Why Strength Training is the key for a Body Transformation
So, you want to transform your body? However, what is a body transformation in the first place? You'll often associate this with a loss in body fat and the gaining of some muscle mass. Typically, it's achieved through a rigorous nutritional intervention that aids in losing fat in short(er) amounts of time. Yet, a sustainable transformation isn't something that has to happen in 8 weeks. You can achieve your goal with more sustainable approaches. Let's move on from the 2010 model of business.
You'll usually attempt achieving this change with loads of cardio on a machine, Pilates, spin classes, jogging, cycling, swimming, or long boot camps. All of these workouts have one thing in common—tons of cardiovascular work. While this is great for boosting your activity levels and burning some calories, it's not the hidden piece to success for a transformation.
The thing you're missing in your routine is a structured strength training program. This article will break down WHY you need strength training and why it will help you transform your body to be lean and healthy.
What is Strength Training?
When you think of strength training, your mind may immediately go to something like powerlifting or Olympic lifts. You may assume that this means lots of grunting, yelling, and slinging around weights. However, strength training doesn't have to be that at all. Strength training is more about moving heavier objects from point A to point B. You use your body to push or pull against resistance. You may use various implements like barbells, dumbbells, cables, or any other weighted objects to achieve this.
Over time, you lift more and more as you adapt to that stress, and you become stronger while also building muscle.
This stimulus put onto your body causes a lot to change as you progress. It creates a true adaptation versus just burning calories over time. Think of strength training as making you more efficient and capable.
How Does Strength Training Help with Body Transformations?
So, now that you know what strength training is, how can it help you transform your body?
For starters, what causes you to lose weight or fat? It comes down to whether or not you're in what's called a caloric deficit. Your body burns calories all day during activity and even at rest. You then eat food to provide your body with those calories. If you have excess calories, you store them as fat or create new structures. If you burn more calories than you consume, then you lose weight. If you break even, well then, you stay the same. It's called an energy balance. Now, you can lose weight with cardio and dieting. However, the result may not be what you intended. You may have been looking for that lean appearance, defined arm and legs or even a six-pack of abs. Well, this won't be the outcome with cardio and dieting alone. During the process of losing weight, your body may burn up some of your muscle mass. Muscle is what provides you with that lean look as you cut down. Without it, you may end up with what people refer to as a "skinny fat" look.
As stated earlier, strength training causes your body to adapt to the stimulus applied to it. The stimulus causes you to build muscle mass, stronger bones, and strength. In addition, while losing weight, it'll help you to maintain that muscle instead of losing it.
MUSCLE MASS MATTERS
Muscle mass is thermogenic. In fact, it's the primary thermogenic organ in most vertebrates. This means that it causes you to burn more calories at rest because muscle contraction is coupled with heat. Therefore, more muscle equals more calories burned. More calories burned can equal more weight lost. More muscle maintained while losing weight leads to a big transformation! You do NOT want to lose muscle as you lose body fat!
Cardio burns calories right then and there. This is a direct link to the expenditure of energy. Strength training will burn fewer calories at the time of execution but indirectly leads to more calories burnt in a day. The result you achieve from strength training is like investment versus immediate return.
Strength training is the better option when looking for that jaw-dropping body transformation. Name one fitness model or physique competitor that won a trophy on cardio or boot camps?
Overall Health Benefits of Strength Training
There are many overall health benefits involved with strength training. Putting that type of resistance onto one's frame disrupts homeostasis. This stress is good stress and causes you to adapt appropriately—one of the significant changes in the strength of your bones.
Your skeleton is what supports your ability to move about. It's holding everything up, and you need it to be strong. When there is a lack of stimulus put onto the bones (along with some nutritional discrepancies), you may see a decline in their quality. The bones can become brittle and easy to break, which you don't want, especially as you get older. Strength training causes the bones to strengthen. That stress alerts them that they need to adapt to take it on better next time; therefore, pathways are initiated to make this happen. Without some strength training, this may not occur.
Just like with bones, you lose muscle mass as you age. This is called sarcopenia. When your muscles weaken or wither away, you can lose balance and strength, making things more problematic as you age. Strength training can help to maintain this muscle mass or even create more. Thus, you can delay or slow the onset of sarcopenia.
Not only are the benefits physical, but they can also play a role in mental health. There are benefits for your cognition and learning abilities as well as your self-esteem.
Will Cardio Help Transform Your Body?
Now that you understand strength training's importance for changing your body, can you still use cardio? Is cardio still going to be effective for something? It's not without purpose, that's for sure. You can still use cardio in conjunction with strength training for some fantastic results. Even a few extra days of additional activity can go a long way to burn some additional calories. I use High-Intensity Repeat Training (ICE) with my clients.
What matters will be your overall goal. If it's a body transformation, include two or three days of additional, more intelligent cardio. If it's strength and muscle mass gain, then you might not want as much cardio in the mix. It all comes down to what you're trying to accomplish.
So, instead of only doing cardio classes, Pilates or overdoing the boot camps and metcons, focus on strength training most of the time. Do the activity that achieves the desired result for your goal! Use evidence-backed programs over emotions and marketing.
Strength training is superior
Strength training is superior for creating a whole-body transformation. It may just be the thing you're missing too! If you spend all of your effort on extreme cardio, cycle classes, Pilates and more; but still haven't seen the change you desire, then it may be time for some weights.
No, you won't end up bulky from lifting weights either. It's going to help you lean up and start to get that trim figure you're looking for. You'll burn more calories, you'll lose more weight, and you'll keep more of your natural muscle. Strength training is the key to fight against age-related declines in health. Once your start, it's silly to stop!
Strength training doesn't have to be overly complicated either. Picking some foundational exercises like squats, deadlifts, and presses can be extremely beneficial. You can utilize barbells, dumbbells, or even cables to create the resistance you need. Over time, you'll start to see some considerable changes in strength, muscle mass, and body composition.
After reading this, you know the solution. If you aren't getting the results you desire from your current exercise regime, use the science and start implementing a structured resistance program.