The Benefits of Weight Training

Today we are going to be looking into the benefits of weight training. Unless you are interested in toning your muscles, you might skip this type of fitness. But weight training isn’t just for becoming more muscular. One of the benefits not everyone is aware of is that it can help fight off muscle loss. As we age, we lose lean muscle mass and guess what replaces it? Fat! It just comes with aging and there isn’t much you can do about it, unless you replace the fat with muscle mass…which can only happen if you implement weight training. The … Continue reading →

Benefits of Weight Lifting

There are a number of benefits to weight lifting that you might want to implement into your fitness routine. However I also strongly urge you to first make sure that you have established some cardio into your routine first. Making the transition from cardio to weight training might be a challenge but there is no reason that you can’t have a little of both. You might break up your routine with 15 minutes of cardio and 15 minutes of weight lifting. It’s really all up to you. One of the things you will notice right off the bat with weight … Continue reading →

Cellulite Reduction

Cellulite, ewwww. As unappealing as it looks most women have it, at least a little bit of it. Another unfair woman thing, you say? Unfortunately, yes. The reason why cellulite is more apt to strike the female species is because the female fat is stored differently than the male fat. The men in your life have connective tissues with fat storage units that perform diagonally. The women have connective tissues that are vertical, structured like a honeycomb. It is because of this awful honeycomb feature that enhances our dimples on the leg, mostly the upper thigh. Many people are trying … Continue reading →

Feeling That Burn

The past few months I have been walking for exercise. I had a few bumps in the road and had to get myself back on the bandwagon but for the most part, I have been doing well. I finally decided this month that I need to add something more to my exercise routine. It was time to bring in the weights. The little 5 pound weights that would help build muscle and be used in some exercises that will work my arms and legs. I literally felt burning in my muscles when I started this. Actually, I am still feeling … Continue reading →

Weightlifting to Alleviate Back Pain

Forget about paying $100 for a 60-minute massage; according to a new study you are better off lifting weights to ease lower back pain. Researchers from the University of Alberta say people who add weight training to their fitness regime experience less back pain than those who participate solely on other forms of exercise, such as tennis, jogging or biking. The study followed people suffering with chronic back pain as they participated in a 16-week exercise program. The participants were split into two groups. The first group completed resistance training using dumbbells, barbells and other load-bearing exercise equipment. The second … Continue reading →

Fitness Myths: Setting the Record Straight

Now that we know sit ups won’t melt away body fat and building muscle doesn’t necessarily translate into a speedier metabolism, let’s debunk a few more popular fitness myths: Myth: Lifting Weights Makes You Look Bulky If you are a woman, who is concerned that lifting weights is going to make you look like Popeye, you can stop worrying. According to experts, women can’t develop muscles like men. However, if you are still not convinced, then workout with lighter weights, or complete exercises that use your own bodyweight for resistance. Bottom line: The average woman doesn’t produce enough testosterone to … Continue reading →

Weight Lifting and the Elderly

It’s never too late to start lifting weights. At least that’s what the authors of a new fitness study maintain. A recent study published in the Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise found that individuals should be hitting the weights as they age. The reason: As time goes on people gradually lose muscle mass and become more prone to falls. Researchers say as individuals age they lose fast-twitch muscle fibers, used for activities such as running, kicking a ball, or getting up and down from a chair. To reverse the effects, scientists say older people need to … Continue reading →

Weightlifting: It’s Not About the Weight

How many times have you seen guys at the gym try to lift as much weight as they can without paying attention to form or technique? They’re grunting and sweating and throwing weights up instead of lifting them correctly and later that day they’re limping around because they tweaked their back. Experienced weightlifters know that the sport is more about good form and technique than it is about how many pounds of steel you can throw around. Professional weightlifters are the first to chastise guys who are in need of a serious ego check because they know first hand the … Continue reading →

Is One Really Enough?

I got into weightlifting when I was a freshman in college. I was dating a guy who was obsessed with bodybuilding. He was competing for Mr. Wisconsin… or was it Mr. Universe? In any event, A. couldn’t go a day without working out (or eating egg whites), so needless to say, much of the time we spent together was at the gym. And while our relationship may have failed (he loved his body way more than he loved me) I left with a great parting gift—-a toned body and tight grip on how to design a fitness routine that worked … Continue reading →

Why You Want to Build Muscle as You Age

Did you know that at about age 35 the average person gains roughly one-and-a-half pounds of fat each year? And while we are gaining that fat we are also losing (on average) half-a-pound of muscle per year? If that doesn’t motivate you to get moving consider that a pound of muscle burns 35 calories per day—just to stay alive, while a pound of fat burns just two calories per day. Doctors say it’s one of the downfalls of aging. Most people lose muscle and increase the fat layer in their bodies. Fat tends to move in because muscle moves out, … Continue reading →