Lifting weights gives you an edge over belly fat, stress, heart disease, and cancer—and it's also the single most effective way to look good and feel good. Yet somehow women are still hesitant: Only about a fifth of females strength train two or more times a week.
1. You'll lose 40 percent more fat.
If you think cardio is the key to blasting belly fat, keep reading: When researchers put dieters into three groups—no exercise, aerobic exercise only, or aerobic exercise and weight training—they all lost around 10kgs, but the lifters shed 4 more Kilograms of fat than those who didn't pump iron. Why? The lifters' loss was almost pure fat; the others lost fat and muscle.
Other research on dieters who don't lift shows that, on average, 75 percent of their weight loss is from fat, while 25 percent is from muscle. Muscle loss may drop your scale weight, but it doesn't improve your reflection in the mirror and it makes you more likely to gain back the body fat you lost. However, if you weight train as you diet, you'll protect your hard-earned muscle and burn more fat.
2. Your clothes will fit better.
Between the ages of 30 and 50, you'll likely lose 10 percent of your body's total muscle. Worse yet, it's likely to be replaced by fat over time, and that increases your waist size, because one kilogram of fat takes up 18 percent more space than one kilogram of muscle.
3. You'll burn more kilojoules.
Lifting increases the number of kilojoules you burn when resting3. That's because after each strength workout, your muscles need energy to repair their fibers. In fact, researchers found that when people did a total-body workout with just three big-muscle moves, their metabolisms were raised for 39 hours afterward. They also burned a greater percentage of kilojoules from fat compared with those who didn't lift.
Lifting gives you a better burn during exercise too: Doing a circuit of eight moves (which takes about eight minutes) can expend 159 to 231 calories. That's about what you'd burn if you ran at a 10-mile-per-hour pace for the same duration.
4. Your diet will improve.
Exercise helps your brain stick to a regular and healthy eating. Those who do not follow a three-hours-a-week training regimen ate more than their allotted daily energy needs. Both diet and exercise likely remind you to stay on track, aiding your weight-loss goals.
5. You'll handle stress better.
Break a sweat in the gym and you'll stay cool under pressure. Fitter people exhibit lower levels of stress hormones than those who were the least fit.
6. You'll be happier.
Yoga isn't the only Zen-inducing kind of exercise. People who performed three weight workouts a week for six months significantly improved their scores on measures of anger and overall mood.
7. You'll build stronger bones.
As you age, bone mass decreases, which increases your likelihood of one day suffering a debilitating fracture. The good news: resistance training increases bone density.
8. You'll get into shape faster.
Circuit training with weights raises your heart rate 15 beats per minute higher than if you ran at 60 to 70 percent of your max heart rate. This approach strengthens muscles and provides cardiovascular benefits similar to those of aerobic exercise.
9. Your heart will be healthier.
People who do three total-body weight workouts a week for two months decreased their blood pressure and the chance of a heart attack by 15 percent.
10. You'll be way more productive.
Students are more productive on days they exercised compared with days they didn't. So on days you work out, you can finish assessments in half the time, leaving you feeling less stressed and happier.
11. You'll live longer.
Total-body strength is linked to lower risks of death from cardiovascular disease and cancer. Similarly, other scientists found that being strong during middle age is associated with living longer without developing a major disease.
12. You'll be even smarter.
Muscles strengthen your body and mind: resistance training enhances cognitive function. Training improved short- and long-term memory, improved verbal reasoning, and a longer attention span.
Sourced: Adapted from The Women's Health Big Book of Exercises, by Adam Campbell (Rodale). Available wherever books are sold and at WHBigBookOfExercises.com.
1. You'll lose 40 percent more fat.
If you think cardio is the key to blasting belly fat, keep reading: When researchers put dieters into three groups—no exercise, aerobic exercise only, or aerobic exercise and weight training—they all lost around 10kgs, but the lifters shed 4 more Kilograms of fat than those who didn't pump iron. Why? The lifters' loss was almost pure fat; the others lost fat and muscle.
