Is working out with weights really worth it? Isn’t cardiovascular exercise more important to overall health?

Without a doubt in my mind, the answer to this is YES! It’s so worth it, and it’s something you will grow to love more so when traveling along the journey of weight training. I want to highlight some very important points about weight training, and why it’s so effective. You can also use it to increase your cardiovascular health as a result of weight training. The methods for achieving your fitness and body composition goals are endless! You just have to find a few that fit into your lifestyle, and that you will love to do on a regular basis.

5 reasons everyone on the planet should strength train.

1. You lose body fat faster. Most people have been mislead by the notion that cardio training is the best way to burn body fat. While it does have a place in your fitness regime to target body fat loss, both visceral and subcutaneous fat stores on the body, it does not have the ultimate fat burning effects of strength training. Let me give you a study from the Poliquin institute that highlights the effectiveness of weight training.
   “One study that elaborates this effect testing what happens when you go on a diet and lift weights; Twenty untrained obese women who did hypertrophy-style circuit training for 12 weeks lost 14.5kg of body fat. They increased the amount of calories their body burnt by 63. Their resting metabolic rate became 1,800 calories per day. The study also showed what happens when you choose aerobic exercise on a restricted calorie diet: Those women lost 12.8kg of body fat and dropped 5kg of muscle mass. That means they reduced their daily caloric expenditure by 210! Their resting metabolic rate therefore became 1,358 per day! That proves that just aerobic exercise worsens your resting metabolic rate.”
2. Your body composition changes. Diet and weight training have a profound effect on altering your body composition. All it takes is to weight train about 3–4 times per week. Diet alone does make a huge difference, but when you add the massive benefits of strength training with it, you will re-shape your body, strengthen your muscles and connective tissue, as well as feel great! Feeling fit and healthy is amazing at any age bracket.
3. You raise your metabolism immensely. You don’t have to be a man to increase your muscle mass. Women mistakable think that lifting weights makes them huge! This is not so, unless you take enhancement drugs! Lifting weights will not only re-shape your body as mentioned above, it will increase your metabolism. This happens when you add muscle to your frame, which is an active and hungry tissue! It takes calories to recover and build muscle when you train. Therefore, you burn more calories at rest while your body is repairing muscle damage from training. When you burn more calories throughout the day, you can eat more food! Wholesome and nutritious food will allow you to keep your desired frame, and enjoy the pleasures of food a little bit more.
4. Your body works more effectively. Because weight training has such a huge effect on your nervous system, your body becomes accustomed to work a lot more effectively. For example, your balance and overall ability to undertake the day to day activities (like a run for the bus, or lifting your shopping bags). This means that throughout your life, and as you age, you will be on the pathway towards living a more healthier, active life, prevent the usual signs of ageing. Your tissues rebuild faster when you experience an injury, you have better brain function, and you can still keep up your lifestyle at a relatively fast pace. I don’t know about you, but I want to age well!
5. Build your muscle and your bone strength. People that lift weights consistently, experience stronger bone density as they age. This is around 50 percent lower chance of fractures in men, and 20 percent in women.
   The recommended kinds of weight training are for both strength, hypertrophy, circuit training & plyometrics. You should also try to get in some form of yoga and Pilates to increase your range of movement as well as overall flexibility. You want to maintain flexibility in order to perform exercise as effectively as possible.

Now, this is just only 5 ways in which strength training and benefit you now, and in your future life. There are benefits internally and externally. There is no better form of training to increase your confidence, strength and vitality for life. I absolutely love strength training (as you can probably tell!)