It’s often thought that to shed off those extra pounds, you need to perform some kind of cardio activity rather than some weight training exercises. Weights often make your muscles large and look beefy. This is a wrong perception that can discourage you to burn fat in the most safe and effective manner. The key to successful long-term weight loss is to stick to an improved diet and balanced exercise program, weight lifting will boost your metabolism at the same time improves your weight loss.
Basic effects of weight lifting on the body
Each and every activity of our body requires energy. If there’s no food to burn, the body approaches the fat cells for energy. Your body will lose the fat cells when it uses the fat stored inside the cells to convert it into energy.
This is a process that the body undergoes twenty-four hours a day. When the body is at rest, though the energy requirements are less, but it is still required. The key factor to weight loss is to determine the source for fuel for energy. Is it derived from the food you eat or your fat cells?
Increased Metabolism
One of the greatest benefits that weight lifting has on the body is that it improves metabolism of your body. Increasing muscle mass increases the body’s energy requirement. If the food you eat is low in calories, your body will attack the fat cells for energy. By using the fat for energy the body experiences fat cells reduction which results in lean muscles. Increased activity of weight lifting strengthens your muscles. Hence weight lifting is safe and helps weight loss in both the long term and short term.
Getting started
For those getting into weight training program, begin with 8-10 exercises and perform one to three sets of eight to fifteen repetitions. You should incorporate those weights in your program that are bulky and would not allow you to perform more than 15 repetitions before exhaustion. The exercise you choose should focus on all of the major muscle groups and should be formed at least three times a week. Try to space out your workout timings as uniformly as possible so that you never stay without workout for more than three days.
Safety First
Practice slow and controlled movements for a safe and effective workout program. Normal breathing is also essential to avoid sudden fluctuations in arterial blood pressure. You need to rest for few seconds between sets so that you can perform every set with enthusiasm.
Continued Improvement
For an effective weight-lifting program, you can gradually increase the number of sets, repetitions or the amount of weight lifted. As you progress, the number of weight lifting sessions should also be increased.
Don’t stress over weight
Although checking your weight is the most common form to measure your progress, it does not explain the actual mechanism. As discussed earlier, lifting weights can strengthen your muscles, which will show an increase in your weight on the scale. Just because this happens doesn’t mean you are not achieving anything. Weight lifting can add lean mass to your body and shed a few pounds of fat, you just made a significant change which your scale did not show.
Weight-lifting helps in better bone density thereby preventing osteoporosis and improving your metabolic rate.
Author Bio:
This Post is written by Kelly. She is a writer/blogger. She writes articles on Technology, social media, WordPress, Gamification, luxury interior design, website development, blog and online development etc. These days she contributes on www.punchh.com.
