By: Kristen Summers and Krista Arnold
Resistance training, weight training, strength training, whatever you call it, there’s been a big movement towards it over the last several years, and for good reason.
While we spent decades thinking cardio was king and strength training was only for professional body builders, we now recognize the tremendous benefits of building muscle doesn’t have to mean bulking up.
If you think working out means miles on the treadmill or working out until you can barely catch your breath, it’s time to mix up your routine. Here are some of the non-Arnold Schwarzenegger benefits to strength training.
· Improved strength and increased muscle tone – not only does it keep your body looking fit, it protects your joints from injury.
· Increased bone density, which decreases your risk of osteoporosis, improved posture and better protection for your internal organs.
· Increased fat burning – that’s right, as you build muscle, your body burns more fat when it’s resting, and since our body spends the majority of our day in a state of rest, this provides a huge added benefit – like working out when you’re not working out – who can’t get on board with that?!
· Decreased risk of injury – those with more muscle tone are less likely to hurt themselves doing everyday tasks, especially as we age,
· Increased Stamina – allows you to do daily activities and workouts with greater ease, allowing you to get better results.
If you want to start incorporating strength training into your workouts, try just ten to twenty minutes a day, just three days per week. You can add simple body weight exercises such as squats, burpees, lunges, planks, push-ups, etc. If you have some basic equipment at your disposal, throw in bicep curls, chest press, overhead presses and lateral raises.
If you really want to make it simple, you can follow along with the Beginner Workouts on the Healthy Harrison app, which provide a day-by-day routine that can be modified for any fitness level.
Cheers to a stronger, healthier, leaner you!