When it comes to burning calories, most people think of cardiovascular exercises. And while cardio exercise is great for heart health, strength training and building muscle mass are equally important for burning calories and improving your health. But how exactly does muscle mass make you healthier and what other benefits does it offer? Read on to find out!
1. Reduced Risk of Injury
Whether you’re an athlete or simply someone who exercises regularly, accidents can happen and those accidents sometimes lead to injury. The more muscle mass you have, the less likely you are to get injured. During resistance and strength training, you are strengthening the muscles, ligaments and tendons, increasing flexibility and reducing the risk of muscle strain or tears. Other ways to prevent injury include stretching properly before and after workouts, hydrating, and listening to your body’s cues and signs that it needs rest. Pushing yourself past healthy limits can lead to injury, regardless of your muscle mass.
2. Increased Strength and Stamina
One reason people look to increase muscle mass is simply to become stronger. Over time, as you slowly build your muscles, you will become stronger and have increased stamina both in the gym and in everyday life. So how exactly does growing muscle mass work? That burn you feel after lifting weights, performing squats, or doing abdominal exercises is literally tearing your muscles slightly. Your body sends blood and other healing components to the tear, repairing them and making them thicker than they were before. This means increased size and often, strength. The muscle protein synthesis must be greater than the muscle protein breakdown. You can incorporate certain foods into your diet and supplements to help build muscle faster. Check out the best bulking stack for building muscle.
3. Weight Loss
The more muscle you have, the easier it is to burn fat. If you’re looking to lose weight, incorporating resistance training into your cardiovascular routine is extremely important. All too often, women fear gaining bulky muscle when strength training, but the truth is, developing lean muscle actually boosts your metabolism and in turn, burns more calories and leads to more rapid weight loss. Muscles mass and tissue require more calories to maintain than fat, which means the more muscle you have, the faster your metabolism works. It also adds definition and toning to the body, which are beneficial for weight loss and attractive to most people.
4. Stronger Bones
Increased muscle mass doesn’t just mean your physical strength will increase. Strength training can actually lead to healthier bones. When you perform weight-bearing physical activity, new bone tissues form, making them stronger. This is especially important for children and elderly individuals. Children and teens experience their greatest gains in bone mass during and right before puberty. As you age, your bone density, or strength, naturally decreases. You can reverse some of these effects by incorporating weight training into your exercise routine. Strengthening your muscles, as well as a diet high in calcium, will help promote bone health.
5. Increased Mobility, Flexibility, and Balance
The more you exercise, the easier it becomes to move, balance, and stretch. Strength training, specifically, is said to improve a person’s overall mobility, flexibility, and even balance. As you age, your balance is often compromised, putting you at greater risk for falls and injuries. The stronger your muscles are, the more support they offer to your joints, which strengthens your balance and improves flexibility. And the old adage “a body in motion stays in motion” holds true. The more you exercise and strength train, the more increased mobility you experience.
Building muscle mass isn’t just about looking good on the beach or bench pressing a certain weight. It’s about strengthening your bones, improving balance, and maintaining a healthy weight. Be sure to incorporate resistance training into your workout regime to experience the overall benefits.
Article Submitted By Community Writer