Other research on dieters who don't lift shows that, on average, 75 percent of their weight loss is from fat, while 25 percent is from muscle. Muscle loss may drop your scale weight, but it doesn't improve your reflection in the mirror and it makes you more likely to gain back the body fat you lost. However, if you weight train as you diet, you'll protect your hard-earned muscle and burn more fat.
2. Your clothes will fit better.
Between the ages of 30 and 50, you'll likely lose 10 percent of your body's total muscle. Worse yet, it's likely to be replaced by fat over time, and that increases your waist size, because one kilogram of fat takes up 18 percent more space than one kilogram of muscle.
3. You'll burn more kilojoules.
Lifting increases the number of kilojoules you burn when resting3. That's because after each strength workout, your muscles need energy to repair their fibers. In fact, researchers found that when people did a total-body workout with just three big-muscle moves, their metabolisms were raised for 39 hours afterward. They also burned a greater percentage of kilojoules from fat compared with those who didn't lift.
Lifting gives you a better burn during exercise too: Doing a circuit of eight moves (which takes about eight minutes) can expend 159 to 231 calories. That's about what you'd burn if you ran at a 10-mile-per-hour pace for the same duration.
4. Your diet will improve.
Exercise helps your brain stick to a regular and healthy eating. Those who do not follow a three-hours-a-week training regimen ate more than their allotted daily energy needs. Both diet and exercise likely remind you to stay on track, aiding your weight-loss goals.
5. You'll handle stress better.
Break a sweat in the gym and you'll stay cool under pressure. Fitter people exhibit lower levels of stress hormones than those who were the least fit.
6. You'll be happier.
Yoga isn't the only Zen-inducing kind of exercise. People who performed three weight workouts a week for six months significantly improved their scores on measures of anger and overall mood.
7. You'll build stronger bones.
As you age, bone mass decreases, which increases your likelihood of one day suffering a debilitating fracture. The good news: resistance training increases bone density.
8. You'll get into shape faster.
Circuit training with weights raises your heart rate 15 beats per minute higher than if you ran at 60 to 70 percent of your max heart rate. This approach strengthens muscles and provides cardiovascular benefits similar to those of aerobic exercise.
9. Your heart will be healthier.
People who do three total-body weight workouts a week for two months decreased their blood pressure and the chance of a heart attack by 15 percent.
10. You'll be way more productive.
Students are more productive on days they exercised compared with days they didn't. So on days you work out, you can finish assessments in half the time, leaving you feeling less stressed and happier.
11. You'll live longer.
Total-body strength is linked to lower risks of death from cardiovascular disease and cancer. Similarly, other scientists found that being strong during middle age is associated with living longer without developing a major disease.
12. You'll be even smarter.
Muscles strengthen your body and mind: resistance training enhances cognitive function. Training improved short- and long-term memory, improved verbal reasoning, and a longer attention span.
Sourced: Adapted from The Women's Health Big Book of Exercises, by Adam Campbell (Rodale). Available wherever books are sold and at WHBigBookOfExercises.com.
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Thursday 19/03/2015
Warm Up:
Light Jog - calisthenics in Amphitheatre
Skill:
10min EMOM
a) DU's
b) 1 Deadlift - 1 Clean & Jerk - 1 Snatch - 1 OHS
Strength:
3 x 5 Bench Press
3 x 5 Front Squat
3 x 5 Bent Over Row
Wod/Metcon
5 HITT Rounds
Warm Up:
Light Jog - calisthenics in Amphitheatre
Skill:
10min EMOM
a) DU's
b) 1 Deadlift - 1 Clean & Jerk - 1 Snatch - 1 OHS
Strength:
3 x 5 Bench Press
3 x 5 Front Squat
3 x 5 Bent Over Row
Wod/Metcon
5 HITT Rounds
- 5 Wall Balls
- Suicide Run with Ball (Base- Half Court - Back Pedal - Full Court Sprint)
- 5 Wall Balls