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Benefits
The benefits of weight training include greater muscular strength, improved
muscle tone and appearance, increased endurance, enhanced bone density, and
improved cardiovascular fitness.
Many people take up weight training to improve their physical attractiveness.
Most men can develop substantial muscles; most women lack the testosterone to do
this, but they can develop a firm, "toned" (see below) physique, and they can
increase their strength by the same proportion as that achieved by men (but
usually from a significantly lower starting point). Ultimately an individual's
genetics dictate the response to weight training stimuli.
The body's basal metabolic rate increases with increases in muscle mass, which
promotes long-term fat loss and helps dieters avoid yo-yo dieting. Moreover,
intense workouts elevate the metabolism for several hours following the workout,
which also promotes fat loss.
Weight training also provides functional benefits. Stronger muscles improve
posture, provide better support for joints, and reduce the risk of injury from
everyday activities. Older people who take up weight training can prevent some
of the loss of muscle tissue that normally accompanies aging—and even regain
some functional strength—and by doing so become less frail. They may be able to
avoid some types of physical disability. Weight-bearing exercise also helps to
prevent osteoporosis. The benefits of weight training for older people have been
confirmed by studies of people who began engaging in it even in their 80s and
90s.
Stronger muscles improve performance in a variety of sports. Sport-specific
training routines are used by many competitors. These often specify that the
speed of muscle contraction during weight training should be the same as that of
the particular sport.
Though weight training can stimulate the cardiovascular system, many exercise
physiologists, based on their observation of maximal oxygen uptake, argue that
aerobics training is a better cardiovascular stimulus. Central catheter
monitoring during resistance training reveals increased cardiac output,
suggesting that strength training shows potential for cardiovascular exercise.
However, a 2007 meta-analysis found that, though aerobic training is an
effective therapy for heart failure patients, combined aerobic and strength
training is ineffective.
One side-effect of any intense exercise is increased levels of dopamine,
serotonin and norepinephrine, which can help to improve mood and counter
feelings of depression.
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