If your goal is to lose weight and build muscle in your arms and legs, lifting weights is one of the best options. These days you’ll see trainers, programs, and books encouraging people not just to lift, but to lift heavier. Weightlifting used to be mainly for bodybuilders and pro athletes, but now experts recommend that adults do at least two strength-training sessions per week, no matter their age.
That advice comes from the many benefits of lifting — physical, mental, and emotional.
Improves balance
Whether you want to hold a one-legged yoga pose or walk up and down stairs without getting dizzy, lifting weights helps with stability. Weight training challenges your body to move in different planes and at different angles, strengthening both large and small muscles that support balance. Since falls are the leading cause of injury-related death for adults over 65, keeping your balance becomes more important as you age.
If you’re thinking about barbells, make sure you have a strong strength base and know how to do basic exercises first. Then you can try barbells safely. Resources like https://barbend.com/best-barbells/ can help you learn about the right equipment. If you have concerns or past injuries, talk with your doctor and don’t hesitate to ask a trainer for help at the gym.
Helps your brain
Lifting heavy weights does more than build muscle. It boosts hormone production and supports neural connections in the brain, which can improve thinking and memory. In short, strength training can help you maintain and sharpen your mental abilities as you get older.
Burns more fat
Increasing your lean muscle mass raises your daily calorie burn. Research on overweight adults aged 60 and up showed that a low-calorie diet combined with weight training led to greater fat loss than the same diet combined with walking. While walking helped people lose weight, more of that loss came from lean muscle. Weight training helped preserve muscle and was more effective at reducing belly fat compared with just cardio.
Improves sleep
Strength training can improve your cardiovascular fitness and help you sleep better. Better sleep means you’re more rested, handle stress more easily, are less likely to get sick, and perform better at work or school.
Boosts mood, confidence, and self-esteem
Gaining strength and feeling leaner improves how your body functions and how you feel about yourself. Seeing progress in the mirror and in your performance can raise confidence and self-esteem, which positively affects social life. Lifting weights also releases endorphins and raises serotonin levels, making you feel more alert and less prone to mental strain.
Improves circulation
Weightlifting increases blood flow, delivering oxygen and nutrients more efficiently to your muscles and the rest of your body. As you gain muscle, your body becomes better at moving these essentials, which supports a healthier vascular and cardiovascular system.
Conclusion
Weightlifting raises your fitness level and changes your body composition, and you can always adjust the intensity as you improve. Listen to your body and know your limits. The more consistent and committed you are, the sooner you’ll see results.
Author’s bio
Heather Vargas is a freelance writer based in Pennsylvania who’s passionate about health and fitness. She writes for several sites and is building her brand with the goal of becoming a recognized fitness instructor someday.