The main purpose of weight training is to increase
muscle mass and strength. This mode of exercise has other benefits as well including enhancing bone density, burning calories, reducing the decrease in muscle mass as we age, increasing metabolism, etc. Increasing metabolism is where helping to reduce body fat comes in. Muscle is metabolically active tissue. Every pound of muscle requires energy to maintain itself. Therefore, the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn even when you’re just sitting around.
Also, after age 30, adults lose about a 1/3 - 1/2 a pound of muscle each year without strength training. So even with aerobic exercise and a moderate diet, if you're not strength training you could have a higher percentage of body fat. Less muscle means fewer calories burned and more calories stored as fat. The bottom line with muscles: "use them or loose them." Strength training will help reduce the amount of muscle mass lost with age and help reduce body fat.
1 comment:
Wow...guess I should start weight training! :)
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