fitness
Can you get up from the floor
without using your hands?
Everyday tasks require varying degrees of muscular effort, from carrying shopping and digging in the garden to lifting heavy boxes.
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Resistance Training not only means muscles and toning but from the health perspective it also improves bone density. This is highly beneficial at an older age, particularly for women who run the risk of developing osteoporosis (brittleness of the bones due to loss of calcium) after menopause.
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There is often the misconception, particularly from female individuals, that weight training will make them bulk up. Fast twitch fibres (type of muscle fibre) and high testosterone levels
(the male hormone) increases the ability and speed to build muscle. Bulking up is often a long process and it generally takes ladies much longer than men. A safe approach is to start on the endurance continuum (low weight/high reps) to gain as a result muscle toning and move up towards the strength continuum (high weight/low reps) if more definition/muscle building is desired.
Did you know that increasing muscle mass speeds up your metabolism?
Yes! The more muscles you have the more calories you’ll burn even at rest. This is simply because muscles require more energy than fat. It is for this reason that resistance training must always be included in any fat loss programme!
I always include some form of resistance training during my sessions. The intensity depends on the individual fitness level as well as their core strength and flexibility. The form of resistance may be body weight, elastic bands, TRX and/or dumbbells.