We’ve all seen people in the gym who are lifting weights to stay in shape, but is this workout for everyone? The answer is, it can be! Each person differs as far as the frequency for how often they should be lifting weights as well as the weight limit, but after consulting a professional to ensure your safety and capabilities, weight lifting can provide many health benefits. We’ve compiled a helpful guide so you can understand what some of the benefits of weight training and weight lifting are, why you should consider incorporating some weight training into your exercise routine, and some helpful tips to ensure that you can lift weights safely.
Weight training is a strength training exercise that uses resistance to stress and condition the muscles to eventually grow stronger. There is a variety of exercise equipment to practice strength training such as: dumbbells, weight machines, barbells, or free weights. Before jumping into weight training, it’s recommended to speak with your personal physician or a physical therapist who can help you gauge your physical exercise goals and capabilities. Discuss with your physician about other professionals who are experts in exercise, such as physical therapists, who can help you decide how much weight to safely lift as a starting point, how often to weight lift, the proper methodology for performing certain actions, and set individualized goals for your strength training and health journey.
Our physical therapists at Results Physiotherapy are here to help you accomplish your goals and to ensure that you are educated about which exercises to perform, how often you should perform them, and safety considerations that need to be made. If you’d like to incorporate some weight training into your routine, connect with one of our physical therapists across the country or virtually to get your weight training journey started.
Muscles used in weight training are broken down into pairs that are composed of an extensor muscle and a flexor muscle. An extensor muscle is one that, “increases the angle between members of a limb, as by straightening the elbow or knee or bending the wrist or spine backward.” A flexor muscle is responsible for the opposing action, or decreasing the angle between the bone on both sides of a joint. Weight training is the building of both flexor and extensor muscles to balance the body.
When you’re building muscles and training to get stronger over time, one key thing to remember is that you need to make sure you’re taking a balanced approach. Balance is incredibly important when weight training because if you build up certain muscles but do not strengthen other supporting muscles, complications can occur. This is why in most exercise classes the instructor will have you do opposing exercises to work both muscle groups like the biceps and triceps. These muscles work together to support many functions in the body so it’s crucial that both are strengthened. Additionally, weight training can help you with several other health benefits including things like a risk for falling. Later on, we’ll highlight some key health benefits you can gain by incorporating weight training into your exercise routine.
If you’re thinking about adding some weight training or weight lifting into your exercise and gym routine, one thing that you don’t want to skip out on are those light warmups and all-important pre-workout stretches and post-workout stretches. Make sure to warm your muscles up with light aerobic exercise before you embark on a weight training exercise.
Warming up is an essential part to start your weight training session off on the right foot. Muscles that are warm can be less prone to injury and soreness. A productive warmup should last 5-10 minutes and will motivate the cardiovascular system to raise your blood temperature and blood flow to get the oxygen to the muscles that need it during a weight lifting workout.
Now that you understand why warming up can be essential to having a successful weight training session in the gym, we’ve outlined some key weight training tips and safety recommendations you should keep in mind as you’re getting ready to lift some weights.
In order to see positive results from weight training, there are a few safety tips to follow to ensure you’re getting the most out of your strength training experience.
As with all things in life, it can take a while for good habits and results to shine through. That’s why it’s important that you make it a priority to regularly practice and perform weight training with your regular fitness routine. Over time, your body will begin to realize that it needs to grow accustomed to the new exercises it’s being put through and will develop muscle over time, which is why you need to create a consistent lifting schedule several times a week to see the best results.
Once you’ve begun exercising regularly throughout the week, you want to make sure that you’re giving your body enough time to rest and recover. It takes a lot of energy to build and develop muscle, which is why you need to focus on getting ample amounts of sleep each night so your body can dedicate enough time and energy to repairing those muscle fibers and building new muscle for the future.
As you’re performing some of the lifts and getting used to performing certain exercises regularly, there are several things you want to keep in mind including the speed at which you’re performing the exercise, your breathing routine/pattern, speed of movements, and the weight you’re lifting.
A weight can seem easy to lift at first, but you should never rush lifting weights or performing new exercises. Always try to focus on doing controlled movements with weight you can lift to ensure that you’re not trying to go above your lifting capacity. A healthy challenge every now and then as you’re lifting weights can be a good thing, but if you find that you’re struggling to lift certain weights or perform certain exercises, take a step back and go down a few notches to ensure that you’re safe.
