Exercise Challenge Week 6: Sun’s Out, Guns Out!

Strength training, also called weight training or resistance training, is exercise that works to improve your muscular fitness through applying an external resistance against a muscle or muscle group. This resistance can come from free weights (dumbbells), weight machines, resistance bands, or body weight- none is better than another. So long as you apply a load to the muscle, it will adapt by getting stronger.

So often when we are trying to lose weight we focus on cardio and ignore strength training. However, there are numerous benefits in combining the two in a well-rounded workout, including the following:

1. The most obvious: It gets you into better shape! Not only does it help you obtain a toned look, it also makes the everyday activities we do easier.
2. It protects your bone and muscle health. At around 30 years old, we begin to lose a percentage of our muscle mass every year. However, strength training can slow that loss and help improve your bone density as well.
3. Though you may not burn a ton of calories during the actual workout while strength training, building more muscle mass means increasing your resting metabolism and therefore increasing the number of calories you burn while just sitting around. Studies even show those who add strength training into their workouts end up losing more weight as fat than those who just do cardio workouts.
4. It benefits your balance, coordination, and posture. 
5. It helps with arthritis pain and glucose control in type 2 diabetes, in addition to reducing the risk of hypertension and heart disease.
6. Strength training elevates your level of endorphins, improving your energy level and mood. It can also help you sleep better too.