Strength training is not just for men who want to become big and strong. Strength training is good and healthy for everyone, whether you're 20 or 90, male or female.
Strength training burns more calories throughout the day; muscle tissue is more 'active' in your body than fat, which means you can convert more calories. Strength training speeds up your metabolism and thus helps to lose weight. In addition, your body produces more hormones such as testosterone and growth hormone, but it also counters the cortisol and estrogen surplus in the body. Your cells also respond better to insulin. Declining insulin sensitivity is the first step to diabetes. With strength training, you can slow down this process or even put a halt to it.
By training your back, abdominal and shoulder muscles, you improve your sitting and standing posture. In addition, it helps to prevent back problems. Are you doing other sports besides strength training? If so, strength training will help you as it increases your stamina and reduces the risk of injury. After all, you are not only working on your muscles. Your tendons and ligaments are also being trained. Do you have an active lifestyle? Strength training simplifies and smoothens daily functioning, from climbing stairs and digging in the garden to opening a jar of jam.
Finally, strength training increases your bone density. You will benefit from this later in life because, with age, the bone mass decreases. And strength training, like all forms of sport, is good for the heart and blood vessels. This, too, often pays off when you get older.
For practising strength training, you can use various devices and tools, such as home gyms, leverage gyms, weight benches, racks, power towers and pulley stations.
