Why is it important to lift weights?
Why is it important to lift weights?
In this article I’ll outline:
o What is weight training
o What is going on in the body when we lift weights
o How does muscle grow from weight lifting
o How much weight training is necessary
o Basic weight training principles
o Physical and Mental health benefits of lifting weights
The other day on my Instagram stories, I posted a poll asking if you lifted weights regularly. About 30% of you said you do not lift weights regularly. Some of you may know the benefits of weight lifting, and some of you may not. There are LOTS of reasons to lift weights, however this blog post is going to focus on the health benefits.
First let’s break it down, what is weight training? What is going on in the body when we lift weights? Weight training is a type of strength training that uses weight for resistance. It provides a stress on the muscles that causes them to adapt and get stronger, which is similar to the way aerobic exercise strengthens your heart. Lifting weights causes microscopic tears to the muscle tissue. This may sound concerning, but this is how the muscle builds/develops/grows. The damage to the muscle from weight lifting triggers the healing process and prompts the body to try to adapt and prevent this damage in the future.
So how does the muscle grow? As your body heals from the microscopic tears from the weight lifting, cells known as satellite cells fuse together and attach themselves to the damaged tissue to promote the healing process. The cells begin fusing with the muscle fibers, increasing thickness. Eventually these fused cells will transition into new protein strands. The strands increase both the strength and the size of the muscle fibers, which results in the increase in muscle mass you get from weight training regularly. That is the BASICS of how muscle grows. I could go into way more detail but for the purposes of this blog post I will leave it there.
How much weight training is enough to reap the benefits? So this answer can vary, but I will focus on the least amount you need for benefits. You can see significant improvement in your strength with just two to three 30-minute weight training sessions per week. If you are new to weight training, I do recommend starting out slowly. If you can afford it, hire a trainer; you want to learn PROPER techniques.
Let’s actually talk about basic weight training principles:
o Learn proper technique: Like I said above, hire at trainer if possible or if you have a friend that has been lifting weights for a while, ask for help. No shame! Everyone is a beginner at some point in his or her life. (Your trainer will be able to help you build a strength program/explain this in more detail)
o Warm up: It’s not a good idea to start your lifting session without a warm up. Cold muscles + lifting weights = risk for injury. Get moving for 5-10 minutes before you begin your session with weights
o Use the proper weight: Meaning pick a load that is challenging enough to the muscle to create change. If you are getting through a set of 12-15 and do not feel like it is VERY HARD by the last couple of reps, you need to go up in weights.
o Take time to rest: rest between sets! If you are lifting HEAVY. Your body will need at least 1-2 minutes of rest between sets. Also, make sure you are incorporating 1-2 rest days per week. Do not train the same area of the body two days in a row (ie: lifting lower body on Monday + Tuesday)
o Eat enough: I could probably make this an entire blog post, but to keep it short. In order to build muscle, you must eat enough calories. It’s very hard to build muscle while in a calorie deficit.
Health benefits of lifting weights:
o Increases bone density
o Increases resting metabolic rate
o Improves tendon and ligament strength around your joints
o Can decrease cholesterol levels
o Reduces blood pressure
o Improves body composition
o Linked to improving depression symptoms
o Linked to improving sleep quality
o Improves libido
o Improves your mindset
Of the above benefits, I am going to break down the BONE DENSITY one, specifically for women.
Strength training, especially when performed with heavier weights, can both slow bone loss and rebuild bone. As women age, we lose bone mass. We hit our peak bone mass in our late 20s. That means, the earlier you start lifting weights, the more benefit you will gain. However, if you are in yours 50s+, it’s still not too late to start lifting weights. One study showed that postmenopausal women could increase their bone density in as little as 8 months of consistent weight training. Lifting heavy can give your bones well-rounded support in both preventing and healing osteoporosis. Once we hit around age 30, we begin losing bone mass every single year. Weight lifting is a way we can keep as much as we can! It’s CRUCIAL.
If you have followed me on social media for any amount of time, you probably know how I feel about mental health. I think it is just as, if not more important, than physical health. So let’s talk about the mental health benefits of weight training. Mental health is something every single person has and deals with in various ways. I think that a lot of people are not equipped with tools to help alleviate stress/anxiety/depression and so they turn to drugs/alcohol/etc, which may temporarily relieve something you are feeling, but you are hurting your body in the long run. Weight lifting is something that can relieve stress in the moment & it also has positive health benefits long term.
The top 5 mental health benefits include:
o Helps decrease depression symptoms
o Helps decrease feelings of anxiety
o Improves self confidence
o Reduces age-related issues (cognitively)
o Minimizes every day stress & encourages mindfulness
If you enjoyed this blog post, please share on social media and tag me @saratuckerhowe and share with a friend or family member that may be interested in learning more about the benefits of weight training. As always, reach out to me if you are interested in starting health coaching or personal training
XX,
Sara
