If you, like roughly 1.8 billion other people, lead a sedentary lifestyle, you may start to feel the effects of that lifestyle catch up to you. Maybe you’re not as flexible as you remembered. Maybe you can’t climb a flight of stairs without getting winded. Maybe there’s not any tangible symptoms, but you can recognize in some way that you’re in worse condition than you once were. There’s no shame in this, but once you recognize the problem, it’s important to seek out a solution. For that, we recommend getting into strength training.
There’s a lot that goes into strength training, and it seems intimidating to many beginners. To keep you from getting overwhelmed, we’ve put together a few beginner-level facts and tips to start you on your strength training journey.
What Is Strength Training?
Strength training is a type of exercise that focuses on building up your muscles by applying repeated stress. As you push your body to its limits, you’ll gradually become stronger and improve your muscularity. Common types of strength training include weightlifting, resistance training, and certain at-home exercises.
Note that if it’s weight loss you’re after, you may want to consider a cardio routine instead of strength training. In fact, strength training may even cause you to gain weight. As the muscle you’re packing on is heavier than the fat you’re burning off. While the same could said of cardio to a degree. It focuses on burning fat and improving heart health much more heavily than building muscle. Of course, the weight gain from strength training isn’t a bad thing– your health is far more complex than a number on a scale! Even though you may end up heavier than when you started, you’ll feel fitter, stronger, and healthier overall.
Benefits of Strength Training
While you likely already knew that strength training was good for you. You’re probably reading this blog post because you want to know about some of the specific benefits. Let’s take a look at a few of the most notable benefits you’ll gain from regular strength training.
- Boosted metabolism: When you put your body through an intense activity like strength training, it has to convert excess fat into usable energy to sustain itself. If you exercise consistently, you can train your body to store less fat than it would otherwise. It Increases your metabolism and replaces excess fat with lean, toned muscle.
- Increased muscle mass: As you continue strength training, you’ll likely notice an increase in muscle mass. This will allow you to take on more physically demanding tasks and take your fitness journey even further.
- Mental health improvement: Chances are, you’ve heard an exercise enthusiast mention getting their second wind in the middle of a tough workout at one point or another. This isn’t just a made-up phenomenon– it has some solid scientific backing. When we perform physically demanding activities like strength training, our bodies release endorphins. A brain chemical that reduces stress and pain and creates a sense of well-being and euphoria. These endorphins don’t go away when you stop exercising, though. They’ll continue boosting your mood throughout the day, leading to a greater sense of contentment and improved general mental health.
- Higher resilience to injuries: Regular strength training can increase your bone density. It helps improve joint health and increases your sense of balance. Between these three factors, you may notice that you aren’t getting hurt nearly as often as you were before, and can bounce back from injuries much quicker.
Best Strength Training Tips
Now that you know the benefits of strength training, you’re probably ready to get started, but how? We feel it’s important to know a bit of basic information before kicking off your new workout regimen, so check out these key points.
- Exercise all your muscle groups: When setting up a strength training regiment, it’s important to include all your muscle groups. Focusing too much on one muscle group can lead to muscle imbalances. It may in turn lead to long-term damage, serious injuries, and chronic pain or mobility issues.
- Give muscle groups rest days: The best way to exercise every muscle group is to schedule different days for each group. This gives the groups that can not work on that day time to rest and recover. It reduces the risk of injury and ensures a good muscle balance across all the groups.
- Push yourself, but know when to stop: While intense workouts are supposed to hurt, there comes a point when it’s no longer safe to continue. If you suddenly feel new, sharp, or unusual pains, stop exercising immediately. Visit your doctor as soon as possible to ensure you haven’t hurt yourself. Trying to push past this pain may lead to a more serious injury.
- Listen to your body: Most importantly, listen to what your body is trying to tell you. Finished your workout, but feel like you could push further? Go for another rep, and adjust your future workouts accordingly. Only partway through your workout, but feel like you can’t continue? Call it a day and see if you need to scale back your routine a bit. Your body is always trying to tell you what is and isn’t good for it, so listening is the best way to find a strength training routine that works for you.
Looking for more great tips, tricks, and products to lead a healthier and more active lifestyle? Come visit our site at NineFit today!