4 benefits of weight lifting according to a champion bodybuilder

Personal trainer and bodybuilding champion Hayley Madigan explores the benefits of weight lifting

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Presently, in most gyms you’ll find an array of cardio machines that aim to promote cardiovascular health and improve people's fitness. When people want to lose weight, the majority jump on those treadmills and cross trainers in the hope they will somehow sweat out their fat cells, but these individuals could be forgetting the benefits of resistance training.

Here are some of the huge benefits of weight training that might surprise you.

The after workout burn

Your body continues to burn calories after you work out. With weight training your body will carry on burning calories for up to 36 hours after you’ve completed your workout; this is due to the boost that resistance training gives your metabolism. So even after finishing your weight training you’ll beneft from the effect of your workout for approximately a day and a half after.

Boost your lean muscle mass

Not only does building lean muscle mass improve your resting metabolic rate but it transforms your body shape and allows you to focus on specific areas. Cardio training does help you lose weight, but this weight loss typically comes from a combination of fat as well as muscle. Therefore, if you’re losing muscle your resting metabolic rate drops and so does your ability to burn more fat whilst at rest.

Improve bone health

Physical inactivity has been proven to decrease bone health, and research shows that weight resistance training provides the mechanical loading important for improving it by increasing bone density. Both cardio and weight training exercise can provide this mechanical loading to the bone, yet further research shows that weight training may have a more profound site specific effect than cardio training.

Improves heart health

Cardio training and weight training both improve the important factors that affect heart health – including blood pressure, weight control, cardiovascular function, coronary risk factors, muscular strength and endurance, and metabolism.

However, research published in the 'Clinical Cardiology' journal has shown that when strength training is completed three times per week it is proven to reduce the risk of chronic disease, including heart disease and its related risk factors.

Hayley Madigan is a World Natural Bodybuilding Federation Pro, a personal trainer and blog director at Fitness Fan.