Weight lifting or strength exercising or resistance training is the use of resistance to muscular contraction to build the strength. Doing regularly, you can build stronger muscles. Weight lifting has numerous benefits like prevention of heart diseases, diabetes, osteoporosis etc.
Your resistance training can include lifting free weights, weighted balls, weight machines, resistance bands and your body weight. It is important to do warm up before doing any strength training to avoid any injury.
Proper method of weight lifting will make you stronger and provides many health benefits as shown below:-
(1) Improved Muscle Strength
After age of 30 you can naturally lose muscle mass by 1 to 3 percent annually. As a result your strength will decrease and your joints may feel pain. Weight lifting prevents to decrease your muscle mass and increases your muscle strength and helps to protect your joints from fatigue.(2) Improved Flexibility
Flexibility exercises are activities that improve the ability of a joint to maintain the movement necessary for carrying out daily tasks and physical activity. Resistance training improves your joint function and increases your flexibility.(3) Burn Fat
Weight lifting burns more fat than any other exercises. While increasing muscle mass it decreases fat from your body. Do resistance training at least 30 minutes a day to burn fat. Also, add a good and balanced diet plan in your lifestyle.(4) Improved Physical Stamina
Weight lifting increases strength in your muscles. This improves your body posture while sitting or walking. Your stamina increases. After a month of weight lifting, you can find that your stamina has improved and you won't get tired easily as before weight lifting training.(5) Prevents Diseases
Physical inactivity is a modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease and a widening variety of other chronic diseases, including diabetes mellitus, cancer (colon and breast), obesity, hypertension, bone and joint diseases (osteoporosis and osteoarthritis), and depression.Various studies suggests that regular physical activity contributes to the primary and secondary prevention of several chronic diseases and is associated with a reduced risk of premature death.
Although some health benefits seem to begin with as little as 60 minutes a week, research shows that a total amount of 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity consistently reduces the risk of many chronic diseases and other adverse health outcomes.
(6) Pain Management
Some people are suffered from fibromyalgia. People with fibromyalgia have chronic, widespread body pain, and often have fatigue (feeling tired), stiffness, depression and problems sleeping.Studies suggests that patient with fibromyalgia who did resistance training 16 to 21 weeks likely improves ability to do their normal activities, pain, tenderness, muscle strength and overall well‐being.
(7) Improved Mobility
Older people faces loss of lower limb strength which leads to an increased risk of falls and a sedentary lifestyle. Strength training is now widely recommended for older adults to increase muscle mass, strength, and ultimately, independence in activities of daily living. It improves stamina, mobility and physical balance.(8) Improve Body Posture
Poor posture is very common now a days due to busy lifestyle. Poor posture caused by the muscular imbalance in your body, it can lead to back pain also. Back strengthening exercises helps to improve your posture. Muscle building strengthen your whole body. Dead lifts, plank and squats are best exercises for body posture improvement.(9) Decreases Risk Of Injury
A study on sports injuries reveals that those person who did regular strength training have less severe injuries during sports than who did not.Strength training is common in athletics. Strength training improves the strength of the muscles, tendons, and even the ligaments and bones. Stronger the muscles, stronger the overall body and you become strong enough to resist any impact on your body.
(10) Increased Bone Density
Osteoporosis is a major public health problem that is characterised by low bone mass and increased susceptibility to fractures, primarily of the hip, spine, and wrist. Calcium and vitamin D is important for your bones But weight lifting or resistance training improves your bone density with proper nutrition. Weight lifting put stresses on your bones and hence bone density increases.(11) Improved Self Confidence
Strength training improves your body posture, increases the size of your muscles. You feel good about your body from the inside as you look good never before. Your self esteem automatically becomes higher. Weight lifting improves your stamina and your self confidence boosts significantly.(12) Better Sleep
So many people may have sleeping problem. Generally older people are more affected than younger. Older adults also experience loss of muscle mass and strength as they age. A study indicates that better sleep is linked with the strength training. Weight lifting has a positive result on sleeping problem.(13) Improved Performance In Every Day Task
It is important to do your daily tasks without any injury or problem. Your body should be flexible enough to do common tasks. You may need to lift some weight at home or shifts some item from one place to another place. To do this you need some strength. Weight lifting training helps you to get strength you need to do every day tasks smoothly and becomes self reliant.(14) Help To Improve Cognitive Function
University of Sydney reveals in their study that increased muscle strength leads to improved brain function in adults. It definitely boosts your cognitive function. It is important to do correctly any strength training exercise.So, strength training or weight lifting has different health benefits for you. It helps to lose excess fat from your body, builds strength in you, improves your posture, improves your confidence, make sleep you better, improve you bone density and helps your brain. With proper food, your strength training makes you healthy and fit.