When you think of exercising, you likely think of a physical gym and the equipment inside available for your workout pleasure or pain, depending on how ya look at it, hee hee!
This probably includes equipment like treadmills, ellipticals, bikes, rowers, benches, leg machines, dumbbells, medicine balls, kettlebells, bands, boxes……
At Results Fitness, our gym features lots of fitness toys geared toward strength-training-based workouts (aka lifting weights).
However you spin it, the underlying theme is giving your body and muscles a form of resistance.
…Why does this matter?
…Why is strength training the core of what we do at Results Fitness?
..Is it ’cause I am a total bro and like to lift weights in my cut-off and grunt?
I’m going to say something that may come as a shock BUT…did you know lifting weights actually has *nothing* to do with exercise?
Lifting weights goes beyond the gym and what you do in your workouts.
Lifting weights is the most effective way to train for the life you want to live OUTSIDE the gym.
Maybe you have never thought about this or considered what you want your future life to look and feel like.
If you’re healthy now and get around just fine, you’re probably not concerned about what could happen down the road.
But the (scary) truth is – if you aren’t doing anything to take care of yourself now in terms of exercising, you can’t / shouldn’t expect life to remain easy and carefree ’cause it won’t.
Your life will actually get harder.
A lot harder
It’s easy to take your health for granted and think exercising isn’t worth the time, effort, or money.
I’m not here to tell you you’re wrong, just to share perspective – here’s a quick example:
- If the roof on your house was caving and you never fixed it, what would happen?
- If your car ran out of gas and you never put more in, what would happen?
Getting back to that part about why lifting weights has nothing to do with exercise.
You need to be physically strong and able to do all the things you may currently take for granted:
Do you want to be able to walk, sit and stand on your own, forever?
Do you want to be able to bathe/shower yourself on your own, forever?
Do you want to be able to pick up your kids/grandkids and give them a hug?
Do you want to be able to push the grocery cart, carry grocery bags, and unload your car?
Do you want to be able to enjoy that post-retirement bucket list?
Lifting weight/strength training provides an unmatched variety of benefits – scientifically proven to have MORE benefits than any other form of exercise, cardio included.
From optimizing health and daily performance to just looking and feeling good, adding dumbbells, kettlebells, barbells, and even bodyweight exercises to your routine is arguably the best way to optimize your health, strength, happiness, and longevity!
In today’s blog, you are learning:
- Why you avoid weights + how to overcome these barriers
- 14 Reasons Strength Training is SUPERIOR!
- The ideal strength training regimen for beginners + veterans!
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WHY YOU AVOID WEIGHTS
There are many misconceptions and beliefs about why you should NOT strength train/ use weights. Let’s kick things off by clearing the air so that you have the facts and from there, can make a more informed decision!
#1. It’s Harder than Cardio!
It’s harder to learn strength-based exercises compared to cardio latent activities like the elliptical or treadmill. If you are the type to walk into a gym, wander aimlessly, and stare at weights because you don’t know what to do, you are not alone.
First, lifting weights is all about form and technique so you don’t get hurt. However, most gyms leave you to your own device and do not provide the coaching and guidance needed when strength training. If you don’t know what to do or how to do it properly, of course you’re going to avoid it altogether.
Second, lifting weights is hard and uncomfortable at times. Naturally, you want to avoid feeling like this, and I understand why. However, these feelings are just a temporary means to a very beneficial end – your health!
Finally, cardio has always been the go-to, preferred type of workout….until now!
There is a huge shift, especially among woman ages 40+, to add strength training into their exercise routine because of ALL the reasons I will outline later on in this blog.
The majority of the people in our community are females 40+ coming to Results Fitness at the recommendation of their physician due to the onset/progression of osteopenia, osteoporosis, or arthritis and/or just feeling weaker overall when performing daily tasks.
#2. Weights are for Bodybuilders + Elite Athletes!
Most associate lifting weights with grunting bodybuilders and elite athletes. The truth is, strength training is for ALL ages and fitness levels.
There are exercises that everyone can do, adaptable to all experience levels whether you’re a beginner or workout veteran. The key is working with a coach who is knowledgeable, certified and trained so that you know what to do, do it properly and enjoy workouts that are safe and effective for your individual needs.
#3. You’ve got existing injuries and/or BAD ______ knees/hips/back.
If you deal with chronic aches and pains or have injuries from the past, you may have been led to believe lifting weights isn’t safe and will make this stuff worse.
The truth is, exercise is medicine and when you lift weights with good technique and form, it alleviates chronic pain and the common aches we experience with age. In fact, the only way to improve joint health, build muscle and enhance range of motion is by strength training. Being sedentary actually makes these aches and pains worse and cardio won’t cut it.
If you have current/lingering issues you definitely need to be working with a certified coach. It is common for newbies to come to Results Fitness at the recommendation of their physician or physical therapists to help strengthen their backs, knees, and shoulders.
#4. Get Bulky? NO Thanks!
It’s a common fear lifting weights makes you “bulky” and reshapes your body in a way you don’t want. However, it is the exact opposite!
Lifting weights builds lean muscle mass and helps your body burn fat more effectively.
MORE muscle + LESS fat = leaner and more ‘toned‘ physique!
