Benefits of Strength Training

Let’s talk strength training. I know it’s becoming a more commonly known and accepted idea that strength/weight training is for everyone and has many health benefits! But… what exactly are those benefits?? 

Just like most things in life, it’s hard to invest in and be motivated to do something if you don’t know why. So I’m going to outline some “why’s” for you, with the intent that it will ultimately help you find YOUR why. 

First, I want to explain my “why” because I used to be pretty indifferent toward strength training. 

I didn’t want to get bulky; I didn’t really know what exercises to do; and I thought that if I didn’t sustain a certain heart rate for the entirety of my workout (like during a run), I wasn’t getting as much work in, expending as much energy, or (honestly) burning as many calories. 

All of those ideas were incorrect. Here’s why:

• It’s actually pretty hard to get bulky. What I mean is, incorporating weight training 3-4 times a week into your workouts isn’t going to transform you into a bodybuilder. You don’t get bulky by accident! And especially for women, our physiology isn’t geared toward building tons of muscle mass. What you can expect from incorporating more strength training into your life is greater muscle tone, strength, and endurance.

 

• Even the most basic strength exercises are great! Everything stems from these core movements: push, pull, squat, lunge, hinge, rotation, and gait.

​​Here are some (of many) examples to show you what these movements look like in everyday life and in exercise:

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• After my time running with BYU, where we had great strength coaches, I kind of lost the strength aspect of fitness. With cardio alone, I was missing out on pretty much all of those core functional movements besides gait. Yes, I was in great running shape, but ask me to do push-ups and I was toast in seconds! You don’t have to know a ton, or be familiar with “fancy moves” to see some awesome functional benefits from strength training. ​

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• Strength training can burn just as much, if not more, energy than cardio or aerobic training. What?! I know, I thought the same thing. But strength training is more effective in increasing your overall metabolic rate than cardio, which means your body will be burning more calories all the time and not just when you are working out.

Those three points debunked what my concerns were, but that’s not even all of the awesome benefits we can gain from strength training!

To continue:

• Strength/weight training is so important in building bone density to prevent things like osteoporosis in the future. The peak time for you to build up bones density and strength is in your mid twenties! This sets you on a trajectory for the next 60+ years of your life in terms of bone strength and deterioration. It’s never too late to start, though. Anything you can do with weight bearing or strength building activity (with appropriate guidance) will only help you now and in the future.

• Strength training benefits cardiovascular health as well as blood glucose levels. Your heart will be stronger and more efficient, and your body will have more muscle cells to uptake glucose from your blood for utilization - thereby decreasing blood sugar.
• One of the hardest things after losing weight is keeping it off. Strength training is more effective at maintaining weight loss than cardio/aerobic exercise alone.
• Strength training helps you to connect and become more in tune with your body. You gain greater awareness of your body’s functions and learn the best and proper ways to move and perform different physical tasks.

And finally…

• Strength training will help you to feel confident, capable, and gain a greater appreciation for your body. This is my biggest “why”. I have always struggled with self-confidence, and I’m sure we all do at times! However, the more I get into strength training, I feel myself getting stronger and more capable of doing things I couldn’t before. I have gained a much greater appreciation for my body that (before) I would shame and degrade.

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Gaining physical strength and challenging myself in this way has crossed over into mental, emotional, and even spiritual strength. I believe that our bodies house our spirits and the more we strengthen and care for our physical bodies, the better our spirits can thrive!

These are some of the main reasons why Total Bodi focuses on strength training. There are so many health benefits, as well as just lifestyle benefits. I can also say that there are some huge confidence benefits as well.

If I had to sum it up in one word, what I hope you will gain from participating in my Total Bodi program is that you feel EMPOWERED. Empowered to challenge those misconceptions about yourself, your circumstances, and what you can and can’t do; EMPOWERED to accomplish your goals, do hard things, lift those heavy weights and get in 1 more rep; and most of all EMPOWERED to be your best self and be happy doing it!

So, if you haven't already, try the Total Bodi free week trial, and see how strength training can challenge you in new ways! If you're in the program, reflect on YOUR "why" and share in the comments below! With strength training you’ve got nothing to lose, and everything to gain!

Xo,
Ang