Lift Weights Chicago IL – EVULV Fitness
Weigh into Your Workout
Weightlifting and Strength Training
At one time, weightlifting was for athletes who were training for particular sports or for the sport of weightlifting itself. Now, weight training is part of workout regimes for most people who go to fitness centers. Though traditionally seen as a workout for men, today, women are participating as well. Exercise programs that include strength training help women tone their bodies, lose weight, and improve overall health.
It is important to note that Lift Weighs Chicago IL should always include the supervision of a certified trainer or instructor. If done improperly or excessively, weightlifting can cause severe muscle damage, which might be beyond recovery.
Why You Should Lift Weights Chicago IL
Stronger and Healthier Bones
An added yet less visible health benefit of weightlifting is that it helps to increase bone density. This increase in density reduces the risk of osteoporosis by maintaining healthier and stronger bones. Healthy adults should incorporate weight training into their workout about three times per week. Strength training is a challenge for bones, and like your brain and muscles, bones will benefit from this challenge.
Disease Prevention
Lift Weights Chicago IL helps your body’s cardiovascular system, neurological functioning, and weight control. Improving your strength and endurance makes your body more resistant to disease and illness. Exercise and weight training, in particular, is an excellent way to ensure your resilience to these health problems.
Improves Strength and Endurance
Weight training increases the strength and fitness of your body. This increase leads to your body being able to endure physical activity without feeling fatigued. It is possible to run or walk, cycle or spin, swim, and golf longer because the added strength has increased your endurance.
Boosts Metabolism
Most people and many fitness programs concentrate on cardio for weight loss. While cardio has its advantages, Lift Weights Chicago IL training directly affects your metabolic rate and calorie burning while building muscle mass. Weight training gives you the added benefit of burning those calories while resting because it activates the tissues.
Increases Energy and Improves Sleep
Lift Weights Chicago IL training directly affects energy levels and is thought to release endorphins in the body. Endorphins are chemicals generated by the nervous system that helps us deal with pain or stress. They are often referred to as “feel-good” chemicals because they can provide pain relief and boost happiness. Additionally, they can elevate energy and improve mood. Weightlifting also improves your sleep quality in men and women.
Helps Regulate Insulin Levels – Lift Weights Chicago IL
Weight lifting aids in regulating blood sugar levels. While burning calories and building muscle mass, it burns glucose. This is a particular benefit for people fighting Type II Diabetes.
Disadvantages of Weightlifting
Physical Risks Involved
Lift Weights Chicago IL is hard work, especially as you get stronger and begin moving into heavier weight brackets. Consequently, the primary disadvantage of weightlifting is the risk of injury. For this reason, weightlifting workouts should be supervised by a certified trainer or instructor. These individuals know your physical condition, limitations, and goals. They develop prioritized programs.
Reduces Flexibility in Other Exercise
An exercise routine that focuses only on weightlifting will reduce the flexibility and agility of the body. This reduced flexibility is due to increased muscle mass. It is always best to alternate strength training with other exercise or stretching exercises like aerobics, Pilates, and yoga.
Could Lead to Eating Disorders
There are cases where people get so immersed in weightlifting that it becomes an obsession. This leads to unhealthy diets and a desire for protein with the belief that it will increase muscle mass more quickly. The condition is called reverse anorexia, and it can have a lethal effect.
Add Strength Training to Your Routine
There are many options available to add strength or resistance training to your workout. Before you begin, be sure to check with your doctor to see what type of strength training would be best for you. This is necessary if you have any underlying health issues. Also, be sure to work with a fitness expert who will develop a strength-training routine specifically for you.
Strength Training
People approach strength training with a variety of different goals in mind. Some wish to improve in sports or increase daily function. Others want to take advantage of the health benefits related to osteoporosis or chronic disease prevention. Whatever the focus, for your nervous system to adapt to better movement function, it is crucial to incorporate dynamic and challenging exercises.
It is vital to keep the brain and nervous system in mind as you begin strength training. As you start with 3-dimensional movements such as free weights, you train more than your muscles; you’re training your brain to function more efficiently.
What Are Free Weights?
A free weight is any weight that does not limit the range of motion when used. Free Weights are valuable equipment for building strength, muscle mass, flexibility, balance, and speed. People at all fitness levels can benefit from the use of free weights. Training with the proper form and having a clear understanding of the function and limitations of this type of equipment is essential.
Free Weights typically include a variety of:
Dumbbells
Barbells
Kettlebells
Weight plates
Some Benefits of Free Weights
Mimics daily activities – Free weight exercises make your body move in similar ways to the tasks you perform daily.
Stabilizes muscles – This may sound strange, but free weights will make your body feel less stable during your workout, and that’s good. When this happens, the surrounding non-targeted muscles will be activated and assist in stabilizing the movement. This free weight benefit is an ideal way to increase overall strength.
Utilizes a wider range of motion – Your body can move more naturally and freely using free weight routines instead of machine-based exercises.
You can recreate realistic movement patterns.
Muscle activation – Greater neural activation gives free weights an advantage over weight machines. There are increased levels of neuromuscular involvement because of the more significant need for muscle coordination and increased muscle activation.
Weight Loss
Strength training is a vital tool to boost weight loss success. Why?
Weight training:
Builds muscle – Muscle burns up to three times more calories than fat.
Boosts metabolic rate – This increase in metabolism, as much as 5%, helps the calorie burn happen throughout the day and beyond.
Generates the afterburn effect/EPOC – The calorie burn continues for the next 24 to 48 hours as your body repairs stressed muscle tissues. That’s known as the afterburn effect. Another name for this is excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) or the afterburn effect.
For optimal weight loss, calorie intake must be monitored in addition to doing and do more reps with lighter weights. Lifting heavy weights, in the beginning, is not beneficial for weight loss.
It is also helpful to add variety to your workout. Add a new exercise or variation of an exercise weekly. Even slight changes challenge your body in different ways. More calories are expended by using other muscles.
Work it Into Your Workout
If you do not have a strength training routine in your workout, now might be a good time to start. Increased strength and endurance, disease prevention, improved balance, and weight loss are some of the benefits of strength training. Do your health a favor and Lift Weights Chicago IL.
