Obviously, lifting weights will make your muscles stronger... but having stronger muscles will result in many other benefits! Some of these benefits include decreased chance of injury, increased ability to perform daily activities, improved physical endurance, and more.

1. Lower Chance of Injury

Increased muscular strength helps to decrease your chance of injury because your muscles will be hold your bones in place better throughout the day. If you step awkwardly on your knee or fall on your shoulder, your muscular strength will resist the forces (gravity) that could potentially damage your body. This can also help to ease the pain or sore and aching joints by holding them in a better resting position, causing less pain.

Rapid movement in sport or strenuous jobs can also cause increased stress on the musculoskeletal system. Weightlifting may be the answer to avoiding waking up with sore knees or a stiff back. Not to mention, you will also perform better!

2. Increased Ability to Perform Daily Activities

Performing daily activities includes carrying in groceries, putting up cookware, taking out the trash, and moving furniture. These activities all require some degree of muscular strength. The stronger your muscles, the better you can perform these activities. Along with increasing your strength, lifting weights improves your endurance, so you can accomplish more without needing to rest as much.

Beyond daily activities, your performance in sports related movements will also increase. If you like to play tennis on the weekends, you might notice that your serve is flying over the net faster than ever before. If you enjoy golfing, your drive might start turning some heads as your strength gains begin to show on the course.

3. Improved Bone Density

When you apply stress to your bones by lifting weights, your bones will respond by becoming more dense. This increased bone density is crucial to avoiding or even preventing the development of osteoporosis. Women especially need to do everything they can to avoid osteoporosis, because it can affect them at a higher rate than men.

Stronger bones also plays a role in your decreased chance of injury. This is due to the fact that if your bones are more dense, it will require more force to damage or break them. If an average person tried to jump on an NFL football team they would likely end up in a body cast. This is because they lack the muscle mass that is needed to help protect professional football players from musculoskeletal injuries.

4. Better Self-Esteem and Mood

The benefits of strength training are not limited to only physical changes. Your self-esteem will also improve because you will look better and feel better about yourself. Observing your own progress in the gym makes you feel accomplished. These changes stem from measurable physical changes like greater muscle strength, hormone levels, and boosting neurotransmitters like dopamine.

Knowing you are improving the condition of your body is a key factor in improving your mood throughout the day. Burning those extra calories can also lower your stress levels. Long story short: accomplishing new things and improving yourself physically makes you feel better!

5. Sleep Quality

We all know that sleep is essential for a healthy body and mind. Lifting weights helps to burn off extra energy and help quiet down your mind when it comes time to go to bed. If you are exhausted from a full body resistance training workout, you will be much more likely to fall into deep sleep shortly after resting your head on a pillow.

These are 5 great reasons why everybody should include resistance training in their workout routine!

So if you want to improve physically and mentally, start your resistance training journey today. If you have no idea where to start, speak with a qualified trainer if you have access to one. Check out the workout routines on my site if you need some new ideas. Good luck on your weight lifting journey!

Email me at amandagaryfitness@gmail.com