Simply Fitness: Resistance training

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Benefits Of Weight Training

 
 
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Whether you use weights or just your body, training with resistance has many benefits. These include...

  • Increase in HDL (good cholesterol) and decreases LDL (bad cholesterol).
  • Reduced risk of diabetes.
  • Lower risk of cardiovascular disease.
  • Lower blood pressure.
  • Reduced symptoms of PMS
  • Reduced stress and anxiety as well as improving sleep.
  • Lower risk of breast cancer - reduces high estrogen levels linked to the disease.
  • Body Composition changes. Over time you will notice decreases in measurements and body fat.
  • Enhanced performance of everyday tasks.
  • Improves posture and reduces back problems.
  • Increases flexibility and reduces the risk of muscle pulls and back pain.
  • Decreased risk of osteoporosis.
  • Increased bone density and strength reduces back and knee pain by building muscle around these areas.

 If you have been shying away from the weights and sticking to the cardio machines, its time to step away and start training fro better results! Fear not, if you feel intimidated by the muscle men posing in the mirrors there are many other things you can do to help build your strength.

If you are new to weight training, I would always advise that you begin on the resistance machines. This is because it will get you use to the movements of weight training different muscles, they are easy to use and you can build up the weight slowly.

Starting with hypertrophy training will help you tone up and increase your strength. Hypertrophy training simply means focusing on slightly lower weights with a higher volume of reps, usually around 8-12.

Once you feel comfortable with the resistance machines, you could try moving on to body or free weights. I post loads of resistance circuits on my Instagram account, so you can check out my page for some ideas and inspiration. But, I would always incorporate compound movements in to your routine.

Compound movements

These exercises are great as they target multiple important muscles. So, if you are not a serious weight lifter or are short of time like the rest of us, just throwing in a few of these exercises are a must for a complete and well rounded fitness programme.

My top 5 compound exercises include...
  • Squats
  • Chest press (or press ups)
  • Deadlifts
  • Lunges
  • Clean and press




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