We speak to so many people that visit our gyms who mistakenly believe that cardio training is the best way to get fit.
After all, the benefits of aerobic exercise are drilled into you from a young age, aren’t they?
But at Lyft 24, we’ve seen first-hand the damage too much aerobic exercise can do to people’s aspirations of getting fit and achieving their goals. It’s simply not the best way to get lasting results. Besides, who wants to look like a marathon runner?
Traditional Cardio Can…
Cause Burnout or Exhaustion
It takes a lot of time to burn calories and build your body with cardio exercise. So it’s tempting to do too many physical activities to try and get the results you want. All too often this leads to burnout or exhaustion. When this happens, people give up and put their fitness dreams to one side for another year.
Cause Injury
Another side effect of doing too many cardio workouts is that you risk injury. People put too much strain on their bodies with constant running or cycling motions. This can increase their heart rate too high and lead to painful injuries. Again, when this happens, people give up.
Cause Boredom or Apathy
We’ve all been there, haven’t we? Another day on the treadmill, hopelessly looking out the window of the gym or staring at the wall trying to ignore the pain. It seems to go on and on and just like you don’t get anywhere on the treadmill, you don’t get anywhere with your fitness goals either.
Before too long, going to the gym becomes another hassle that you can do without. And you decide that you have better things to do with your time.
Strength Training For Long Term Fitness
On the flip side of all this, are the huge benefits involved in strength training. When you’re using strength training and weight lifting as a regular form of exercise, you can…
Achieve Your Goals Faster
Progressive strength training helps you increase your metabolic rate, burn calories and improve your body composition more efficiently. It decreases your abdominal fat and gets you looking in tip-top shape with a healthy body weight in no time. And as you and others see the amazing transformation in your body, you’re delighted and stay motivated to keep training.
Avoid Injury & Niggles
No matter what age or gender you are, injury is a constant risk in fitness and sports. Strength training helps give you a solid muscle base with a strong core that acts as your foundation. With a strong foundation, your body is more capable of standing up to the demands of your workouts. This means you recover quicker, and you avoid injury.
Stay Motivated & Inspired
The beauty of strength training is that it’s easy to increase your workouts as your fitness increases. So as your body adapts to the workouts, you enjoy healthy muscle growth and start looking better. As this happens, you can take your physical activities to the next level. This continual improvement in your strength and body composition helps you stay motivated and inspired. So you keep pushing your limits and constantly improving with intense workouts.
The Huge Health Benefits of Strength Training
Less Abdominal Fat
Strength training doesn’t just get you in better shape faster than cardio, it also massively helps improve your health and your muscle mass.
You burn off body fat far more effectively with strength training when compared to cardio. The reduction in body fat percentages lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease and prevents damage to your blood vessels. It also reduces the risk of other cardiac problems and reduces the risk of cancer.
Great For Your Heart
As you lose abdominal fat and reduce your body weight, you’re helping to take care of your heart. You’re not raising your heart rate as much with resistance training as you would with cardio workouts but you’re taking care of your heart.
Your weight lifting is still helping you look after your heart health and over a period of time, it’s helping you avoid heart disease. With this improvement in your cardiovascular health, you can enjoy a far better quality of life.
Lower Your Blood Pressure
Studies have shown that regular weight training sessions as types of exercise can reduce your blood pressure. Research Review: Weight lifting improves blood pressure (precisionnutrition.com) .
Results in this study revealed that middle aged men weight training 3 times a week for twelve weeks lowered their blood pressure.
Normalized Blood Sugar Levels
A 2013 review {link here https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3881442/} in the BioMed Research International journal showed that strength training helps your muscles take in and use up glucose, or blood sugar. This helps to reduce your body’s blood sugar levels and reduce the risk of diabetes.
Improved Mental Health
Strength training has been shown to reduce symptoms of clinical depression and anxiety. The endorphins your body releases during strength training help to increase mental resilience and reduce anxiety. The improved quality of life this gives people who struggle with mental health is astronomical.
Greater Mobility & Flexibility
Strength training can also help to greatly improve your mobility and flexibility. Your increased lean muscle mass helps you enjoy better range of motion and better movement.
Increased Brain Health
As well as improving mental health, strength training has also been shown to improve brain power. Particularly in older people who are potentially suffering from cognitive decline.
You can enjoy positive effects from even quick bursts of exercise that you often use in strength training. https://health.usnews.com/wellness/fitness/articles/2018-03-15/should-you-try-high-intensity-interval-training-to-boost-your-brain-power
The quick bursts of energy help to get your blood flowing, which increases the flow of blood and oxygen around your body and into your brain.
Live A Longer, Happier Life, with Strength Training
So you can see why everyone here at Lyft 24 loves strength training, can’t you?
It doesn’t just transform your body with lean muscle mass and stronger muscles. It also boosts your self-esteem and skyrockets your confidence. Lifting weights helps you get around better, enjoy a more active brain and fight off illness and disease.
Not only that, but the strong sense of community we build at Lyft 24 means that you make friends for life…
Friends that are there for you throughout your fitness journey. Friends who will cheer you on as you start at a moderate pace. Who celebrate with you when you reach your goals through functional strength training. And who pick you up and spur you on when you’re feeling tired or unmotivated.
At Lyft 24, we’ll talk you through your strength training exercises, explaining all the incredible benefits of weight training. And we’ll show you the fun way to start building strength, moving up to heavier weights and increasing your energy levels and your quality of life.
To start transforming your health, achieving your goals and living a better life, take the “Lyft” challenge and sign up at one of our locations with presale discounted memberships today!