Although daunting, strength training is your best bet to lose and maintain muscle as you age. However, there are other reasons to start strength training. You get to eat more. You burn more calories even at rest. The bones, tendons, and organs are better protected.
Whilst you may be tempted to use your age as an excuse to forgo the resistance part of your exercise routine, a regular whole body workout that includes strength training is key to good health as we get older, for a variety of reasons.
To help you get started, Warehouse Gym offers both a mixed and a ladies gym in Dubai containing best in class cardio, strength, and stretch equipment. Our friendly personal trainers are ready to help you start your journey to strength training right now! Here are a few points to consider:
- 60% of those who weight train achieve at least seven hours of sleep per night: When you lift weights, your muscles need time to recover, which means you need to rest. As your body allocates resources to rebuild muscle fibres, you will find that you sleep better when you lift weights a few times each week. You will eventually learn to sleep better!
- Weight training lowers blood pressure and bad cholesterol (LDL): Pumping iron reduces the stress hormone, cortisol, by helping you get the stress out of your system. When your body produces less cortisol, you can lower your LDL levels while keeping your blood pressure normal.
- Your body burns more calories when it is resting due to increased metabolism: Maintaining muscle requires more energy than if you have not lifted weights, therefore, your resting metabolic rate will be higher. Turning up your internal furnace, you can spend less time in the gym and more time living your fit life!
- Weight training can reduce body fat by 7% with just two sessions a week: As your muscles grow and repair, they increase your lean muscle mass. This, combined with an increased resting metabolic rate, leads to a reduction in body fat. It only takes two sessions to see results! It also means you do not need to spend hours on cardio machines.
- Dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin are released when you lift weights, making it a natural antidepressant: Serotonin is released when we sweat, the happiness hormone. When you are lifting weights, you must stay more present by counting reps, paying attention to your form, and keeping track of sets. This allows you to engage in what you are doing and release hormones even more than during a cardio session, where you can zone out and focus on something else.
- A sedentary person will lose 50% of their muscle mass by age 80. Exercise can reverse muscle loss: As we age, we lose muscle mass. Strength training is a way to help your muscles continue to grow. Lifting weights a few times a week can help you offset muscle loss.
- Muscle coordination leads to better body mechanics: Performing different moves during strength training requires muscle coordination. This takes the pressure off of your joints and strengthens the muscles you need to increase your stability. Lifting weights improves your posture and relieves pressure on your fascia, allowing your body to move with greater ease.
To Conclude
Among the most rewarding aspects of strength training is that you get measurable results. As you gain strength, your muscles will appear toned, making you look and feel younger, and you will be able to exercise with greater intensity. Along with your physical strength, you will also gain emotional strength, as well as confidence. Get started with our ladies gym in Dubai!
