Strength training
If you want to lose fat or change your body, one of the most important things you can do is lift weights. Diet and cardio are equally important, but when it comes to changing how your body looks, weight training wins hands down.
Weights training can:
Help raise your metabolism. Muscle burns more calories than fat, so the more muscle you have, the more calories you’ll burn all day long.
Strengthen bones, especially important for women
Make you stronger and increase muscular endurance
Help you avoid injuries
Increase your confidence and self-esteem
Improve coordination and balance
The basics
Overload: To build muscle, you need to use more resistance than your muscles are used to, this means you should be lifting enough weight that you can only complete the desired number of reps. You should be able to finish your last rep with difficulty but also with good form.
Progression. You need to increase your intensity regularly. You can do this by increasing the amount of weight lifted, changing your sets/reps, changing the exercises and changing the type of resistance.
Specificity. This principle means you should train for your goal. That means, if you want to increase your strength, your programme should be designed around that goal.
Rest and recovery. Rest days are just as important as workout days. It is during these rest periods that your muscles grow and change, so make sure you’re not working the same muscle groups two days in a row.
Contact Zen Fitness and Leisure at the Athlone Springs Hotel on (090 ) 6445850 or email [email protected].
