Men who are after getting bigger and stronger are no longer the rulers of the free weight section in the gym. Science has shone the light on how women also benefit from lifting weights as resistance training establishes itself as the training type with the greatest long term effect on metabolic rate…number one for burning fat and toning your body!
Weight lifting increases the strength of connective tissue, muscles and tendons. This leads to improved motor performance. Research in motor control of aging humans has been centered around determining how motor performance is influenced by age, and around efforts to unravel the mechanisms that contribute to declines in motor performance. Changes are often characterized by slower and more variable movements, specifically slower initiation of movement, slower movement durations, declines in coordination of movement, reduced force production, coactivation of antagonist muscles during movement, and increased variability of movements (i.e., movements become inconsistent or varied from one use to the next). Specific examples of tasks that are linked to dimensions of motor control include goal-directed movements such as pointing, reaching and grasping, and aiming.
Lifting weights improves your ability to perform activities of daily living by boosting physical work capacity, enabling you to work harder and longer, promoting fat-free body mass while decreasing sarcopenia, that is when the lean muscle mass decreases with age. If we don’t add strength training to our routine, not only will we lose muscle mass with age but also lose strength and gain fat. Having more muscle than fat tones your body and give you the lean, firm physique you have always wanted.
Lifting weights is a low impact activity, so you are at lower risk for injuries. It is less stressful on your knees and joints than running hence is one of the best ways to control loss of bone mass. Just as your muscles adapt to the stress of weightlifting by becoming bigger and stronger, your bones also adapt. When your bones perceive or receive stress on them, their response is to deposit more bone making them stronger.
As your body increases its muscle mass, it will work harder to maintain that muscle over fat ratio, this means that you will burn more calories throughout the day, therefore the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn at rest.
Our weightlifting programs strengthen the muscles of your core, resulting in better posture and balance through strengthening muscles that support your spine, and other little muscles apart from the main muscle groups. This lessens physical discomfort or back pain and reverses some of the damage caused by sitting all day. Also those muscles help keep you upright and take care of everyday tasks such as balancing on one foot when walking, picking up the kids or stopping yourself from falling.
Commiting to a weightlifting program everyday or every other day goes a long way towards improving your discipline, acquiring perseverance that will help you achieve your health and fitness goals.
Lifting also helps regulate blood sugar lowering the risk of developing lifestyle illnesses born out of our increasingly sedentary lifestyles such as hyperlipidaemia and diabetes. As you lose body fat, lifting weights greatly reduces your chances for becoming obese. The constant loaded movement when you lift weights stimulates rapid blood flow, as heart rate goes up you maintain a healthier heart lowering risks for developing cardiovascular diseases as you get older.
Research shows that not only can weight lifting improve your body composition and give you a toned appearance, but it can also improve your overall health and make you a happier person. Giving you confidence in yourself that will put you in a better mood generally or help you fight depression.
Our strength and conditioning programs are based on your current health and goals, improving fitness, aesthetic appearance, stress levels, cognition and mental toughness. Programs that are pre-emptive because they are based on screening for risk factors associated with cardiovascular, orthopedic, metabolic and pulmonary disorders before they happen rather than waiting for a ‘wake-up call’ to force you improve your health and lifestyle.
We offer simple, efficient and effective 50 minute workouts in a private, appointment only setting, so we can safely and effectively tackle lifestyle risks associated with obesity and sedentary lifestyle, reducing rates of illness and injury, improving personal well being, productivity and quality of life.
Let’s chat about your health!
Tiger Athletic 