Strength Training 101: Building Muscle and Boosting Metabolism

You should consider strength training to lose a few pounds and transform your body. Many believe that cardio exercises and strict diets are effective for weight loss. However, strength training can significantly improve your weight loss journey. This article describes how strength training builds muscle, boosts metabolism, and helps you hit your weight loss goals.

What is Strength Training?

Strength training, also called resistance training, is any physical exercise involving exerting or pushing your muscles against external resistance. The external resistance can be weights, bands, or body weight. It builds your strength and endurance, making you more muscular. Unlike cardio, which focuses on improving your heart health and burning calories during the activity, strength training targets your muscles and bones.

Benefits of Strength Training

Beyond weight loss, strength training offers numerous benefits that contribute to overall health and well-being. These include:

• Increase bone density: Older adults often have brittle bones and weak muscles, which leads to osteoporosis and sarcopenia. The World Health Organization (WHO) says that people 65 years and above can do strengthening activities two or more days a week. Resistant exercises help increase bone mineral density. They promote the action of bone-building cells, which makes your bones and muscles stronger and tougher.

• Enhance mood and mental health: Exercise, including strength training, relieves stress. These exercises release endorphins, which regulate your moods, making you feel lighter and happier. Some studies even show that they reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression. Strength training modifies your muscle tone, making you more confident and attractive.

• Better balance and coordination: As you get stronger, you’ll likely notice improvements in your overall coordination. As you build muscles, you can balance your body weight and do daily tasks more effectively. You will be less likely to fall and sustain injuries or fractures as you age.

• Better posture and reduced back pain: Resistance exercises target specific muscle groups. For example, upper body workouts training your core and back muscles bring relief from back pain. Stronger back muscles can also fix poor posture.

The Connection Between Strength Training and Weight Loss

Resistance training is an excellent addition to your routine that can transform your weight loss journey. Here’s how it contributes to losing those extra pounds:

How Muscle Mass Affects Metabolism

The tissue in your muscles is said to be metabolically active, which means it burns calories even when you’re at rest. Your resting metabolic rate (RMR) increases as you gain muscle mass. The Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) is the number of calories your body burns while at rest. RMR varies from person to person. Strength training increases muscular growth, which makes your body a more efficient calorie burner. The increase in metabolism regulates weight or ensures you lose weight even when you’re not exercising.

Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC):

After an intense strength training session, your body burns calories quickly. This phenomenon, known as EPOC or the afterburn effect, can last for hours after your workout. It refers to the oxygen and energy (calories) your body absorbs and uses after an exercise to aid muscle repair and recovery. The more intense your strength training session, the greater the EPOC effect.

Creating an Effective Strength Training Routine

Here are some guidelines that you can keep in mind while creating your ideal routine:

Frequency

Ensure that you get 2-3 strength training sessions every week. Remember to include at least one day of rest between sessions for muscle recovery.

Volume

Start with 2-3 sets and repeat each exercise 8-12 times. As you progress, you can adjust the number of sets and reps to fit your goals.

Intensity

It is important to remember that it is about something other than how much the dumbbell weighs. Pick a weight that challenges you but lets you maintain proper form during workout sessions. You should be able to complete the set, but the last 1-2 reps feel challenging to push through.

Proper Form

Having a proper form is so crucial in strength training. It ensures you are targeting the right muscles and enjoying the effectiveness of each exercise. Working out with the proper form also helps prevent injuries. Some key points to remember include:

• Maintain a neutral spine during exercises. Do not stoop too low
• Engage your core muscles
• Gently exhale during exertion and inhale during the more accessible part of the workout.

Working with a personal trainer can help you learn the right techniques if you are a beginner. Several gyms offer introductory sessions, and you can also find online resources with guides and tutorials.

Progressive overload

To get results consistently, you need to challenge your muscles progressively. This means you gradually increase the weights by 5-10% as you get stronger. This concept is known as progressive overload. It aids with muscle growth and helps you get stronger. You can achieve this by:

• Increasing the weight you lift
• Repetitive more exercises
• Adding more sets
• Reduce rest time between sets
• Increase the difficulty and intensity of the exercises (e.g., move from regular push-ups to decline push-ups)

Gym Equipment or Bodyweight Exercises

Contrary to what you might think, you don’t need a fancy gym membership or expensive gym equipment to start strength training. Bodyweight exercises are usually underrated and very effective, especially for beginners. These include push-ups, squats, lunges, and planks. These exercises use your body weight as external resistance. They are more convenient and cost-effective for beginners.

As you get stronger, you might want to incorporate equipment like dumbbells, resistance bands, or machines. They will add a bit of spice and challenge. Combining bodyweight exercises and exercises that involve equipment gives you a more comprehensive routine.

Rest and recovery

Give your body enough time to recover between workouts. This is when muscle growth occurs. Ensure you are getting 7-9 hours of sleep. Consider adding recovery days where you can do light stretches or go on a short walk.

What To Consider Before Building a Strength Training Routine

It would be best to create an effective strength training routine to hit those weight loss goals. Here are some criteria that can help you figure out what works best for you:

A Beginner’s Guide to Strength Training

You can start with these basic exercises if you’re new to strength training. They fall under two major categories:

Compound Exercises

These exercises work on different muscle groups at the same time. Some of these include:

• Squats: They target muscles in your lower body and core.
• Deadlifts: These focus on your back, legs, and core.
• Bench presses: They are mainly for your chest, shoulders, and triceps.
• Rows: They strengthen your back and biceps.

Isolation Exercises

These exercises target specific muscle groups. These include:

• Bicep curls: As the name says, they are specifically for the biceps.
• Tricep extensions: This workout is for you if you want to work on the triceps.
• Leg extensions: This lower body workout focuses on the quadriceps.
• Calf raises: They strengthen the calf muscles.

Common Misconceptions about Strength Training

Now, let’s address some common misconceptions:

“Lifting weights will make me bulky”:

This is a common fear, especially among women. However, building muscle mass requires proper training and a protein-rich diet. Sometimes, genetics affects your ability to lift more than most people can. Strength training will help you build toned muscle rather than bulk up.

“Cardio works better for weight loss than strength training”:

While cardio is important, strength training has a long-term impact on metabolism. This makes it an equally, if not more effective, way to lose weight. Most people can handle a combination of both exercises.

“Spot reduction is possible”:

Unfortunately, you can’t lose weight in specific areas. When you create a calorie deficit, your body loses fat in different areas simultaneously. The best routine for losing body fat includes strength training, cardio, and a balanced diet.

“If you don’t lift heavy weights, you won’t see results”:

Lifting heavier weights can quickly make you stronger. However, you will see significant results if you focus on your form and progressively challenge yourself.

Conclusion

Strength training is a powerful tool for building muscle and boosting metabolism. Incorporating strength training, proper nutrition, and rest into your routine can transform your body and improve your overall health. Start slowly, focus on proper form, and gradually increase the intensity of your workouts. With time and dedication, you’ll see changes in your physique and have more energy, a better mood, and stronger bones.

Grab those weights, embrace the challenge, and start reaping the many benefits of strength training today. Your future self will thank you for taking this important step towards a stronger you.

Remember that this article provides general information and should not replace professional medical or dietary advice.