Is Weight Training for you?
Everyone knows what to do in order to live a longer, healthier life. The answer is simple: Eat healthy and exercise. But what type of exercise is best and does it depend on the individual? What if you’re over, say, 50 years old, should you avoid lifting weights and stick to walking and other light forms of exercise? If you’re a woman, should you just stick to light weights and high reps in order to avoid building “bulky” muscle? If you’re an aspiring athlete, does adding muscle slow you down and decrease performance?
The answer to THESE questions is also simple: EVERYONE, of every age, every gender, for every goal, should be resistance training to some extent. How often and exactly which exercises should be determined with the help of a trainer and based on your long-term goals.
Weight training, strength training, and resistance training, all refer to the same thing - Utilizing your bodyweight and gravity along with external load (weights, bands, machines) to build resilience and improve lifespan better than any other exercise option available to you.
Weight training is the BEST form of exercise for staying healthy for several key reasons:
Building and Maintaining Muscle Mass: As people age, they naturally lose muscle (sarcopenia). Weight training helps slow or reverse this process, preserving strength and mobility.
Improves Bone Density: Resistance exercises stimulate bone growth and help prevent osteoporosis, reducing the risk of fractures and falls.
Strengthens Joints and Connective Tissues: Stronger joints and connective tissues are more resilient under stress, lowering the risk of tears, sprains, and dislocations.
Improves Athletic Performance: Larger and stronger muscles produce more force, improving speed, agility, power output, and leads to improvements in endurance, balance, and coordination for sports.
Enhances Balance and Coordination: Stronger muscles and better joint function improve balance, lowering the risk of falls.
Supports Metabolic Health: Weight training can improve insulin sensitivity, reduce blood sugar levels, and help manage weight, lowering the risk of type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.
Boosts Mental Health: Strength training has been shown to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety, and improve cognitive function.
Promotes Independence: By maintaining physical strength and function, older adults can perform daily activities more easily and remain independent longer.
Now, how do you go about building this muscle and strength to reap all of the above benefits?
If you’re de-trained or starting for the first time, two to three sessions per week of anywhere from 30 minutes to 60 minutes of training will get you most, if not all, of the results you’re here for.
That’s 30-60 minutes of challenging, effortful, “heavy” lifting, and in this context, "heavy” means that an exercise is challenging for YOU to perform anywhere from 5-30 repetitions, whether that’s with 5lbs or 500lbs, it doesn’t matter. It needs to be hard, but remember that “heavy” is different for everyone and is entirely safe and absolutely necessary if you want results. Going through the motions without pushing yourself isn’t going to cut it!
With proper form and guidance from a trainer or coach, heavy exercises are safe and effective and worth every bit of sweat and muscle burn!
If you’re looking for personal training in the Denver area, contact me for more information on how to get started on your own weight training program!
ReviveFitTraining@gmail.com
(480) 309-6472
