BENEFITS OF RESISTANCE TRAINING

Many people think that they should not participate in a resistance training program for a few reasons. First, they think that they don’t need it if they are trying to lose weight. Second, they don’t want to get bulky. The truth is that by building muscle you will burn calories more efficiently and that just because you are putting on muscle doesn’t mean that you will get bulky.

Your body burns calories everyday just to run your body. The amount of calories needed just to operate your body through normal body functions such as breathing, brain activity or even the beating of your heart, is known as your resting metabolic rate. Put it this way; if you were to lay down for 24 hours and do nothing but breathe, your rmr is the amount of calories you will burn. The more lean mass, (ex. Bone or muscle), that you have, the more calories it takes for your body to run. So by gaining muscle, you may be able to burn an additional 1,000 or so calories per week.

You will not get bulky. Men produce a lot more testosterone than women and it is extremely difficult for men to put on size, even 10 lbs. of muscle per year. So women especially, don’t worry about getting bulky, but do worry about building muscle.

Some other things that resistance training can do for you, if trained properly, is eliminate minor aches and pains, make daily chores much easier and decrease your risk of injury.

About this Author

After graduating from the National Personal Training Institute (NPTI) in Richmond Heights Ohio, Mat sat for and passed the test to earn his CSCS (certified strength and conditioning specialist). After spending over one and a half years of training in a gym setting, and becoming and instructor at NPTI, Matt started MK Fitness as a one-on-one or small group personal training company.