Who doesn’t want a body that’s stronger, thinner, healthier and buff?
Enter the strength-building all-stars: weight and resistance training. Either of these workout types will get you to your fitness goals.
Weight training experts understand that in pure weight training, nothing more than free weights come into play. On the other hand, many resistance training exercise routines make use of machines, your own body weight as well as free weights to help you grow your muscles to their maximum potential.
These are all considered “resistance training”.
Benefits of Weight and Resistance Training
- Your fat cells seem to melt away. Whether you prefer to lift free weights or engage in resistance training, your efforts at either will assist in building your Type II muscle fibers. More muscle means a faster metabolism, which means quicker fat loss.
- Your mood improves dramatically. Although many people routinely achieve this benefit through aerobic exercise, fewer are aware that strength training will offer the identical rewards.
- Your bone density increases as well. The stress of weight lifting on the muscles also transfers to the bones. This leads to an improved structural strength and can be one of the body’s best ways of fighting osteoporosis.
- Your athletic prowess undergoes a transformation. For weekend warriors that may hit the playing field, it goes without saying that you risk injury, as well as a heck of a lot of soreness days later. When your sport demands that you move with ease while pushing your endurance to the max, you can count on muscles that can move your body quickly to come to the rescue.
- Your blood sugar levels equalize. When it comes to burning glucose for energy, white muscle fiber takes top honors. Weight training has proven more effective than cardiovascular exercise at encouraging the growth of these fibers, and the resulting blood sugar regulation can be of major benefit to anyone at risk of developing diabetes
Recent studies have shown that regular 30-minute sessions in weight or resistance training cut diabetes risk by as much as 34 percent. The addition of cardiovascular workouts will push that advantage even higher.
- Your back pain diminishes. Weight and resistance training do more than simply strengthen your body’s core. They also strengthen the muscles that support your back. We do recommend a doctor’s visit if you have back pain, however our personal trainers can help you strengthen your core.
- Great good looks are within your grasp. The desire to present an attractive appearance at the beach could stand as one big reason for getting started with weight and resistance training in the first place. Although cardio has its place and can help you lose that excess fat, nothing beats strength training is a must. You’ll thank yourself when summer rolls around.
Strength Training Tips and Tricks
Weight and resistance training will introduce your body to challenges that it likely has never faced before. Although you understandably want to reach your goal in a hurry, it’s important to do your workouts right. If you speed through your reps or do them incorrectly, you’ll only put a crimp in your progress and can do more harm than good.
To build your body both safely and effectively, follow these workout tips and tricks.
- Pay strict attention to your form. In addition to making you look inept, throwing weights around willy-nilly will only stymie your progress. On the other hand, a concentration on control, correct body alignment and muscle isolation will get you where you’re heading in the fastest possible time.
- Choose the proper weight. Meeting with our personal trainers will take the guesswork out of how many reps you need for your workout. When the poundage is just right, you should start feeling tired by the last two reps. If this happens any sooner, try dialing it down a notch. When you breeze through your reps too easily, though, it’s time to increase the resistance.
- Be realistic and set and stick with a sensible routine. If you have lofty goals, you won’t reach them in 1 week. If you’re just starting your routine, make sure you start slow. If you bench pressed 300lbs in high school, and haven’t worked out in 20 years, please don’t think you can pick up where you left off.
- Develop a tempo and stick with it. We know the videos you’ve seen on the Internet where people are lifting like they’re double parked, abandoning all form. Please slow it down and focus on the muscles you’re working on. Momentum doesn’t build muscle.
- Give your muscles some time off to rest. Each strength training session will inflict tiny tears in the muscle fibers. The muscles grow stronger as these tears heal up, but they will need some time to do that. Anywhere from 1-3 days, depending on the intensity of the workout you did.
- Get a personal trainer. Strength training experts can tell you that securing the services of a personal trainer will do more than simply get you off on the right foot. The right fitness coach will also encourage you to meet your goals while the desire to please him or her will keep you on your toes.
So many of our members have reached their fitness goals and beyond with the help of weight and resistance training. You can too. If you’re unsure of how to start your strength training program, contact one of our team members to see how you can get started with our free fitness orientation.