WHY SHOULD EVERYONE LIFT WEIGHTS?
Dateline: 09/08/97
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Why Should Everyone Lift Weights?
First of all, people consider strengthening exercises as "lifting weights." Weights in the form of dumbbells, barbells, and plates, are just a form of resistance. To work a muscle, your muscle needs to overcome resistance against gravity and perform it's function. Other forms of resistance that you can use are soup cans, wooden poles, your body weight, and therabands like this. For example, when you hold a dumbbell or soup can in your hand, gravity is pulling the soup can/dumbbell downward. Your bicep must overcome gravity to lift the can/dumbbell upward by performing it's function which is elbow flexion. Machines with cables and pulleys redirect gravity to allow you to work that particular muscle. So if someone tells you that by tightening your stomach during certain exercises will help you get a six pack, don't pay attention. The only way you will work your stomach is to perform spinal flexion. You can not work your stomach muscles with your back straight.
Why is lifting weights or performing resistance training so important?
Increase in strength which will help you perform daily activities and/or sports better.
Strengthening of your tendons, ligaments, and most importantly, your bones.
Increases in muscle mass whether large or small increases your metabolism. You will burn more calories when you workout and at rest.
Strengthening your muscles help improve coordination and balance especially in seniors.
As you see, resistance training is very valuable to us all. There are many different ideas about how many sets and repetitions to do exercises. If you have a question as to whether you are doing too much or not enough or don't even know where to begin, go to the Exercise Forum.
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