10 Reasons You Should Strength Train

by Heather Long | More from this Blogger

12 Sep 2006 11:30 AM

I gave my 10 reasons you should do cardio every day last week and today I am going to give my 10 reasons you should strength train. Strength training is important to your overall fitness and while many people resist strength training when they are working on losing weight using cardio and a low-fat diet. Learn why in these 10 reasons you should strength train.

• Strength training helps to build muscle, muscle can turn your body into a fat burning machine, burning calories more efficiently and steadily 24 hours a day and help you achieve your weight loss goals more easily
• Strength training gives you a toned look to go with your fitter feel and when you strength train you make things like carrying the baby up two flights of stairs easier to accomplish because with strength training, not only are you building muscle, you are increasing your endurance
• Strength training helps you maintain and increase your basic energy levels because you feel great and you will actually decrease the general amount of fatigue you feel; over the course of time, you will notice that your energy levels actually increase during and after the workout
• Strength training will help you see real results - if you are doing strength training 3 times a week in conjunction with a cardio program 4 to 5 times a week, you will see a very visible and noticeable difference in the mirror in 4 to 6 weeks and that's not a fad program - that's real results
• Strength training can be done in a variety of ways from machine workouts to free weights to empty handed sets - there are enough options that you can do something different in every strength training session - hard to get bored with so many options
• Strength training can be done anywhere too - you don't need to go to a gym, you can do it at home with home based equipment or none, you can do it outside, you can do it at a fitness center - you can do it where you need to
• Strength training strengthens your back and your legs and helps you to prevent strain injuries from daily living including managing household cleaning, shifting furniture, carrying groceries or playing with your kids
• Strength training can help you to cope with weak joints or joints affected by arthritis - because by strengthening the muscles around a joint, you can give the joint better support and this can help reduce the pain of regular activities
• Strength training actually helps your body to build stronger bones because your body responds to wear and tear that is regular by repairing damaged areas more quickly and efficiently
• Strength training is fun - despite everything you may be thinking, once you get used to doing it - say your fourth or fifth session of strength training, you will find yourself enjoying it because your body will get a good adrenaline kick and the endorphins your brain will release as you burn off stress, increase your strength and look and feel better overall

What's not to love about strength training? Seriously, what's holding you back?

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Learn more about Heather Long

Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago.

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Lisa P (24013) 13 Sep 2006 09:31 PM

And let's not forget that strength training gives a woman the curves she wants as opposed to the curves she doesn't! A pound of muscle is far more compact and takes up less space than a pound of fat. A woman of 5'8" who weighs a well-muscled 170 will easily slide into a size 8 or 10 but that same woman at the same weight with less muscle and more fat will wear a 14. I know what I'm talking about because I AM that woman!

Heather Long (16954) 14 Sep 2006 11:59 AM

Very good points all there Lisa -- it's one of the reasons I like chest flies so much -- they tone and shape and give it the lift you start to lose over time to gravity!