Weight-lifting is not just for bodybuilders or elite athletes trying to improve their game. Strength training should be included in everyone’s weekly workout schedule due to the many benefits it provides. You do not need to lift heavy weights to reap the rewards. Lifting lighter weights with more repetitions may provide more benefits that going all out and lifting your 1-rep maximum weight.
How much weight should you lift?
Determining how much weight you should be lifting depends on your goals. Whether you are looking to improve muscle endurance, muscle strength or muscle power will determine how heavy your weights should be and how many repetitions you should complete.
Muscle endurance is the ability of your muscles to exert force against a resistance over a sustained period of time. This is the most common goal of most people. Training for muscle endurance will keep your muscles strong and healthy and not cause the bulk that is commonly associated with weight-lifting. In this type of training you should aim to lift 60-70% of your 1-rep maximum weight. You should be able to complete over twelve repetitions with proper form before your muscles begin to tire. Lifting a lighter amount of weight means that you need to complete more repetitions and more sets of repetitions to see the benefits.
Muscle strength is the maximal force a muscle or muscle group can exert during a contraction. This is the goal of most weight-lifters. Training for muscle strength will increase the size of your muscles and will give you the bulky appearance that many weight-lifters are looking to attain. In this type of training you should aim to lift 80-90% of your 1-rep maximum weight. You should be able to complete less than 6 repetitions with proper form before your muscles begin to tire.
Muscle power is the product of muscular force and speed of movement. This is the common goal of most athletes or people trying to improve their performance in a sport or skill. Training for muscle power will increase the strength of your muscles, allow them to react at a faster speed and for a longer amount of time. In this type of training you should aim to lift over 90% of your 1-rep maximum weight. You should be able to complete 1-2 repetitions with proper form before your muscles begin to tire. Muscle power training also requires more sets of repetitions to be completed in order to be effective.
Benefits of Strength Training
Regardless of the type of training you perform, there are many benefits of strength training. It is recommended that an average adult perform strength training activities 2-3 days per week to maintain muscle health. Strength training provides…
Increased Muscle Mass
Muscles increase your metabolic rate. Even during sleep, resting skeletal muscles are responsible for more than 25% of the body’s calorie use. When muscle mass decreases due to age or inactivity, less energy is required for daily metabolic function and calories that were previously used by muscle tissue are stored as fat. Muscle mass also provides your body with the ability to move so without it daily activities will become much more challenging.
Stronger Bones
Numerous studies have shown that strength training can play a role in slowing bone loss, and several show it can even build bone. Activities that put stress on bones can cause bone-forming cells to be more active. That stress comes from the tugging and pushing on bone that occur during strength training. The result is stronger, denser bones.
Joint Flexibility
By strengthening your muscles surrounding your joints, you are allowing yourself to become stronger overall. That strength will help prevent your joints from deteriorating, allowing them to be pain-free and fully functional for longer. Regular use of your joints will end up making them healthier and more functional for longer than not using them will.
Better Cardiovascular Health
Your heart is a muscle! Strength training improves your blood pressure and triglyceride levels similarly to cardiovascular exercise. It also has an even greater benefit on your HDL cholesterol level.
Controlled Blood Sugar
Strength training relies primarily on the body’s glycolytic, or glucose using, metabolic system for energy. Once this stored muscle glycogen runs out, we start to mobilize extra glycogen from the liver and from the blood. This helps to directly decrease blood glucose as well as deplete stored muscle and liver glycogen stores, giving blood glucose a place to go next time we eat. Your muscles serve as storage facilities for consumed sugar and carbohydrates. Stronger muscles have a higher capacity to store blood glucose in the form of glycogen, aiding in lowering blood glucose. That means lowered blood sugar levels and easier glucose management.
Boosted Brain Health
Numerous studies are showing that strength training provides benefits to memory, reasoning and cognition in older adults. When we lift weights, our bodies release molecules that stimulate muscle growth, tendon, ligament and bone cells, and strengthen the ones we already have. These molecules also seem to affect brain cells, stimulating more power and efficiency.
In Conclusion
No matter what type of strength-training you prefer, you should add it to your weekly workout schedule. Your goal should be to train all of your major muscle groups 2-3 times per week. This can be accomplished with a total body resistance training 2-3 times a week or alternating your focus on different muscle groups on a daily schedule.
