By now you should understand all of the amazing advantages associated with cardio. Cardio can give us incredible benefits-heart racing, blood pumping workouts that leave us reeeally feeling fantastic-but what about strength training?! Strength training exercises include lifting weights, resistance bands or weight machines-that provide strength gains unlike cardio workouts can. With age comes muscle loss (yikes!). Strength training should become part of any overall fitness regime because its benefits will outweigh its costs! And just like cardio, the rewards can be equally impressive!
Here are five compelling arguments why strength training could benefit you: BUILD BONE DENSITY: Strong bodies require stronger bones; strength training can dramatically boost bone density by building your strength muscles.
Strength Training Can Build Muscle Mass: Our muscle mass naturally decreases with age, but strength training can actually reverse that trend and increase lean muscle mass by regular strength training sessions. You should see an increase in lean muscle mass when performing strength exercises regularly.
Joint Flexibility: Maintaining healthy and flexible joints will enable you to remain mobile as you age. Strength training has proven its efficacy at increasing joint flexibility while simultaneously decreasing symptoms associated with stiffness or arthritis.
Strength Training Improves Balance: Retaining our sense of balance becomes ever-more vital as we age, as risks associated with falling increase. Strength training works to enhance this aspect and decrease risks related to falls or injury.
Strength Training Benefits Cardiovascular Health: Weight training can greatly decrease your likelihood of heart attacks and strokes – an impressive accomplishment indeed! Plus, strength exercises are easy to do from within your own home using only yoga mat and body weight as resistance training methods!
Here are 5 moves to get you going:
Starting the Forearm Plank: Squatting Down (Forearm Plank):: Assume an upright position while keeping both forearms flat on the floor with your elbows aligned directly under your shoulders and arms on their sides. Make sure your forearms remain unbroken until all forearms have touched each floor tile in an inverted V formation (be sure to check that both elbows align directly under each shoulder!). In doing this exercise, ensure both arms stay vertical throughout its entirety of timed intervals (Action planking), start from starting face down forearm Planking!.
Raise yourself off of the floor while keeping your forearms flat on the floor and your body aligned in an “I” formation from head to feet, engaging your core! Hold for 30 seconds at first then repeat 8-12 times.
Squat:
Start by positioning both feet flat on the floor at hip-distance apart. Bend both knees while simultaneously extensor back your buttocks as though seated in a chair before rising back up slowly for 20-30 repetitions of Bird Dog.
Reach one arm out long, draw in abdominals, and extend one leg behind you 8-12 times before switching sides and repeat.
Modified Push-Up:
Begin kneeling on your mat with your hands below your shoulders and your knees behind your hips; leg straight out behind you (legs straightened). Tighten core, bend elbows, and lower chest to floor before tightening core tighter for each repetition (increment 1, 2, or 3 as necessary).
Hold the pose until your neck stays long before pressing up again and repeat ten to twenty times (one set is generally enough for beginners). Hamstring Bridge:
At first, lie flat on your back with bent knees hip-distance apart and feet flat on the mat, hands behind head. Squeeze your glutes as you lift and lower your hips for 8-12 repetitions before moving onto other exercises.
Let us know which strength training moves are your favorites by leaving us a comment below! We’d love to know!
