When you think of exercise, what comes to mind?
A gym full of sweaty people? Running on treadmills or lifting shiny weights?
At Results Fitness, those weights aren’t just for show—they’re the key to a stronger, healthier, happier, and more vibrant YOU!
Here’s the thing: lifting weights isn’t just about “exercise.”
It’s about living the life you want outside the gym—whether it’s playing with your kids, carrying groceries, enjoying leisure travel, or simply feeling energized in your daily life!
Strength training is your ticket to thriving both now and in the future.
Suuuure, you might feel good today, but if you’re not taking care of your body, life is about to get a lot harder.
Who wants that?!
I can assume no one BUT, when it comes to actually taking care of yourself—putting in the time, effort, and yes, money—it commonly gets pushed aside.
Yet, you’ll gladly drop $200 on dinner and drinks with friends.
My question to you is – why not invest in something that guarantees you can live your best life now, and for years to come?
Strength training isn’t just about squats and deadlifts; it’s about being strong enough to live life on your terms.
It’s like this: imagine your house’s roof is caving in—would you just leave it?
Or if your car runs out of gas—would you ignore the warning and keep driving?
Of course not!
Your body and health deserves that same level of care (and more!), and here’s where lifting weights comes into play.
Can you imagine not being able to sit or stand without help? Struggling to get in and out of the shower? Or not being able to pick up your kids or grandkids?
Those are real scenarios you could face down the line if you’re not building strength today.
Strength training comes with more benefits than any other form of exercise-cardio included! Plus, it’s not just for looks!
It makes you strong, reduces risk of chronic disease, improve bone health and density, builds confidence, boosts your mood and energy levels, keps you mobile, and, most importantly, gives you the independence to take on whatever life throws at you!
If you want to be stronger, feel your best, live longer, and have the energy to enjoy life at its fullest—then start grabbing some of those shiny metal plates!
This blog is teaching you:
- Why you avoid weights (and how to embrace them)
- 14 powerful reasons to ligt weights!
- The best strength training plan for beginners and pros alike
Ready to get stronger and live the life you deserve? Let’s dive in!
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WHY YOU AVOID WEIGHTS
There are many misconceptions and beliefs about why you should NOT strength train (lift 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 for yourself!
#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 do not provide you with the coaching and guidance needed when strength training. If you don’t know what to do, of course you’re going to avoid it altogether.
Second, lifting weights is hard and uncomfortable.
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 in this blog.
Fun fact: majority of the Result Fitness community are females 40+ coming to us becasue they feel noticeably weaker in their daily lives and / or have been diagnosed with osteopenia, osteoporosis or arthritis.
#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 everyone can do–adaptable to all experience levels–whether you’re a beginner or workout veteran. The key is working with a coach who can create effective and safe workouts for your individual needs! That’s why ALL your exercise programs here at RF are 100% customized to your fitness level and 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 misinformed that lifting weights isn’t safe and will make these issues 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 that come with age.
In fact, the only way to improve joint health, build muscle and improve range of motion, balance and core strength is by strength training.
Being sedentary actually makes these aches and pains worse and cardio won’t cut it.
Fun fact: Lots of the Results Fitness community include people dealing with these exact issues! They came to us at the recommendation of their physician or physical therapist to strengthen their backs, knees, and shoulders and now have better mobility than ever before!
Note: IF you have aches, pains or existing injuries, you definitely need to work with a coach.
#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 is acutally what you helps your body become leaner, more ‘toned’ and enhances the aesthetic of having muscle definition. Cardio will neverrrr, everrr get you there.
Here’s why: lifting weights builds lean muscle mass and helps your body burn fat more effectively.
MORE muscle + LESS fat = a leaner + more ‘toned‘ physique!
Muscle takes up LESS space in your body, making it look learner, while fat takes up MORE space in your body, hence the look and feel of bulk.
The “bulk” and fluff you feel and want to avoid is body fat and that has everything to do with your diet and nothing to do with lifting weights.
Regardless of how hard you workout, if you are eating more calories than you are burning, consuming alcohol regularly and enjoying a diet of processed foods, 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, look your best, and live the best possible life, welcome to strength training!
Here at Results Fitness, strength training is the core focus for all the reasons you’re about to read!
While cardio is still important and should be part of your weekly exercise routine, strength training is king and delivers the most bang for your workout buck!
The key is finding the right coach and exercise program for your fitness level, goals and needs.
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 before and have existing injuries and / or chronic aches and pains.
Here are 14 reasons you NEED and want to be strength training, 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.
#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 = a healthier, happier and stronger YOU, you may be wondering how to get started, especially if you’re brand new, what to do 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!