Working out is one of the best ways of maintaining a healthy body weight and becoming fit and healthy. Exercising is essential to improve the quality of life led by an individual as it not only keeps the body fit physically but also mentally. Incorporating a fitness regime in your daily routine, put together by a certified health professional can greatly affect your life positively. Different workout regimes are targeted toward different fitness goals, such as cardio exercises improving heart health, strength training exercises helping increase strength and weight lifting exercises that help build muscle mass. Deciding on a fitness goal appropriate for your body’s requirements is the first step toward becoming healthy.
Strength training is a great way of shedding excess fat or building on lean muscle mass. Lean muscles tend to get replaced with fat eventually as we age. Strength training can be started as an investment towards a healthier old age. Some benefits of practising strength training exercises are as the following:
May strengthen bones
Strength training exercises may help improve bone density. Practising strength training exercises regularly may help strengthen your bones and joints.
It may help maintain a healthy body weight
Strength training exercises may help maintain a healthy body weight by shedding excess calories. It may also help individuals looking to gain muscle mass.
May enhance agility
May help increase the flexibility of the joints. Strength training exercises may make doing everyday chores a lot easier due to the increased agility.
May reduce the risk of chronic diseases
Strength training exercises may help reduce chronic health disorders such as arthritis, diabetes, cardiac issues or other orthopaedic problems.
May improve mental health
A fit and active lifestyle may help keep negative thoughts at bay and is considered good for your mental health.
If you are a healthy individual, strength training exercises may do wonders for your body.
You may perform strength training exercises if you belong to the following categories of people:
You should consult a medical professional before starting a strength training exercise regime if you have the following conditions:
There are several strength training exercises. The 5 best and easy strength training exercises among them include the following:
Touch the ground with arms extended in the front. This will support your upper body. Balance the weight of your lower body on the tips of your toes without bending your knees. Bring your chest as close to the floor as possible and push it back to the original position. Push-ups are beginner-friendly exercises with different levels of difficulty which one can choose according to their needs.
Get into a chair like position with your arms extended straight in front of you. Bend your knees slightly and keep your back straight. Hold this position for a few seconds. Remember to use the muscles of your legs for doing squats and not your back muscles as it may strain them unnecessarily. Squats can help build core strength and help you get back in shape.
Doing planks engages the entire body and helps burn a lot of calories. Get into a push-up position with the slight change of arms bent at the elbow instead of keeping it straight. Push your body up while balancing it on the palms of your hands and the tip of your toes. Stay in this position for a few seconds. Gradually increase the holding time as you feel more confident.
Deadlifts are great for toning your hamstring and glutes. Stand with your feet slightly apart and knees slightly bent. Hold two weights in both hands and slowly bend your knees further, allowing the weights to reach the calves of your legs. Try to bend your upper body in such a way that your back is nearly parallel to the ground.
Lie down with your knees folded and slightly apart. Cross your arms so that the right palm touches the left shoulder blade and vice versa. Raise your waist and return to the original position. Use your leg muscles and not your back muscles. You can add weights to this eventually as you get more habituated to this exercise.
Strength training exercises can be done to reduce weight or improve the overall health condition of the body. Strength training exercises have varying levels of intensity and are extremely good for strengthening bones, becoming more agile or shedding excess fat. Some easy strength training exercises are squats, push-ups, deadlifts, planks, glute bridges, etc.
Disclaimer: The information included on this site is for educational purposes only and is not intended to substitute for medical treatment by a healthcare professional. Because of unique individual needs, the reader should consult their physician to determine the appropriateness of the information for the reader’s situation.
Anyone who’s gotten into a fitness routine will know the attraction of lifting weights daily. Daily lifting means more gains, right? There may be some benefit to it, but the answer is not as simple as that and it really depends on many factors.
Weight lifting or strength training has many overall health benefits. But even if your main focus is increasing muscle mass, the healthiest fitness routine will not be one dimensional. While the virtues of diversifying your routine are well-known, what happens when you do the opposite? Does sticking to the same weightlifting routine daily do any good for you?
