31 Oct Top 5 benefits of weightlifting

Break all the stereotypes you think you know about weightlifting.
It’s not just for people trying to be football starts, or who want monster 20-inch biceps.
Strength training can actually help people from teens to seniors live healthier, more fulfilling lives. A home gym is a great investment for people of all ages.
Here are my top five benefits of weightlifting:
1. Get in shape faster — Circuit training with weights can raise your heart rate just as much or more as jogging on a treadmill, and you’ll obviously improve your muscle strength a lot more.
That is like a 2-for-1 deal, getting stronger and a great cardio work out at the same time.
2. Healthier heart — Researchers at the University of Michigan reported that people who did three total-body weight workouts a week for two months decreased their diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number) by an average of eight points.
That’s enough to reduce the risk of a stroke by 40 percent and the chance of a heart attack by 15 percent.
3. Improve bone health — Many people don’t know it, but lifting weights strengthens the bones as well as the muscles.
Muscles are attached to bone and as they’re worked back and forth, the bones get stronger as well. That’s a big reason why senior citizens are encouraged to lift weights, even if it’s just simple exercise with light dumbbells or on machines it can have great benefits.
4. Trim up — By improving your muscle tone, you’ll increase your metabolism, lose weight and actually make your clothes fit better.
5. Improve your overall outlook — A fit person is a healthier person, and usually happier, too.
If you are on a regular fitness routine, you’ll be more likely to eat right, have more energy and an overall better mood.
In the long run, your life expectancy will even improve.

At Home Fitness consultant Aaron Dorksen’s blog deals with a variety of fitness topics, ranging from workout tips, motivational ideas and feature stories on how exercise impacts people’s lives. E-mail him with comments, questions or ideas for future blogs at aaron@athomefitness.com