Do you want to lose weight, feel sexy and have more energy??!! Would you like to stand up taller, ease pain and reduce the chance of injury?!?
If you answered YES to either of the questions then I've got just the thing for YOU!Lift Weights! Yup, it's that easy.
Clients often come to me after doing months, even years of cardio exercise and watching what they eat still not seeing the improvement they want most in their body shape and weight asking, "What am I doing wrong?!". The answer is nothing, really. Getting regular, sometimes intense cardiovascular exercise is a huge part of staying healthy, strong and feeling good. Eating a diet full of nutrient rich foods and avoiding junk will help you live longer and live better. But, if you want to change your body shape, boost your mood and improve performance in both athletic and daily pursuits you've got to do one more thing -- strength train.
And here's why....
Strength Training Provides Myriad Benefits:
· Improves your ability to do everyday activities: The stronger your muscles, the easier it is to get groceries out of the car, get a package off of the top cabinet shelf, push the lawnmower or stroller…..the list goes on and on!
· Improves your balance and stability: The stronger and more resilient your muscles, the more balance is sturdier. This will help keep you safe in your daily activities and decreases the risk of falls or accidents.
· Builds muscle strength: Adults lose between five and seven pounds of muscle every decade after age 20. Strength training will help prevent this muscle loss, and rebuild what you may have lost.
· Decreases your risk of osteoporosis: Inactivity and aging can lead to a decrease in bone density, leading to brittleness. Studies have shown that consistent strength training can increase bone density and prevent osteoporosis.
· Reduces blood pressure: Strength training can be beneficial for the prevention and treatment of high blood pressure by strengthening the heart, allowing it to beat more efficiently.
· Increases calorie burn: Strength training increases the body's metabolic rate, causing the body to burn more calories throughout the day. This aids significantly in long term weight loss.
· Reduces low back pain: Research has shown that strength training can increase low back strength and alleviate low back pain.
More Muscle = Less Fat: It’s all about the burn!
Just sitting around watching Castle on Monday nights, a body with more muscle will be burning more calories. Just sitting there! And this is true all day long. Muscle fibers naturally burn more calories than fat – so a stronger body will ultimately be a leaner more healthy body. What better reason to get to the gymJ
Guidelines and Definitions:
The number of times that you perform an exercise represents the number of sets. The number of times that you lift each weight represents the number of reps, or repetitions. There are many different ways to organize your strength training routine depending on your time frame and goals. No matter what format of reps and sets your choose having a plan helps you avoid picking up any old weight and tossing around – getting you nowhere, slowly.
Important Principals:
· Pay attention to proper form and technique, as they are very important for injury prevention and producing results.
· Never hold your breath during the exercises. Always exhale when exerting force (on the hard part of the movement).
When selecting a weight, it should be heavy enough that you feel the muscle working and the difficulty increasing as you get to the 12th repetition. The weight should be light enough that you can do 8-12 repetitions without pain or breaking proper form.
· Strength training should never be painful! If you experience pain, stop the exercise immediately.
Switch it up: Change is Good! Varying your strength workouts keeps you more interested and can help you get better results. If you stick with the same routine month after month, year after year, your muscles adapt to those exercises; but by working your muscles from a variety of angles, you involve more muscle fibers and keep your muscles challenged.
If you haven't had a professional trainer develop a personalized strengthening program for you - now's the time!
Here to help,
Remy
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