The top benefit, of course, is increased strength. Lifting weights when coupled with the right nutrition helps in building up lean muscle, increasing your physical strength. Repetition can help you have a more focused workout, developing your muscles gradually and making you stronger. This is assuming you lift weights in a safe, healthy manner that does not cause short/long term damage.
The next obvious advantage of daily lifting is stronger bones. Exercising in general, but weight training particularly is known to improve bone density. Stronger bones are especially vital as we get older because bone density decreases with age, but developing strong bones while you’re young acts as a buffer against this threat. Denser, stronger bones help to prevent fractures and excess bone loss.
While cardio, aerobics and similar are better known for pushing your endurance limits, lifting weights every day can also increase your muscle endurance. With multiple reps (repetitions) of any one particular set of lifts, your muscles have increased aerobic activity. This means you not only have stronger muscles but muscles that keep working hard for longer durations.
Many people seeking to cut their fat and lose weight also add weight training as part of their weight management routine. The reason is that lifting weights not only burns calories during the workout but also continues after your session is over. More lean muscle reduces fat, which also helps to increase your metabolic rate. This again helps to reduce your weight. While weightlifting exclusively to reduce weight may not be very effective, adding it to your fitness routine can be beneficial with weight management.
Lifting weights can increase your lean body mass, which increases the number of overall calories you burn during the day. Strength training by lifting weights can also protect your joints from injury.
Dr. M.G. Kartheeka, MBBS, MD
Most muscle build-up happens not during the workout session itself but during the rest periods after you exercise. If you always do the same routine, daily, on the same muscle group, you are not giving your body time to recover. You may end up seeing less muscle growth or no growth at all. Hence, it is important to split your weight lifting and work out different parts of the body on different days. Truth be told, having a full day of rest or even attempting different types of exercises maybe even better. But if you are intent on lifting daily, you could help yourself out by switching muscle groups every day.
Lifting every day also leaves you sore, not only at the muscles you are exercising but the rest of your body too. Soreness, apart from being uncomfortable, can lead to poor form. Poor form exponentially increases the risk of injury during your workout. If you face a muscle sprain or similar type of injury, you end up falling behind while recovering. Soreness is also a sign from your body to you, to take things easy and get rested.
Lifting weights is challenging in and of itself, but doing it daily can lead to lower and lower improvements. This can be demotivating since you will not be seeing as many returns though you’re at it every day. Without variation, changing your weights and loads and rest cycles, you’re not likely to see as much improvement as you anticipate. In this way, you may be setting yourself up for an uphill battle regarding motivation.
Some advice necessary for lifting heavy weight is- Get as close to the load as possible. Try to keep your elbows and arms close to your body. Keep your back straight during the lift, bending at the knees, keeping the load close and centered in front of you, and looking up and ahead. Get a good handhold and do not twist while lifting.
Dr. Ashish Bajaj – M.B.B.S, M.D.
Now that you’re aware of the effects of lifting weights every day, the decision you need to make is whether this is for you. There are some benefits, lifting weights every day is not all negative as long as you do it the right way. If you have a fitness trainer, things may go easier for you. In general, you’ll want to avoid doing the same routine all the time, variation is the key here. Next, you need to gradually increase your weights and resistance levels. Going too high too fast can be harmful rather than helpful. Also, make sure you are resting in between your routines. Sleep and nutrition are essential for optimum recovery, without these two things, you can work out optimally every day but won’t see any gains.
There may be a few positives to be had with lifting every day, but for most people (especially beginners), the potential for harm is high. If you can ensure your safety and recovery, then attempt it slowly and see how your body is reacting. In most cases, the body gives us signs that things are not okay. Strengthen your nutrition with a protein-rich diet, this speeds up recovery and also encourages better muscular growth. Always learn and perform weight training in the correct way. If done incorrectly, it can harm your muscles and joints severely.
Disclaimer: The information provided here is for educational/awareness purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical treatment by a healthcare professional and should not be relied upon to diagnose or treat any medical condition. The reader should consult a registered medical practitioner to determine the appropriateness of the information and before consuming any medication. PharmEasy does not provide any guarantee or warranty (express or implied) regarding the accuracy, adequacy, completeness, legality, reliability or usefulness of the information; and disclaims any liability arising thereof.
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