Body builders, sports buffs, and exercise enthusiasts have been strength training for decades, but what about you? If you want to know why you should consider training with weights or other forms of resistance, your question is about to be answered. There are more perks to strength training than meets the average eye.
Are you aware that your body loses about half a pound of muscle every year starting as early as your twenties? Strength training reverses that loss by building muscle mass. More muscle also means increased metabolic rate. In other words, you’ll burn calories faster, even when you’re not exercising. One of the best perks is that your bones, joints, tendons, and ligaments will be stronger and more resistant to injury.
Correct strength training technique is important to avoid injury and to maximize results. Remember to breathe steadily through all exercises. Working small muscles first will make them too tired to support you while working your larger areas, so always begin with the big muscles and move down. Weights should be light enough to allow all movements to be slow and intentional. Use the entire range of motion for each exercise to get the greatest result in both the contraction and the expansion. Maintain a fluid beat as you perform each exercise. As an example, push up on a push-up for two counts, hold for one or two, and lower back down over a count of three or four.
There are two schools of thought on how many repetitions and sets a person can perform in each session. You can exercise to reach failure by working with resistance that enables you to perform one set of eight reps. When you can not do another proper rep, you have reached the point of failure and are finished. You can also strive for more reps using less resistance. Do two or three reps, resting between each, with the lighter weight. When your strength has increased to the point of being able to do 12 reps using either method, up the resistance slightly. Make sure that you chart your routine so you know exactly where to start the next time you exercise.
Increasing muscle strength requires not only exercise, but also a rest period during which the muscles recover. The muscles need two days to fully rebuild. If you work your muscles daily and do not give them time to rebuild, you will not see the results you want.
Maintain a balanced body by focusing on each of your various muscle groups. To allow time for the rest period and still hit each group, you may consider splitting your strength training into two main areas, upper body and lower body. Your muscles need one complete day off weekly.
The upper body muscles that you will focus on are those in the arms, shoulders, chest, and back. Amazingly enough, the simple push-up actually gives most of these muscles a decent workout. Vary the exercise by changing the amount of space between your hands.
With regards to your lower body, you’ll want to focus on the major muscle in the legs and buttocks. One of the greatest exercises for hitting most of these groups at one time is the lunge. To perform a lunge, take a large step forward with one leg, never allowing the knee to move beyond the toe, and return to the starting position. The deeper the lunge, the greater the burn.
Tightening up the loose muscles around the middle requires some focus on abs. There are many ab exercises, but it’s best to start with those that are most comfortable at first, such as basic sit-ups. If you hit the gym, a trainer can show you which machines target which muscles.
It is only through consistent, steady effort that you will see progress and prevent injury. Set a specific time to exercise, play your favorite workout music, or get a friend to join you to help you stay motivated. Remember, you are making a valuable investment in your body.
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