Many people believe that weight training is only for those people who are interested in bodybuilding competitions. However, nothing could be farther from the truth. In fact, there are many people (both young and old, men and women) who weight train for their health. What do I mean by this? Weight training as much or as little as twice a week for approximately thirty minutes to an hour can, over time, help to significantly reduce your risk of developing bone disease later in life. Weight training helps to make your muscles strong and toned. The more muscle you have on your body (as opposed to fat), the more calories you burn. This, in turn, leads to more weight loss; and more weight loss means less problems with joint pain, obesity, cholesterol, etc.
For women who are interested in weight training but are afraid that they might “bulk up”, thus looking less feminine you don t have to worry. Women s bodies are structurally different than men s bodies. No matter how much you weight trained, you wouldn t be able to build huge muscles as would a man. In order to bulk up, a woman would have to take steroids or some other sort of enhancer. On the flipside, those women who are interested in weight training to help tone their muscles as well as build strength should start off with lower weights and do high repetitions. So, for example, a woman might start off using five pound dumbbells to do an exercise that lasts for twenty repetitions versus a male who starts off with a fifty pound dumbbell but only does five or six repetitions.
Other things that you can do in addition to weight training include calisthenics such as jumping jacks, push ups, situps or jumping rope. The best way to incorporate weight training into your life is to start of by doing a little at a time. For example, you might be at the gym and instead of doing your regular cardio, start of first by doing two weight training exercises. After you ve done your weight training exercises, then you can finish with a cardio session. The reason for this order of doing things is because you don t want your muscles to be fatigued when you are lifting weights because it can cause injury. Additionally, studies have been conducted which show that weight training before cardio actually increases your chances at losing more weight due to the different muscles stores that are being tapped while you work out.
When you weight train, don t expect to see results immediately. If you are consistent, you can expect to see some results within a few weeks. Keep in mind that you are really supposed to combine weight training with a healthy diet as well as other forms of exercise in order to see optimal results. If you are unsure about what type of weights you should try or what weight training exercises you should do at the gym, you may want to consult with a gym staff member or hire a personal trainer to help you get started. The last thing you want to do is use a machine incorrectly and risk injuring yourself.
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