Training with weights brings more health benefits than was thought a few years ago.
Top 8 Benefits of Weight Training
Beyond those who want to enlarge their muscles for aesthetic purposes, using weights to exercise should not fall into this type of stereotype. The benefits of training with weights are transversal for the entire population, being, for example, very suitable for older people.
Exercising exclusively with cardio exercises is not always the best option . Next we will see what are the reasons that make using weights an excellent option to take care of our general health.
1. Increases life expectancy
Weights make your body train . Training is already a protective factor against diseases of all kinds that lengthens your life, but weight training is something special. It allows parts of your body like your heart to be healthier.
In addition, having more muscle mass is something very undervalued in the elderly and that is essential. Before the regulatory process of aging it is normal to lose muscle tissue. That is why it is an excellent preventive and health measure to have more reserves of this type of tissue.
2. Helps lose weight
Weight loss should not be associated only with aerobic exercise . This idea is widespread, but scientific evidence shows that weight training makes the periods of high intensity training very helpful in burning fat.
The metabolism increases and makes us burn more during the day. Another reason to burn more is that we have more muscle mass. Over time, the increase in muscle mass causes the basal metabolism to increase, causing our body to burn more calories even when we are resting.
3. Fight anxiety and stress
All physical training represents an escape valve for everyone and this type of exercise is no exception. Performing exercises with weights are an excellent way to release tension . One of the neurotransmitters most related to this fact is norepinephrine, which helps our brain not to suffer so much stress.
On the other hand, cortisol levels are also reduced and endorphins are released. The benefits of exercising with weights go beyond the idea we have of enlarging muscles and are healthful on many levels as we are seeing
4. Improve sleep quality
Performing exercises with weights improves the quality of sleep . Studies have shown that people who use weights to train sleep better than people who don’t exercise. This is excellent news for those who want to fight against different sleep disturbances.
This benefit has been linked to the production of another transmitter, serotonin. This substance is a precursor to melatonin, the hormone most directly related to the synchronization of our circadian rhythm. This implies a good regulation of the sleep cycle.
5. You suffer less fatigue
This is the point may not be so obvious, but it is very relevant. Performing exercises with weight increases our muscle strength . But not only this, with these objects we can also improve our resistance or even our speed.
Being stronger and more adapted allows us not to suffer so much in our day to day life. If we are stronger and have more resistance, we will tire less in actions as basic as climbing stairs or unloading the purchase of the car.
6. It favors having fewer bone problems
Doing exercises with weights we not only gain quality in muscle tissues, but we also do it in bone tissues. When we lift weights our bones also get stronger .
Bone density is much better in those people who perform these types of exercises. Without a doubt, this is one of the benefits of training with weights that many people do not consider, but it is much better than, for example, eating as much dairy as we are led to believe.
7. Improves cardiovascular health
Combining aerobic exercise with anaerobic exercise is the best option . This would be, for example, going for a run some days of the week and doing weights the others. Although the two types of exercises are excellent options to improve our cardiovascular health, experts advocate combining them
It is the way to obtain the benefits of both, which exercise the cardiovascular system and the heart in particular. If we exercise regularly we can have a stronger and healthier heart, and this will be a fundamental protective factor when facing many diseases.
8. Causes fewer lesions to appear
Training with weights makes our body more toned . As we have seen, muscles and bones become stronger, but also joints, tendons, ligaments, etc. Having more toned connective tissues implies that our anatomical structure is stronger and more stable against possible injuries.
For example, there are many people who end up suffering from back pain. The causes can apparently be several, such as spending too many hours sitting in the office or any effort such as lifting something heavy. Many of these injuries, however, could have been prevented if we had advocated the benefits of weight training.
Bibliographic references
- Frontera, W.R., Slovik, D.M. y Dawson, D.M. (2006). Exercise in Rehabilitation Medicine. Champaign (IL), EUA: Human Kinetics.
- Mayer, F., Scharhag-Rosenberger, F., Carlsohn, A., Cassel, M., Müller, S. y Scharhag, J. (2011). The intensity and effects of strength training in the elderly. Deutsches Arzteblatt International, 108 (21), 359–364.
- Reynolds, G. (2014). The first 20 minutes. Barcelona: Grijalbo .
To the classic question “what do you do?” I always answer “basically I am a psychologist”. In fact, my academic training has revolved around the psychology of development, education and community, a field of study influenced my volunteer activities, as well as my first work experiences in personal services.