I’ll admit, I’m one of those people who’s primary driving force for working out is to look great. We all love that feeling of looking fantastic, and catching the eyes of people as we walk down the street or exercise in the gym. However, there are far greater benefits of exercise, and although we hear them all the time, they can sometimes become easily forgotten.
For years, health experts have spoken about the benefits of weight training as a fitness program. Workout routines involving resistance and weights can help improve cardiovascular activity, and also help in speeding up a person’s metabolism which greatly reduces the risk of becoming overweight. As we all know too well, being overweight can often lead to a long list of other health concerns such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease.
Some may misconceive that weightlifting is a risky exercise program. Workout routines of any type have their share of risk, however. I will agree that weight training has a lot more potential for causing injury than other exercise activities, but that shouldn’t stop anyone from doing it. If the person is properly trained, and isn’t attempting to do something their body isn’t capable of, there should be little to no risk of injury. However, often times novices to bodybuilding will try to do more than they are capable of and can become seriously injured due to either too much weight, or poor form. If you are trained correctly, and aren’t trying to show off at the gym and push too much weight, you should be just fine and well on your way to a healthy, happy lifestyle.
I don’t want people to think I’m one-sided, as I’m not condoning a 100% weightlifting program. Workout routines should be varied and always include other facets of fitness such as cardio and stretching. It’s critical to be well rounded and at least touch on all these areas. Too often I see people that have great muscular structure, but are so stiff that they can’t even touch their toes, or have such poor cardio that they get winded after running a few hundred meters. You don’t want to be that person, make sure to keep things well balanced and you will be amazed at how much energy you have, as well as how many looks you get when walking down the street!
