Why weight training helps you shape up & burn fat

Weight training is the style of exercise of choice for many people.  It burns fat, builds strength and muscle helping you get into shape.

With every client I have we do weight training because of the vast benefits and how efficient it is over other training modalities.

Although the calorie burn in a weight session is often much lower than that of a cardio session, a good weight training workout is still more efficient and effective at burning fat and creating a shape change in the body.

Most importantly weight training helps you to build muscle.  This is more muscle fibers which doesn't always mean more size, so don't worry ladies it won't make you bulk.

This increase in muscle raises your resting metabolism, so you burn more calories each day at rest.  Sounds pretty good!

Think of yourself like a car engine.  The bigger your engine (muscles) the more fuel it takes to power it, so the more energy it will use to move around.  Therefore the more muscle mass you have the more calories you burn just walking around.

However muscle does take time to build so it can be a long process to significantly change your resting metabolism in this way.

The increase in muscle mass helps to create shape and definition to the body that many people are looking to do with their training.  It's all very well burning calories and losing body fat but its important to have muscle strength and shape under it all.

Doing large movements such as a squat or deadlift with weights recruits a large number of muscle fibers and is quite demanding on the body.  These large moves increase heart rate and can actually become a cardio workout when lifted at tempo with reduced sets.

These large moves when performed correctly are great for improving your posture.  They help to strengthen the back and core muscles and help you stand better.  If you stand taller and the body is aligned, naturally you will have a better-looking shape to your body than if you have poor posture and are hunched over.

There is also evidence to suggest that after a good weight training session there is an immediate increase in your resting metabolism that could last for up to 48 hours after the training sessions.  Commonly known as the ‘Afterburn Effect’ your body requires an increased level of oxygen post-exercise to recover, repair, and return the body to the pre-exercise state.

The amount of time this afterburn lasts is directly proportionate to the intensity and duration of your workouts as well as how fit you are.  So working at a reasonable intensity and for long periods will have more payout in the end.

You can even be burning a higher number of calories while you are sleeping!

One way to think about it is, that muscle soreness that you get the day after weight lifting (DOMS) that stays around for a few days.  That is the body recovering and it takes energy to do that.  The fitter you are the harder you have to work to get that effect.

It's important for everyone to lift weights and its not just for bodybuilders.  Regular weight lifting helps to prevent the natural loss of muscle that occurs as you age.

Weight lifting also helps to maintain bone density so great for your overall health and longevity. 

Weight lifting should be a part of everyone's healthy and balanced workout regime, so if you don't currently include it make sure you start to from now on.

 

Arron Collins-Thomas
Founder of TONIQ

 

Do you currently follow a weight training routine?  Let us know your thoughts and how you've found adding weights to your training plans.  Share this with someone who you know would benefit from reading this. The U Perform family loves sharing ideas and encouraging each other.