The next thing to be mindful of as you begin to incorporate some weight training into your fitness routine is to always be mindful of what your body is trying to tell you. Make sure you are listening to your body as you weight train, pain does not mean progress. If you over exhaust your muscles by overuse or forget proper breathing techniques, there is a chance you lose control of your weights and that can pose a danger not only to yourself but to others as well.
Listen to what your body is trying to tell you as you workout and if you feel like you need an extra rest day, don’t be afraid to take it. Now that we’ve given you some helpful tips on how to add weight training into your workout and the importance of ensuring that you warm up properly, we’ve compiled a list of some great reasons as to why you should make weight training a priority due to the benefits it can have on you and your well being.
Experts say that weight lifting can come with many benefits such as: improved posture, improved sleep, boosting metabolism, maintaining weight loss, gaining bone density, lowering inflammation, and fighting off chronic diseases. These incredible benefits are sometimes overshadowed by the preconceived notion that weight lifting is only for bodybuilders. That couldn’t be further from the truth! Everyone can benefit from weight lifting – it’s easy to see why!
As people age, the lean muscle mass breaks down so it’s important to continue to utilize and strengthen the muscle mass so the deterioration doesn’t continue. Weight training can turn this deterioration around by providing benefits such as increasing bone density and reducing the risk of fracture to fragile bones, or osteoporosis. Weight training can also improve balance and increase energy.
Improved Muscle Strength and Endurance
One of the major benefits that can stem from you incorporating weight training into your fitness routine is the addition in muscle strength and endurance. As you add more weight training into your routine, you’ll find that your body responds to the new challenges by growing and building new muscle over time. You’ll find that your body can lift heavier weights and do so for longer periods of time.
Improved Posture
The next benefit you can gain while adding lifting weights into your exercise routine is that it helps to improve your posture over time. One of the leading causes of poor posture is under developed muscles or muscles that have been neglected for quite some time.
As you add weight lifting into your routine, you can focus on building those muscles and more importantly those supportive muscle groups that help you not only keep an upright posture but allow you to perform certain tasks that were previously difficult.
Helps You Manage Chronic Conditions and Pain
Another benefit of making weight training a priority is that it can help you manage some chronic conditions and pain that you’ve been dealing with. There are chronic conditions and pain that weight training can help with including diseases like diabetes, arthritis, back pain, heart disease, and more.
Boosts Metabolism and Helps Fat Loss
When you incorporate weight training into your routine, you’re also telling your body that it needs to make a change. One of those changes is that you’re telling it that it needs to find energy from all sources, including the fat reserves you might have stored up from a sedentary lifestyle. As your body begins to use more energy to lift weights and build muscle, your body needs to find a suitable replacement to get the energy it needs. One of the ways that your body finds that energy is by boosting your metabolism so it can use the calories you eat more efficiently.
Transforms Your Body
If you’re looking to shape up and transform your body, then one of the best ways to get to that end goal is to incorporate weight training into your fitness routine. When you begin lifting weights, you’re sending the signal that your body needs to get in shape for the new activities it’s regularly performing. This signal tells your cells to adapt so you can meet the challenges head on, and as a result you can transform your body.
Boosts Mood, Confidence, Energy Levels, and Improves Sleep Habits
One of the often overlooked benefits of adding weight lifting into your routine is the positive effects it can have on your mental health. As you begin setting new records and reaching personal goals, your body releases endorphins that make you feel good about some of the tasks you’ve accomplished during your workout. These endorphins also have plenty of pain-relieving and anti-depression benefits which can help you improve your mood, confidence, and sleep habits over time.
Reduces the Risk of Falls and Improves Balance
Building strength over time helps you focus on those supporting muscles that can play a critical role in nearly every activity you do throughout the day. If you find that you’re struggling to balance yourself or are at risk for a dangerous fall, weight training can help you build up those supportive muscles to become stronger and more sure-footed. Weight training helps you focus on building those key muscles that can help you reduce your risk for falling over time.
The Department of Health and Human Services recommends weight training all major muscle groups at least twice a week. Results of positive muscle strength from weight training can become present in as little as two or three weeks of 20-30 minutes sessions a week. Why wait to start weight training?
One of the best things you can do to ensure that you’re setting yourself up for success as you look to incorporate weight training into your exercise routine is to make sure that you’re doing it with all the right tools and knowledge. At Results PT, we’re passionate about assisting each one of our patients meet and achieve their personal goals and fitness objectives. Schedule an Appointment Today to connect with a physical therapist who will help guide you and educate you on some weight training exercises you can incorporate into your routine safely.
