by Bob Lachniet
President -
Fitness 4 Home Superstore
Getting older – is inevitable, just like death & taxes. But, surprisingly enough, it’s possible to turn back the clock a bit. So – what’s this secret to this “fountain of youth”?
Simple answer is – weight training. When you weight train, a number of things happen. When you lift weights, over time, you build muscle. Yes, men will build more muscle than women, and a good reason why men will put on more muscle is due to testosterone. (As a side note – women should weight train, just like men – and you won’t get all bulked up like men do since your bodies don’t produce nearly as much testosterone as men. The women that you see that are simply huge from weight lifting – well, it’s more than likely that they supplemented with products that boosted their testosterone).
But, by increasing your muscle mass, you also accelerate your metabolism, which helps you burn fat, creating a leaner body – and a younger looking body. Resistance exercise also increased your testosterone production – at any age. Your body, as you get older, naturally declines in its production of testosterone, but weight lifting counteracts this decline by causing your body to increase its production after your workout.
Additionally, as your body becomes stronger, your body is also better equipped to ward off health issues and illnesses that otherwise would break down (i.e. “age”) your body. And, as a side benefit (for both men and women) – testosterone is the hormone that regulates your libido – which makes you feel younger as well.
Resistance training also is a wonderful way to increase not only your muscle strength – but the strength and flexibility of your connective tissues improves as well. There are three types of connective tissue – cartilage (which serves as padding between the bones that meet at your joints), ligaments (which connect bones together), and tendons (which connect muscle to bone). So, if your joints feel like their “old”, weight training will help increase your flexibility, while also giving you more energy during the day (as your body can better handle physical stress)
So, although your cardio program is an important part of your exercise program, so is weight lifting – and the benefits truly can make you look & feel younger! And, Fitness 4 Home Superstore has a wide variety of resistance training equipment to fit your exercise needs – visit one of our three Valley stores today to find out more!