Muscle takes up LESS space in your body,m making it look learned, while fat takes up MORE space in your body, hence the look of ‘fluff‘ and bulk.
The “bulk” and fluff you feel/want to avoid is body fat and that has everything to do with your diet. Regardless of how hard / how much you are exercising, if you are eating more than you are burning, you will gain weight and fat.
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14 REASONS TO LIFT WEIGHTS:
If you’re searching for the most effective workout to garner life-changing results, maximize your health and live the best possible life, welcome to strength training/ lifting weights!
Here at Results Fitness, your exercise programs are 100% personalized to YOU: your starting point, preferred level of intensity and modifications for injuries.
In fact, most people we work with are brand new to exercising, have never lifted weights/strength trained before and have existing injuries and / or chronic aches and pains.
Here are 14 reasons you NEED and want to be strength training / lifting weights, regardless of your age or fitness level:
*Important note: Heavier weights are relative to your current fitness level.
#1. Builds Confidence: There’s something magical about lifting a heavy weight or loaded barbell off the ground and pulling yourself over the pull-up bar that just makes you feel like you can do anything. This will carry over into your relationships, job, and life outside of the gym
#2. Improves Strength: This is the most obvious, but strength makes daily activities much easier and improves your quality of life.
For instance, isn’t it super cool to carry 8 bags of groceries in one trip from your car to the house? Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to pick up grand/kids without hurting yourself?
#3. Decreases Joint Pain: Strengthening the muscles around problematic joints can alleviate chronic pain in those areas. A common observation is how people with bad backs feel better after properly lifting weights.
#4. Decreases Fat + Builds Lean Muscle: Do you want to achieve that ‘toned‘ aesthetic? Strength training is the best way to reach the muscular aspect of the “lean and toned look“. Cardio training alone won’t get you there.
Strength training helps your body burn fat more efficiently. The less body fat you have and the more muscle you build, the more visible your muscles become!
#5. Increases Metabolism: Added muscle requires energy, even at rest. That means strength training will increase your metabolic rate: how many calories you burn every day. And, you will continue to burn calories up to 48 hours after a strength workout. Oh, hell yeah, baby!
#6. Prevents Injury: Connective tissues adapt and get stronger and tougher with weight training, including where tendons attach to bones. These changes make it harder to get injured in these areas.
#7. Promotes Heart Health: When lifting heavy weights, blood pressure goes way up and blood flow is slightly impeded. This demand for blood in the heart under these conditions provides serious work to make that heart stronger.
#8. Creates Stronger Bones: Bones respond to being loaded. By using weights in your training, you will produce stronger, thicker bones that are harder to injure. Plus, having this extra muscle tissue helps fight off things like osteoporosis later in life.
#9. Repairs Cartilage: Pressure distributed across a joint capsule (like when using weights) stimulates the passing of nutrients through cartilage, allowing repair.
Under normal conditions, cartilage can’t be repaired. Properly performed strength training is beneficial to cartilage health, whereas most other activities only break it down….Like too much cardio and high-intensity pounding of joints.
#10. Increases Athleticism: As far as we are concerned, you are ALL athletes!
At Results Fitness, you will train like an athlete – seriously. Lifting heavy things and putting them down may seem barbaric but in reality, you are increasing your body’s ability to produce power! Power is observed in things like jumping and sprinting and is crucial for an athlete.
#11. Prevents Disease: Strength training reduces your risk for a huge array of diseases, especially those related to inactivity.
Have you ever heard of survival of the fittest? Well, it’s true, stronger people tend to live longer with a better quality of life.
#12. Enhances Recovery: Strength training invokes a beneficial hormonal response, eliciting hormones that signal growth and repair. As you progress, you get better at releasing these recovery hormones so you can tax yourself harder and recover more quickly.
#13. Creates Mental Toughness: There is a mental toughness that develops as you push yourself with weight training. Over time, as you increase the weight you use and continuously push yourself to be better, you gain some real mental discipline.
This will carry over into all aspects of life empowering you to RISE UP to any challenge that gets in your way!
#14. Continual Improvement. As opposed to other training modalities, using weights allows small increments of progression forever. The load can always be increased by a small amount, allowing for continuous improvement.
While activities like cardio or yoga offer some level of gradual progression, they don’t compare to the ability to improve so much for so long.
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Now that you know why strength training/ lifting weights = a better life, you may be wondering how to get started, especially if you’re brand new to all this, what to do exactly and how often to be doing it.
If you’re a current Results Fitness Warrior, the ideal workout regimen = a minimum of 3 strength training workouts (Small Group Personal Training sessions) each week. It’s more important to hit the 3 versus how you break those 3 days up over the course of 1 week: every other day, back-to-back days, etc.
The more frequently you strength train, the better your results!
It’s just like anything else in life – learning a new job, new language, how to play pickleball – the MORE you show up, the more you practice, the better you get!
If you’re not (currently) a Results Fitness Warrior reading this, let me/ Results Fitness help you! You, too will want to aim for 3 strength-based workouts/week but before that, you have to just get started!
To get started, you can book a free intro session with our team where you will get a personalized strategy built for your needs, goals, and fitness level so you know how to get started and what to do 🙂
Book your free intro session now HERE!