One of the keys to losing body fat and keeping it off is strength training. Lean muscle is the driving force behind your metabolism. The only way to increase your metabolism and burn more calories at rest is to increase lean muscle through strength training. Most people want to get lean and shed body fat. Doesn’t a high metabolism sound like something that might help you achieve that goal?!
The bottom line is: the more lean muscle mass you have, the less fat you will have. The reason for this is that muscle actually burns fat. Muscle helps the body burn calories for hours after a workout. Studies show that people who lift weights have a lower fat mass percentage than those who do aerobic exercise alone. Here are some additional benefits of having lean muscle:
Muscle Builds Strength Most people don’t stop to consider that the more strength you have, the less likely you may be to get injured. If you are an avid runner, cyclist or swimmer, it might make sense to lift some weights so your body is stronger and can perform longer and more efficiently without getting injured.
Improves Functional Strength Another benefit you achieve by increasing muscle is functional strength capabilities. Since you get much stronger by lifting weights, everyday activities will get much easier over time. You won’t need to call your brother to move a couch anymore, or even have your son carry your suitcase.
Muscle Reshapes the Body What if you just dropped fifty pounds from dieting and nightly jogging through your neighborhood but when you look in the mirror things still jiggle and you still carry weight in the same spots? The best way to change this is to shape your body through building muscle. This will tighten, firm, tone and target those trouble spots that you just can’t seem to get rid of.
Muscle Fights Disease The highest number of women who get osteoporosis in later years are ones of slim build. Doctors say that one of the best ways to fight this debilitating bone loss is to do weight-bearing activities, that increase bone density. Muscle has also been shown in major studies to fight the onset of type two diabetes, build the heart muscle to fight heart disease and even help those who suffer from arthritis to be more symptom free.
Do not fear muscle any longer. What you should fear is being old and weak. Push your body – you are stronger than you think. If you want that complete body transformation to the point where your family hardly recognizes you, then you have to start now. Take action and start lifting weights!