4 Reasons To Add Strength Training to Your Workout

If you’re looking to add strength training to your workout, you won’t just be building muscle. It includes other health benefits, too – including weight loss, improved cardiovascular fitness and better balance. 

Health Benefits of Strength Training 

Also called weight training or resistance training, strength training is any exercise or activity that increases strength and endurance by stressing muscles to the point that they break down and rebuild themselves stronger for your next workout. 

But it also delivers other perks, including: 

1. Improved cardiovascular fitness

Although aerobic exercise gets much of the credit for boosting heart health, strength training also has cardiovascular benefits. Recent research found that strength training for under an hour a week decreased risk of cardiovascular disease and death from any cause by about 40 percent to 70 percent, regardless of whether the participants performed any aerobic exercise. 

2. Weight loss

When you lift weights, your body burns calories during your workout but also for days after, called the excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) effect. This “afterburn” is the additional energy your body expends after you’ve finished exercising, and the EPOC from strength training is much higher than the EPOC after cardio exercise. Muscles burn up to three times more calories than fat, meaning the bigger your muscles, the more calories you burn while at rest. 

3. Better balance

When you strengthen your muscles, you also boost your body’s ability to hold itself upright. Research shows that regular strength training led to moderate to large improvements in balance in older adults. 

4. Stronger bones

Strength training puts stress on your bones, which causes your body to produce more bone tissue. As a result, bones become stronger and denser, lowering your risk for osteopenia, osteoporosis and fracture. Research shows strength training not only slows bone loss, but may also play a role in building new bones. 

How To Start Strength Training 

Interested in strength training but not sure where to start? A good first step is to talk with a personal trainer who can guide you on proper form and help you avoid injury. A trainer can also create a personalized strength-training program designed for your fitness level and goals. Many gyms and fitness centers offer free or low-cost training sessions for beginners. 

Whether you’re lifting weights in the gym or in your living room, these suggestions will help you get started safely. 

1. Good lifting form is key to preventing injury. Maintain good form with controlled, slow movements during lifts. If a trainer is available, ask them to show you proper form before beginning.

2. Warm up for five minutes with some light aerobic exercise like jogging or jumping jacks. This helps get blood flowing to your muscles so they’re ready to work.

3. Start with lighter weights with which you can do 10 to 15 repetitions (reps) without sacrificing good form.

4. Perform two to three sets of eight to 12 repetitions.

5. Add weight gradually, starting with body weight exercises only. As movements become easier, try increasing the weight by 5 percent to 10 percent by adding dumbbells.

6. The amount of rest between exercises is based on your overall goals of the workout but taking at least a minute to give your muscles a chance to recover is a good start.

7. Spend a few minutes at the end of your workout cooling down with light exercise and some gentle stretches.

8. Don’t strength train the same muscle groups vigorously every day. Taking days off between sessions allows your body to repair muscle tissue and replenish energy stores so you can lift even heavier weights during your next workout. 

Wondering when the best time is to pump some iron? The answer: Whenever you have time to do it. If you’re not a morning person, schedule a post-work strength-training session. If you find yourself too tired to exercise in the evening, try to squeeze a workout in earlier in the day. Any time you can commit to strength training is the best time.