By now you should understand all of the incredible advantages associated with cardio workouts – heart racing, blood pumping sessions that leave us gasping for breath can truly leave us feeling incredible – but what about strength training?! As opposed to cardio sessions, strength training includes weight lifting exercises such as weightlifting, resistance bands, and weight machines; given our natural tendency for muscle mass loss as we age it’s vital that some form of strength training be incorporated into your fitness regime in order to prevent muscle atrophy as we get older – plus they bring incredible advantages! Like cardio, strength training comes packed full of advantages that make workout sessions absolutely worthwhile – see our reviews page on for details!
Here are five compelling arguments why strength training may benefit you: (1.0). Increase Bone Density: Strength training helps build stronger bones, so increasing bone density may significantly benefit strength training efforts.
Strength Training Can Build Muscle Mass: Over time, muscle mass naturally declines with age – but strength training can actually reverse that process and increase lean muscle mass with regular strength exercises. You should see an increase in lean muscle mass.
Joint Flexibility: Protecting and increasing joint flexibility will enable you to stay mobile as you age. Strength training has proven itself effective at increasing joint flexibility and decreasing symptoms such as stiffness or arthritis.
Strength Training to Strengthen Balance: Strength training helps increase balance while decreasing risks associated with falls and injury, making for safer aging overall. Strength training has the power to bolster this sense of equilibrium while decreasing risks related to falls or injuries.
Strength Training Improves Cardiovascular Health: One of the greatest advantages of strength training and weight lifting is reduced risk for life-altering heart attacks and strokes – that alone should make strength training worth your while! Plus, many strength exercises are easily doable from home with nothing more than yoga mat and body weight!
Here are five steps to get you going:
Begin By Lying Flat on Your Forearms on the Floor: Forearm Plank: When starting this exercise, lay face-down with both forearms flat on the floor ensuring that elbows are aligned directly under shoulders (ensuring your arms do not overlap each other)
Elevate yourself off of the floor while keeping your forearms flat against it, keeping a straight path from your head to feet, engaging your core! Hold this exercise for 30 seconds at first then repeat 8-12 times over.
Squat: Begin with both feet flat on the floor at hip distance apart and place your arms out to hip width apart. Bend both knees while extensor your buttocks backward, as though sitting down. Keep both knees behind your toes, keeping weight balanced across heels; repeat 20-30 times before rising back up again and repeat. Bird Dog:, After warming up for 20-30 seconds on all fours on mat or carpet surface.
Reach one arm long, pull in abdominals, and extend one leg behind you, repeat 8-12 times before switching sides.
Modified Push-Up: On your mat, get into a kneeling position with both hands below your shoulders, knees behind hips, legs straight out in front and core tightened tighter tightened before bending elbows and lowering chest to floor (see image for reference). Tighten core tighter tighter tighten elbows bend lower chest to floor (achieve this by tightening core further and bending elbows more). Lower chest down until chest touches floor before tightening core further and repeat.
Be mindful to gaze in front of your fingertips in order to maintain an extended neck position; press up, reset and repeat 10-20 times (this should make for easy repetitions of Hamstring Bridge exercises).
At first, lie flat on your back with bent knees hip-distance apart and feet flat on the mat, keeping feet close together and feet flat on mat. Squeeze glutes to raise hips off mat. Repeat these movements 8-12 times.
Tell us which strength training moves are your favorites below and let us know which strength training moves are your favorite! We would love to know! Leave us a message below about which moves are your favorites for strengthening training!
