Once considered the exclusive domain of athletes and bodybuilders, resistance training is now a popular fitness modality enjoyed by exercisers at all stages of development. If you do not currently resistance train, you may want to consider the benefits of this popular and productive form of exercise.
Strength Gain
Strength gain is the most notable benefit of resistance. When you train with resistance, your nervous system responds by learning to recruit more muscle to accomplish work. This is how you get stronger. Strength gain makes physical work, sports and everyday tasks easier.
Muscle Gain
As the nervous system learns to recruit greater amounts of muscle, the muscles must get progressively larger to accommodate the heavier loads. As muscles contract and stretch under load, they suffer microscopic tears. While not painful, these tears trigger muscles to grow back larger and stronger.
Body Fat Loss
Muscle is an active tissue, meaning it requires calories to maintain itself. The more muscle you gain through resistance training, the higher your metabolism becomes. This increase in metabolism makes it easier to burn body fat.
Bone Density
As you age, you tend to lose bone density, leading to osteopenia and osteoporosis. Women are particularly vulnerable to bone loss. Resistance training puts a compressive stress on bones that causes them to grow denser. The Mayo Clinic recommends resistance training to patients with osteoporosis and osteopenia.
Improved Posture
Poor posture results from strength imbalances, as well as the weakening of key muscles. One of the most common examples is the muscles of the upper back weakening and causing a hunch. Resistance training can strengthen and tighten these muscles to bring them back into balance.
Injury Prevention
Weak muscles are more vulnerable to injury than strong ones, because they are less able to resist forces placed upon them. Resistance training prepares your muscles to exert and absorb force, making them better able to deal with forces that would otherwise injure them.
Confidence
Gaining physical strength can have a profound effect on confidence and self-esteem. The tangible increases in training weights from week to week are a constant reminder of progress. The feeling of increased strength makes most people feel more effective and better equipped to handle life's challenges.
References
- "The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding"; Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bill Dobbins; 1999
- "Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning - 3rd Edition"; National Strength and Conditioning Association; 2008
- Mayo Clinic: Fitness: Strength Training
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