If you’re a dad reading this, chances are – as quick as a runaway freight train – your mind has steamed straight to the answer: “To avoid ending up with that typical dad bod!” Or an answer similar.
That’s okay! Totally understandable… What dad wants to look like the ‘plain jane’ typical dad for the remainder of their given life? There are, however, so many other great reasons why guys over the age of 25 should be swinging the iron regularly.
Here are my top 5 reasons why guys should be participating in regular strength training:
- It makes you stronger and fitter.
- It increases your muscle mass and increases your bone health.
- It helps you burn those unwanted calories more efficiently.
- It helps you to keep body fat at bay.
- It aids in improving your sleep and staves off depression.
Weight training builds strength in an individual, allowing them to significantly increase the amount of weight they are able to comfortably lift, and this equates to those day-to-day tasks becoming so much easier to perform. Furthermore, the individual will experience a greater level of fitness; those objects will be able to be lifted for so much longer.
As a person ages, around thirty years of age and on, they begin to lose muscle mass. Weight training, however, is the perfect remedy to this aging problem. Not only does lifting weights help preserve an individual’s existing muscle tissue, it can add further muscle mass to their frame. A person need not look gauntly as they age. And, it’s not just muscle that gets improved with the lifting of weights, bone strength increases as well. Every time a person lifts weights, they are stressing their bones, and it’s this stress that is needed to increase their bone mineral density. Problems, such as osteoporosis become less of a risk to the individual.
The more muscle mass a person possesses the higher their daily calorie burn rate becomes. This is due to muscle being metabolically active – it requires calories in order to exist. This wanting of calories by the muscle tissue spells great news for when it comes to anchoring a person’s fat loss. There’s nothing more disheartening than celebrating the loss of unwanted body fat – only to have it return again down the track. And often, more fat returns than previously existed. This ‘yo-yoing’ of weight, referred to as “weight cycling”, has been shown to be more detrimental to your health, than maintaining a constant weight.
Time and time again, research has shown exercise to have positive affects on sleep patterns. Not only does it aid in them sleeping more soundly throughout the night, it helps to reduce the time that it takes to actually fall asleep. A better sleep each night improves a person’s energy level throughout the day, making them better able to accomplish their daily tasks. Good sleep patterns are valuable for avoiding or helping with the treatment of depression and anxiety. Studies conclude that good sleep patterns are the first line of defence in the treatment of both conditions.
Need help setting an effective weight training program? Give us a call!
