metabolism and as a result body burns more calories. The elevated metabolic levels continue to burn fat and calories to gain energy even after the work-out which means the calories or fat you intake won’t go to your gut or butt directly. The muscle fibers consume these calories and fibers which is a more efficient way to stay in shape than burning calories through cardio only.
3. Lower Risk of Injuries
Strength-training builds stronger muscles and ligaments which don’t give way under pressure and as a result are less susceptible to injuries. Injuries occur when you push your boundaries and overstep your muscle or joints capacities. But with strength-training, your ligaments, soft tissues around major joints and bone density increases which protects your joints or muscles from suffering any injury. For example working-out on the lat pulldown cable machine will help you build a stronger back as your back muscles strengthen and provide a cushion against pressure and shock to the back.
4. Makes Bones Stronger
The most common use for strength-training exercises has been to make bones stronger. Especially in the elderly to allow them to have stronger joints and bones that can help them do basic tasks like getting up from a chair, walking down stairs or going to the bathroom etc, easier. So strength-training will not only improve your physical performance better but will give you stringer bones that will benefit you in the old age as well.
5. Improves Immune System
Your body’s immune system works better if you regularly exercise. Exercising boosts the production of macrophages in the body. These are the cells that fight bacteria and help you recover from any infections a lot faster. This not only benefits you in the present but consistent exercising builds a strog immunity system that will benefit you in the long-term as well.
6. Lower Risk of Diabetes
As you gain muscle mass your metabolic activity elevates which means you don’t gain fat as fast and your muscles have the ability to absorb sugars from your blood directly. This helps you fight the risk of type 2 diabetes as your bloodstream is not flooded with sugars and your muscles have become super absorbents of nutrients due to regular exercise.
Sometimes simple facts can’t convince you so get off that couch and get exercising to see the results for yourself!
