Fact: Weight training is the best form of exercise to change your body composition.
Why?
Well, muscle is more dense than fat so the more muscle mass you have, the leaner you will look! In fact, research has proven that 1lb of muscle occupies about 22% less space than 1lb of fat. Think of it like this; muscle and fat have different compositions. Imagine a 500g rump steak and a 500g fillet steak. How different do they look?
So many clients when they first start tell me they want to be ‘toned’ – but what does that actually mean? Well, it is not all about losing x amount of pounds, but it is more about isolating each muscle group, building in your target areas and successfully changing your aesthetics. Only weight training can do this! Therefore, it is not surprising that a lot of middle-aged men and women are overweight and a lot of their time their goal is (unsurprisingly!) fat loss. As well as a deceleration in mobility, exercise and eating habits a lot of this problem is down to the annual loss of muscle that hits you after aged 30, especially when you don’t do weight training.
Also, I wish I could say we have moved on from the myth that weight training is not beneficial for women because it will make them ‘big’ or ‘bulky.’ Fact: women don’t produce testosterone like men so unless you are eating as much food as Arnie it is impossible to get big. In fact, there are so many benefits for women to weight train. Notably, as you get older there is a higher chance of developing osteoporosis (more so in women than men) and losing muscle mass – so why wouldn’t you weight train to avoid this happening?
Weight training is crucial for everyone. It benefits your balance, coordination and posture, as well as improving your sleep, mood and energy levels. It even keeps your metabolism active after exercising so you continue to burn calories afterwards, making it the key for fat loss. For example, by increasing muscle mass, you are also increasing the number of calories burnt at resting heart rate. Lastly, it really does reduce the risk of injury. Why do you think runners, cyclists, boxers, footballers etc etc (the list is endless) incorporate strength training in their regime?
Need we say more?
Get lifting ladies and gents!
