Health Benefits of Weight Training - It Offers More Than Just Weight Loss

Most people know that a weight training program can provide many health benefits; but do you know that weight training is also very effective for weight loss? If you have a strong discipline and commitment to follow through a weight training program, you could have developed some great muscles and lose those body fats you hate.

The mechanics of weight training is that it works on toning the muscles. Toned muscles not only add to the overall good appearance of your body but also burn more calories. If your muscles are well toned, your body is able to burn fat very efficiently, even when you are sleeping.

Another great advantage of weight training is that it helps speed up metabolic rate by building muscle mass. As you know that our metabolic rate naturally slows as we get older. So, weight training can actually help turn around a declining metabolic rate. Also, you will become energized after your weight training session and have more energy for the entire day.

Besides toning the muscles and losing weight, another great health benefit of weight training I can think of is that it also helps strengthen our bones; hence decrease the risk of developing osteoporosis. Our body contains more than 650 different muscles and if you follow a weight training program consistently, all these muscles get toned to help you burn more calories and energize you.

There is a false belief, especially among women, that weight training will give them big muscles. This is a myth; the truth is that weight training can improve your muscular endurance; that's why you see many athletes do weight training regularly. When your muscles get more strength, you will develop well-toned muscles and increased metabolism instead. This combination helps you to lose weight faster.

You see, when your body gets into good shape, losing weight becomes a natural result. Weight training makes your body strong and fit, it gives you the confidence to complete many of your daily physical activities. You will be less prone to injuries such as those occurring in your lower back because of the strength increase in your back muscles.

Other health benefits you could expect from weight training include lower blood pressure, increased HDL blood cholesterol (good cholesterol), reduce risk for heart attack, diabetes and colon cancer. Even those who suffer from depression can benefit from weight training as many people had experienced an increase in good mood and positive vibes when they weight train.

Go download our brand new and FREE ebook: "Exercise Without Effort" at our Fitness and Health Tips site. If you're interested in working out at home, check out our complete home gym system that costs under $50 at http://fitnesstips.healthbuzzone.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mei_Susanti

Read More

Weight Training With A Weight Loss Goal

In a weight loss, or fat loss phase as I prefer to call it, weight training is considered a very important ingredient to the equation. The main emphasis of weight training in the fat loss phase is maintenance of muscle tissue.

Muscle tissue shapes and forms the contours of the body. I'm not saying you can change the shape of a muscle because that's physically impossible. It does, however, have a discernable shape that is reflected on the male or female body. So, if all emphasis were placed on cardiovascular or energy system development (ESD), as I call it, there would definitely be some muscle wasting going on.

This causes a loss in shape or lack of shape improvement when in a weight loss phase. Muscle is considered the primary indicator of metabolism. Basically, it single handedly determines how many calories the body burns. So if you lose muscle through exercise or dieting, you burn fewer calories through daily processes.

So, in a weight loss training program, we want to maintain or even add muscle to our frame through proper exercise prescription. The use of compound movements needs to be emphasized. This includes, but is not limited to, various forms of: squats ,deadlifts , pulls and pushes. Specific examples would be barbell squats, barbell bench press, chin ups, etc.

The frequency of weight training can vary, but keep in mind that maintenance of muscle tissue is the goal. The majority of training should be based on ESD. Weight workouts should include circuit training, supersets, tri sets, etc. to burn up energy and/or stimulate growth hormone which has been linked to fat mobilization and usage. Still, one session of the week should be devoted to lifting as heavy a weight as possible in good form. This is the most important lifting session of the week as far as muscle is concerned in a weight loss phase. By placing an overload on the system, the body has little choice but to hold onto that energy consuming tissue called muscle.

Repetitions for all lifts during each training session are going to be highly individual to the trainee. Beginners and women need to use a higher repetition range due to having less neurologically efficient central nervous systems. Basically, this means they aren't able to use as much muscle per repetition as someone with more experience. Both populations obviously improve with training. Intermediate and advanced trainees, on the other hand, need to use lower ranges. The one exception is when growth hormone or lactate producing workouts are to be performed. For this type of workout the range needs to be from 12-20.

One quick side note. Women shouldn't be afraid to lift heavy weights. I see it all the time at every gym I've ever been to. Lots of cardio and very little weight training. Most women need to get stronger. The concern of getting "big, bulky muscles" is so outdated it makes me sick. If you sit and worry about getting these "big, bulky muscles", consider all the men out there who are doing everything they know to get "big, bulky muscles" and are having a hard time achieving that. Men have a distinct advantage, with few exceptions from the female population, in stimulating muscle growth. The hormone, testosterone, is one of the main factors in this process. Women produce much less of it and therefore have a harder time adding muscle mass. I'm not saying women can't add muscle, it just might take a little longer or be a little harder to accomplish. Now make the necessary changes in your program and get started!

About the Author:
Paul Yost is the Owner/Operator of Paramount Training Systems, a personal training company based in Houston, TX. He also works as a Strength and Conditioning Coach in professional baseball. Find more about his services and information at: http://www.paramount-training.org

Read More