Month: November 2014

Weight lifting can help you lose the fat, build muscle, and increase performance.

Guys this is Bhilwara where fitness is still not a completely growing culture compare to other cities. More then 7 years I am working in fitness industry and I’ve trained 3000 + people in Bhilwara city.

Here’s many people who says they don’t lift because…

• …they don’t want to get big.
• …only cardio is the key to weight loss.
• …the more I run , the slimmer I get.
• …lifting weights cant help them lose weight.
• …weight lifting is only for youngsters.

But that’s not all true. Cardio and aerobic exercises are good to lose weight and improve cardiac fitness, while lifting weights gives you an edge over belly fat, stress, heart disease and cancer. It’s also more effective way to look hot in clothes.
Just because you don’t want 20 inch biceps or toned and strong thighs like the trainers and fitness models, doesn’t mean you should avoid weight training.

Here are 8 reasons you should lift weights…

1. You’ll Lose 40 Percent More Fat

 

If you think cardio is the key to blasting belly fat, keep reading: When Penn State researchers put dieters into three groups—no exercise, aerobic exercise only, or aerobic exercise and weight training—they all lost around 21 pounds, but the lifters shed six more pounds 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 flab you lost. However, if you weight train as you diet, you’ll protect your hard-earned muscle and burn more fat.

 

2. You’ll Burn More Calories

 

Lifting increases the number of calories you burn while your butt is parked on the couch. 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 calories 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.

3. Your Diet Will Improve

Exercise helps your brain stick to a diet plan. University of Pittsburgh researchers studied 169 overweight adults and found that those who didn’t follow a three-hours-a-week training regimen ate more than their allotted 1,500 calories a day. The reverse was also true—sneaking snacks sabotaged their workouts. The study authors say both diet and exercise likely remind you to stay on track, aiding your weight-loss goals.

4. You’ll Handle Stress Better

 

Break a sweat in the weight room and you’ll stay cool under pressure. Scientists determined that the fittest people exhibited lower levels of stress hormones than those who were the least fit. Another study found that after a stressful situation, the blood pressure levels of people with the most muscle returned to normal faster than the levels of those with the least muscle.

5. You’ll Build Stronger Bones

 

As you age, bone mass goes to pot, which increases your likelihood of one day suffering a debilitating fracture. The good news: A study found that 16 weeks of resistance training increased hip bone density and elevated blood levels of osteocalcin—a marker of bone growth–by 19 percent.

6. You’ll Get Into Shape Faster

 

The term cardio shouldn’t describe only aerobic exercise: A study found that 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—so you save time without sacrificing results.

7. Your Heart Will Be Healthier

Researchers at the University of Michigan found 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.

8. You’ll Live Longer

 

University of South Carolina researchers determined that 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 “exceptional survival,” defined as living to the age of 85 without developing a major disease.

Your everyday gym houses a plethora of different machines and gadgets all aimed at improving the physical form, some less so than others. Some may even do you more harm than good. There are frankly some machines that you should avoid all together if you wish to avoid nagging injuries. Unsure of what those machines are? We’ve got your back and have created a comprehensive list on some of the machines to avoid at the gym.

Abdominal Crunch Machine

 

The abdominal crunch machine, or abominable crunch machines as they should be called, are pretty useless for building adequate muscle for the abdomen. When working out the abs one must not only utilize stomach muscles but also the hip flexors as well. The abdominal crunch machine takes the hip flexors out of the argument banking on the idea that isolated the stomach muscles will provide a more intense exercise. It doesn’t.

 

Seated Shoulder Press Machine

The seated shoulder press machine is yet another workout device that can prove not only useless but dangerous all in one. When performing the shoulder presses in such a motion it proves to put a great deal of stress on the spine and has been proven to cause back and shoulder injuries that otherwise could have been easily avoided. Using free weights instead is the way to go with this exercise; there’s less stress on the shoulders and the results are infinitely increased.

 

Smith Bench Press

The smith bench press seems like a great idea in theory. Having the bar secure means less risk of injury right? I mean all you have to do if you want to incorporate heavy weights is slide on the plates to your desired weight and you’re good to go. Unfortunately things aren’t that simple. The smith bench press isolates the arms which some may see as a benefit, but in reality this isolation only proves to damage your shoulders, particularly your rotator cuffs. The whole point of benching is to not only improve your chest muscles but improve overall strength in general. In order to reap the benefits of benching you’ll need to engage multiple muscle groups and use your entire body’s strength something the smith bench doesn’t offer. Old fashioned benching works best for overall results.

 

Smith Squat Machine

Another machine worthy of your contempt is the smith squat machine. Like the smith bench the smith squat machine can prove to be more hazardous than one thinks. The isolation on the legs take the core out of the entire exercise which is essential to eliminating stress on the user’s knees. By focusing sole attention on the legs it puts too much pressure on the joints. In a freestanding squat the user’s core and lower back helps to eliminate this kind of pressure. The great thing about the smith machines are that they help with form and are great for beginners, but ultimately the price paid once you increase the weight and make steady progression just isn’t worth it. Once you learn the form it’s best to do the old fashioned freestanding squats and lift on a normal bench. Your body will thank you later.

What machines do you find to be useless at the gym? Let us know in the comments below or sound off on our official Facebook page.