Weight lifting is good for you!

Please believe me when I tell you unless you are shooting steroids ladies, you are not going “bulk up”.  After a certain age everyone who does nothing to train will begin to lose a pound of muscle mass every year.  When you lose muscle mass you lose the need for more calories.  If you continue to eat the way you did 5 years before muscle decline started you will steadily gain weight because your energy expenditure without that muscle mass is less.

Resistance training not only helps one retain but maybe build muscle mass.  The first changes one will notice upon beginning a strength training regimen is not that they are bigger but that they are stronger. It is possible to improve posture and raise metabolism (the energy expenditure of your body) and therefore lose weight.  The added benefit of improved posture helps one to see results faster.

Strength training can be part of a great way to rehabilitate chronic pain

 Many times people suffer injuries because of imbalances in strength in their bodies.  For instance in any given health club, fitness center, gym, etc. on Monday night around 5:30 every weight bench has 2-3 guys around it all lifting for their chest.  Many of these people do not focus as heavily on their back and therefore develop shoulder injuries due to the imbalance of muscle mass and strength.  Unfortunately one does not have to deliberately over train one part of the body and undertrain another to develop imbalances.  Sedentary people can develop imbalances because of poor posture, accidents, slipping and overcorrecting and any number of situations that could catch one off guard. Fortunately strength training can help. 

The truth is the one on the right will take an intense level of training many people find impossible to achieve without the help of an expert.  A personal trainer will assess your current fitness level and design a program to help you achieve your goal. This may include weight lifting or an alternative form of resistance training using resistance bands and/or your own body weight.  The message to take away from this: whatever your fitness goal may be maintaining and even building a little muscle is a key factor in overall fitness. 

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