When trying to get in better shape or tone up or lose weight, our focus usually turns towards cardio and nutrition. One area that is often overlooked, though, (especially among females) is resistance training. There are many benefits to resistance training including an increase in the strength of connective tissue, muscles, and your bones (decreased risk of osteoporosis), as well as caloric expenditure, and increased balance, stability and muscle mass. The stronger you get in these areas, the easier it is to do normal daily activities like chores around the house or yard and can also decrease your risk of getting injured.
In regards to weight loss or losing fat/toning up, the amount of muscle mass you carry on your body is directly connected to the rate at which your body burns calories at rest which is called your basal metabolic rate. So typically the more muscle you have, the higher your metabolism is.
The analogy I like to tell people is that lifting weights/building muscle is like putting your money in an investment. You invest your money in a fund so that your money makes money for you. You don’t have to earn every dollar you make. It’s smart and adds up over time. Investing a small amount can add up to millions over time. That’s the same with muscle mass. The more you have, the more calories you will burn at rest or when you’re not working out. So when you are sitting on the couch watching TV (probably “24” since it’s addicting and who wouldn’t want to watch Jack Bauer), you’ll burn more calories than you would without the muscle mass. You don’t have to earn those calories by spending more time on the treadmill. You get your body working for you. Just look at a bodybuilder. Some of those guys eat 5,000 to 6,000 calories per day with less than 10% bodyfat. Their metabolisms are extremely high because of all the muscle mass they have.
So start lifting today and trying to add some lean muscle mass. Not only will your body appreciate it, you’ll get better results than only doing cardio and some nutrition. So that’s a couple reasons why I consider resistance training a non-negotiable. And don’t worry ladies, you shouldn’t get big and bulky but more on that later.
[...] this is far from true. As I mentioned before resistance training is a non-negotiable. Read it again here to refresh or to catch up some of the benefits. Though women are afraid of this, it’s often [...]
12.06.2008, 2:34 pm[...] Life happens fast and we become less active pretty quick with careers, families, etc. As referenced before, there are many benefits to resistance or weight training including Increased muscle mass. *The [...]
20.06.2008, 7:40 amHi Buck-
28.06.2008, 10:05 pmI have a quick question for you. My goal is to loose weight and tone up. I work out at Curves (all resistance machines) 5 times per week. Do you think this is enough resistance training or should I include more weight training into my routine?
Thank you for your help. I love your site!
Meghan
Thanks Meghan. Glad you like the site. That’s a great question. I have never used Curves but from my understanding this is the way it works. You can correct me if I’m wrong but you do a circuit of 8-12 machines and it uses a hydraulic system for resistance and you do the same workout each time. If that’s true, it can be a good place for women to start exercising but usually won’t get you where you want to go in the long run.
Your body adapts to whatever you do over a period of time – specifically exercise. Usually you make progress for a while then your body will plateau and your progress will stop. Your body becomes more efficient at what your doing – which not a good thing when you want to lose weight and tone. I’ll post more on that in the future.
For you: 5 times per week is more than enough time to workout but if you aren’t doing the right things – it’s a recipe for frustration. As far as Curves, if you’re seeing results, then keep doing what you’re doing but my guess is that progress has slowed down or stopped (had many conversations about this in the past with women). Curves doesn’t allow you to adjust resistance or add variety to your workout program which are both MAJOR problems. It can also be very mundane and boring. If so, it’s time to change things up and break the plateau.
08.07.2008, 3:03 pm[...] here for my response. Keep the questions coming. More on being successful through goal setting coming [...]
21.07.2008, 2:20 pm