Is strength training really important? Regardless of which type of activity or sport you are participating in, it’s imperative that you are making sure that you are taking part in strength training. Too many people overlook this form of exercise and as such don’t reap all the benefits it has to offer.
Let’s walk you through some of the key reasons why strength training is a must for everyone – young or old, fit or unfit, male or female.
Strength Training Brings Greater Functional Strength
First, the great thing about strength training is that it’s going to provide excellent transfer over benefits to any other activities that you are involved in.
By forming together a functional strength training workout – that means using exercises that mimic similar movement patterns that you would do in other activities, you will reap great performance increasing rewards from doing those sessions.
You’ll notice you feel stronger and more capable when going about your other sporting activities.
Better Weight Control
The next nice thing about strength training is that it’s going to also serve to enhance your metabolic rate and provide greater weight control.
If you are strength training regularly, your body will burn up more fuel each day and if you do ever overeat, you’ll have a greater chance of converting those calories to muscle mass, not fat mass.
This means you stay leaner and prevent fat gain long term. Maintaining a healthy body weight is not only important for any sports you participate in or other lifestyle activities, but also so that you can achieve optimal health standing as well.
Enhanced Bone Strength
Strength training is also important for being able to build sufficient amounts of bone strength as well. While all weight baring activities will help to enhance your bone strength, weight training is the best of them all since you are baring that additional weight.
Regular strength training workouts can decrease your risk factor for osteoporosis or other related bone health conditions.
Lower Risk Of Lean Muscle Mass
As you age, you are going to be at an increased risk of lean muscle mass loss if you don’t continue strength training regularly. If muscle mass loss occurs, this will immediately impact your quality of life as you won’t be able to perform all the activities you used to enjoy.
As you move into the older years, strength training becomes more important than ever.
Lower Risk Of Disease
Finally, the last reason to be including strength training in your exercise protocol is because it’ll go a long way as well towards lowering your risk of disease.
Strength training is a fantastic way to combat diabetes, heart disease, depression, along with high blood pressure and stroke.
Those who strength train regularly lead healthier and typically happier lives as well as it tends to have great mood regulating efforts.
So make sure that you are taking all of this into account with your strength training workout sessions. If you aren’t doing these regularly, you are missing out. Keep in mind that it only takes 2-3, 30-45 minute sessions per week to see all these benefits, so it won’t demand a high time commitment on your part.
