Besides the well-touted benefit of adding tone and definition to your muscles, how does strength training with Apex Performance help? Here are just a few of the many ways:
1. Strength Training Makes You Stronger And More Fit
Although this benefit is obvious, it should not be ignored. Apex Performance states that muscle strength is essential in making it easier to do what you need to do every day, especially as we age and lose muscle.
Resistance training, also known as strength training, refers to the process of strengthening and toning muscles against a resisting force. According to the Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine, there are two types of resistance training.
- Isometric resistance involves contracting your muscles against an immovable object such as the floor or a proper pushup taught by a trainer.
- Isotonic Strength Training involves contracting your muscles through a range, like weight lifting.
2. Strength Training Protects Bone Health & Muscle Mass
Harvard Health Publishing notes that around 30 years old, we begin to lose 3 to 5 percent of our lean muscle mass each decade due to aging.
A study published in October 2017 by the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research It was found that high-intensity resistance and impact training, for just 30 minutes per week, can improve functional performance and bone structure in women who have low bone mass. There were no adverse effects.
The HHS’s physical activity guidelines also note that muscle-strengthening activities are beneficial for all ages. They help to preserve or increase muscle strength, power, and mass. These are vital for bone, joint, and muscle health.
3. Strength Training Helps Your Body Burn Calories Efficiently
Every exercise can increase your metabolism, which is the rate at which your body burns calories during the day.
Your body will continue to burn calories through training your strength and aerobic activity while returning to a more restful state in terms of energy expended. According to the American Council on Exercise, this is called “excess post-exercise oxygen intake”.
However, strength, weight, or resistance training will require more energy. This is because your body needs more energy depending on how hard you work. This can be amplified depending on how much energy you use during the workout. This means that you will burn more calories during your workout and also more calories after the workout, as your body recovers from a resting state.
4. Strength Training Helps You To Lose Weight For Good
Apex Performance states that strength training can boost post-exercise oxygen consumption and help with weight loss. “[Resistance, or strengthening exercise] keeps your metabolism active after exercising, more than after a cardio workout.
Because lean tissue is generally more active than other tissue, this is why. He says that if you have more muscle mass you will burn more calories even while you sleep than if your body doesn’t.
Published in the journal Obesity In November 2017, it was found that dieters who did training four times per week for 18 months lost more fat than those who did not exercise or who only did aerobic exercise.
It is possible to reduce body fat even further by combining strength training with diet. A small study published in January 2018 in The Journal of Strength Training and Diet found that people who combined full-body resistance training with diet over four months had a lower body fat mass and a greater increase in lean muscle mass than those dieting or resistance training. International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism.
5. Strength Training Helps You Develop Better Body Mechanics
According to research, strength training can also improve balance, coordination, posture, and overall health.
One review, published in Aging in Experimental and Clinical Research In November 2017, it was found that a minimum of one session of resistance training per week, whether performed in isolation or as part of a program with multiple types of workouts, could result in a 37 percent rise in muscle strength and a 7.5% increase in muscle mass.
It also produced a 58 percent increase in functional capacity (linked directly to the risk of falling) in elderly frail people.
Apex Performance points out that balance is dependent upon the strength of your muscles to keep you on your feet. Balance is a function of the strength and stability of your muscles.
At Apex performance we are a community of highly trained experts looking to provide performance enhancement and a permanent lifestyle change for our clients in a fun and interactive environment. Members can take advantage of personal training in Tampa, one-on-one training, small group classes, and specialized courses for a wide variety of athletics, youth sports training, and nutritional guidance! Check out what others are saying about Apex and its trainers and contact us today to get started on your fitness journey!