"You are unshakable; you are unstoppable; you are as strong as a rock. Build your body with this attitude."

        Prabal - Your Health, Exercise & Weight Loss Coach

Research has shown that strength training will: 

1. Increase or maintain lean body mass 

2. Increase bone mineral density 

3. Promote faster fat burning and a leaner physique 

4. Increase functional strength 

5. Increase power and sporting performance 

6. Increase joint strength and stability 

7. Increase vitality and quality of life 

8. Increase metabolic rate 

9. Improve posture 

10. Decrease the risk of osteoporosis and increase bone mineral density 

11. Decrease the risk of injury 

12. Promote rehabilitation from injury 

13. Decrease risk of degenerative joint disease 

14. Decrease blood pressure 

15. Decrease risk of type II diabetes 

Let’s take a closer look at each of these benefits of doing strength training now! 

1. Increase or maintain lean body mass 

Strength training places tension on the muscle that stimulates the laying down of more myofibrils, thus increasing the size of muscle fibres. This is termed muscle hypertrophy. With age, muscle atrophy decreases the muscle size by approximately 0.5 kg of muscle per year after the age of twenty years. Even if we do regular cardiovascular exercise such as running, walking and cycling, the muscle will still waste away over time. Muscle wastage – the atrophy of muscle tissue – can be stopped and even reversed by doing continuous strength training over time. 

“If you don’t use it; you lose it – be it your muscle or bones.”

Prabal - Your Health, Exercise & Weight Loss Coach

2. Increase bone mineral density  

Strength training places tension and stress on the bones of the body via the overload being directly placed on the bones and the stress being indirectly placed on the bones via muscular tension from the muscle attachments. This stimulates the bone to lay down more minerals increasing the bone mineral density and bone integrity.

Bone mineral density has been shown to be increased by up to 10% in as little as six months. Research has shown that high-intensity weight training using heavy weights is by far the best form of training to increase bone mineral density.

“Our body is what we make it.”

Prabal - Your Health, Exercise & Weight Loss Coach

3. Promote faster fat burning and a leaner physique 

Once your metabolic rate increases with an increase in or a replacement of lean muscle tissue, your daily energy expenditure will also increase due to your higher metabolic rate. Remember, for every 0.5kg of muscle you put on, you will burn off approximately an extra 50 to 100 calories every day! WOW! 

It can be compared to the engine in a car – the larger the engine, the more petrol is burned off at rest and during activity. It has also been shown that following a high-intensity weight training session, the body begins to use fat as a preferred energy source or your respiratory quotient (RQ) is closer to fat metabolism (0.7). More muscle means more fat burnt . Muscle is small, lean and hard; fat is soft, lumpy and twice as big as muscle at the same weight! If you want to burn fat faster and have a lean, tight body...you MUST lift weights! 

“You are the Creator of your own body. How you want to look is your choice.”

Prabal - Your Health, Exercise & Weight Loss Coach

4. Increase Functional Strength 

It is the coordinated recruitment of muscles that are responsible for the performance of everyday functional activities such as walking up and downstairs, lifting, sitting, playing with your kids and all other everyday activities.

If the muscles of the body are progressively overloaded in a functional manner, they will be stronger and therefore be more capable of performing daily activities with less effort. You will have more energy to do more and play for longer! 

 

5. Increase Power and Sporting Performance 

As the strength of a muscle increases, its capacity to exert power is enhanced 

There is a relationship between muscle strength and power. Considering sporting performance is mostly dependent on power development and the rate of force production, strength training will improve sporting performance.  Strength training that overloads a muscle will recruit fast-twitch muscle fibres at a  high frequency of firing. Fast-twitch fibres are responsible for power and speed development. 

A stronger, more powerful muscle will use less effort to do the same task, or it will be capable of doing the same task faster and harder! 

6. Increase Joint Strength and Stability 

It is the skeletal muscles that hold the skeleton together at its joints. Therefore, joint strength and stability is dependent upon the muscles ability to control the two adjoining bones in their correct position during normal posture and movement. If the muscles are strengthened in a functional manner, then the stability of joints will be significantly enhanced – thus reduced chance of injury and degenerative joint disease, such as arthritis.

7. Increase Vitality and Quality of Life 

Muscle plays a major role in all of our daily activities such as running, walking, playing, skiing, sport and recreational activities – all the things that give quality to our lives. Muscles are like the engine in your car. If you keep it in good condition you can drive it regularly and vigorously without it breaking down If your muscles are kept in good condition – strong, tight and toned – you will be able to run, jump and play with ease for a lot longer and without worrying about running out of energy or injuring yourself 

“Physical fitness should be like breathing. If you stop, you die.”

