Why weight training?

Strength training is very important when you practice aerobics exercises because aerobics is known to lead to a diminution of your muscle mass. The only way to counteract this effect is to add some muscle conditioning to your daily workouts.

Most instructors finish their session by ten to fifteen minutes of leg lifts, plies, triceps and biceps curls or abdominal and back exercises. Some of these exercises might be combined. However, research showed that it is better to work a muscle group to fatigue then to let it rest for at least twenty four hours so that muscles can reform and get stronger.

Research also tells us that it is most beneficial for you to work only one group muscles at a time everyday instead of targeting the whole body each time you train. This way, you can really spend time and energy in one place and be more efficient. Although I personally prefer bands because they offer a lot of resistance and work your muscles very hard, working with dumbbells has advantages over other strength-training equipment. I am not crazy about machines since they might not be safe for those who are not careful or for those who do not know how to use them properly. I would leave machines to body builders who need a lot of weight to maintain and improve their muscle mass. On the contrary, bands and dumbbells permit you to workout every part of each muscle, anytime, almost anywhere.

Furthermore, they are more effective and produce quicker results than using machines, and the movements involved during the lifting are closer to real-life movements.

Dumbbells strengthen muscles for practical purposes such as lifting a baby or suitcases. Machines, on the contrary, isolate muscles. Dumbbells work more muscles each time, working together the assisting muscles and the stabilizing muscles, improving your coordination and your balance. For instance, a shoulder press works biceps and triceps at the same time.

Weight training has other advantages besides keeping a good muscle mass. Weight training can at the same time help raising your basal metabolism and counteract the natural decline in your metabolism, which begins around age thirty. Consequently, you feel more active and have more resistance to physical work. Toning your muscles should greatly help you feeling less pain in your body, especially in your lower back.

Finally, weight training should give you a better appearance with healthier inner organs. You could elevate your mood this way and boost your self-confidence.

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