6 Benefits Of Heavy Weightlifting
The human body has the ability to adapt to almost any environment, and or lifestyle. An adaption can be anything from weight gain, to sweating, to a nice bronze tan. You actually have a great deal of control over the way you respond and adapt by way of your lifestyle and habits. What I want to talk about today are the 6 benefits of heavy weightlifting. Let’s get started!
1. Rapid Strength Gain
It is obvious but necessary to mention the strength gains from heavy weightlifting. Human beings have an incredible potential to lift over 2.5x their body weight. Imagine how easy day to day activities would be with that kind of strength and how developing that kind of strength would benefit you as you age. I don’t know about you, but I damn sure don’t want to be shrimped up in my senior years.
2. Accelerated Muscle Gain
Your body is literally shaped by muscle, which means that in order to get “in shape” you have to develop muscle. It is impossible to tone anything on the body without developing some muscle. The reason why heavy weightlifting is so beneficial to muscle gain is the direct effect it has on your CNS (central nervous system). Your brain sends signals through your CNS, which creates muscular activation. In order to grow muscle, you have to first stimulate that muscle through forms of resistance training which provoke muscular activation. As resistance increases, activation increases, causing more stimulation and more stimulation, increases the opportunity for more growth.
CNS+ACTIVITY+STIMULI=GROWTH
3. Greater Fat Loss Capability
Fat is more than just belly rolls, cellulite, love handles, and a double chin. Fat is an essential energy source that serves many life sustaining functions such as brain function, digestive health, hormone stability, tissue regeneration, etc. The problem people face is that they store too much of it because their body isn’t using it.
Fat metabolism is your ultimate goal to the freedom of a flexible diet and the confidence in knowing that the donut you want won’t go straight to your belly. So how do you metabolize fat? How can you start using it? The answer is simply to make your body use it! Remember fat is fuel for your body and brain. Heavy weightlifting forces your body to breakdown fat and use it for the energy to not only lift the weight, but also to recover from lifting the weight. You’ll be burning fat and calories all day after you’re done at the gym, and even more so, while you sleep.
4. Increased Bone Density & Connective Tissue
Two of the biggest things your body is going to need to sustain a heavy weightlifting lifestyle is strong bone and connective tissue. When I say connective tissue, I mean tendons and ligaments. Tendons connect muscle to bone and ligaments connect bone to bone. Muscle is meant to take the bulk of the tension, but none of it will last long without the support and integrity of dense bone and connective tissue. Your body was design in a way where once the body is exposed to consistent weightlifting, it will adapt by growing and strengthening those two things as well. This makes weightlifting a great asset to anyone needing increased bone density and connective, especially women, being that they typically lose more bone density as they age and run a higher risk for osteoporosis and arthritis.
5. Stabilize Your Hormones, Brain & Gut Function
I see so many in their 30s and 40s suffering from low testosterone and high estrogen, and woman who struggle with fat retention and weight gain due to excessive estrogen and low testosterone. Understand that neither testosterone or estrogen are exclusive to any gender, only that the levels are different between the two.
Testosterone is a great contributing factor in muscle gain and fat loss, and if too low can cause fat retention in the torso, inhibited muscle retention, erectile dysfunction, etc. Estrogen is greatly responsible for the shape of the female body, the stability of the menstrual cycle. Having an imbalance with it can cause the following.
- excess fat retention in the lower body and arms
- late period and severe cramps
- inhibited muscle gain
- low libido and more
Insulin is a hormone released from the pancreas that supports sugar metabolism. Lack of insulin can cause the following.
- rapid fat gain
- low energy levels
- diabetes and a whole lot of other problems.
The list goes on, but the point is that heavy weightlifting, causes the body to adapt in ways that bring everything to a stable and efficient level in order to support and sustain a healthy and strong lifestyle.
6. Higher Self Esteem & Mental Toughness
The feeling you get from strength is like endless victory and invincibility! No average person is going to willingly walk up to a huge weight with overwhelming vigor and start working. To rush toward challenge like that takes a strong positive mindset and you don’t just get like that over night. Living the Strength & wellness Lifestyle and getting over and under some heavy weight on a consistent basis is going to train your mind to be strong as well as your body. That kind of strength spills over to every aspect of your life whether it be in the work place, socially, even dating and intimacy. Get on a good strength program, get in the gym, and start growing!
Thanks for reading, I appreciate you.