Prabal - Your Health, Exercise & Weight Loss Coach

 

8. Increase Metabolic Rate 

Your metabolic rate will slow down with age because you are losing muscle tissue, but only if you don’t strength train! People who don’t strength train will lose muscle tissue, move less, and have a metabolism that slows down by approximately 2% per decade; some very inactive people may experience a loss as great as 0.5% per year! 

Every pound of muscle you can maintain or ‘put on’, burns as much as 50-100 extra calories per day, thus increasing your metabolic rate. Heavy strength training programmes have been shown to increase resting metabolic rate up to 2% in as little as ten weeks of training. 

No strength training, and you will slow down your metabolism; strength train, and you will speed up your metabolism...YEAH! 

“Today’s pain is your tomorrow’s gain.” 

Prabal - Your Health, Exercise & Weight Loss Coach

 

9. Improve Posture 

It is the length and strength of the muscles that hold and stabilise body alignment. Increase your functional strength, and you will improve your body's posture at rest and during movement. This means a body that is more efficient at everyday tasks, it will perform better and the stresses placed on the body's structures will be reduced. Did you know that strong muscles will hold your posture in place?

 

10. Decrease Risk of Osteoporosis and Increase Bone Mineral Density 

One in three women and one in eight men will have osteoporosis – a disease-causing bone degeneration and breakage. Heavy strength training has been shown to slow down bone degeneration and replace bone mineral density. This will, therefore reduce the onset of osteoporosis. Overloading muscles will make them stronger.

Stronger muscles pull harder on the bones they are moving, forcing the bone to get stronger. The main areas of concern are the bones in the lower back, the hip, the knee and the wrists. While designing strength training programs to reduce the risk of osteoporosis or when training people with this condition, it is imperative to load these areas in a functional manner.

Did you know that weight-bearing, cardiovascular exercise will slow down the bone's degeneration, but it will not stop or reverse the degeneration of bone? 

“Every time you lift the weight, you compete against yourself and with every extra weight, you build a stronger YOU.” 

Prabal - Your Health, Exercise & Weight Loss Coach

11. Decrease Risk of Injury 

If joints of the body are supported by the functional control of your muscles, the risk of potential injury from internal and external forces will be significantly reduced. Strength training will make your muscles stronger and increase their ability to support and protect the body. Strong muscles will also enhance the recovery of the body following injury and strength training plays a vital role in the functional rehabilitation techniques used by rehabilitation therapists, such as remedial massage therapists. 

Did you know that strong muscles protect your body from injury and strong muscles recover quicker after an injury? 

12. Promote Rehabilitation from Injury 

The more functional strength around a joint, the less stress the joint experiences during recovery from an injury, therefore decreasing rehabilitation time. Initial rehabilitation with a remedial massage therapist or other allied health professional is to regain full range of movement, decrease inflammation and regain normal muscular control.

 

The role of functional strength training is to promote full functional capabilities of the muscle and joint and to: 

Regain the correct posture  

Regain full range of motion 

Regain stability 

Regain and improve normal performance  

13. Decrease Risk of Degenerative Joint Disease 

Now that we know strength training enhances the functional control of the body's joints and therefore decreases the daily stresses through those joints, there is a less likelihood of degeneration of the joints. Functional strength training will consequently reduce the chance of degenerative joint conditions such as osteoarthritis. Research is showing strength training plays a significant role in the reduction of pain symptoms of arthritis also. 

Did you know that you should strength train to reduce the risk of arthritis, and strength train if you have arthritis to help reduce the pain? 

“Learn to be the producer of your Body, the Director and Scriptwriter.”

Prabal - Your Health, Exercise & Weight Loss Coach

14. Decrease Blood Pressure 

Research suggests that strength training will significantly reduce blood pressure reducing the chances of hypertension and the risk of coronary heart disease. However, heavyweight training is not recommended for the hypertensive client due to the acute increase in blood pressure during strength training (high-intensity cardiovascular training is also not recommended). Low to moderate intensity, however, may be prescribed with doctor’s clearance. And remember that if the muscles are functionally stronger, there is less stress placed on the cardiovascular system whilst performing all activities 

Did you know that strong muscles require less effort to perform daily activities?  Less effort means less effort on your heart, thus reduced blood pressure. Strong muscles equate to a faster metabolism, which means less fat, less weight to carry around and, again, lower blood pressure! 

15. Decrease Risk of Type II Diabetes 

Because strength training promotes the increase of lean muscle mass, the uptake of blood sugars into the muscle cell will also be increased, therefore reducing the incidence of diabetes. Your metabolic rate is also increased by strength training which aids in the reduction of fat mass. Type II diabetes is directly related to fatness – loose, and there is very little chance of late-onset diabetes! 

"You can carve your own body; the chisel is in your hand."

Prabal - Your Health, Exercise & Weight Loss Coach