Many people are intimidated by the idea of lifting weights. Some claim that they don’t want to get too bulky, and others are afraid of what the lifters in the gym or home will think of them when they’re struggling to lift even the lightest of weights.
I’ll be the first to tell you that you aren’t going to get bulky overnight, and you are in control of your progress. And 99% of the time, the atmosphere in gyms is positive. No one is there to judge you and many are willing to offer their help.
But if that doesn’t convince you otherwise, I’ll be sharing two important reasons why everyone, no matter the gender, age, or current physical shape should start lifting weights and some insights into how you can start your weightlifting journey safely.
Builds Muscular Endurance (Benefits Of Weight Lifting Everyday)
It’s obvious that lifting weights will build muscular strength, but many articles don’t highlight how it improves muscular endurance. Muscular endurance is your muscle’s ability to continue working over extended periods of time without getting tired.
This carries over to a lot of activities in life such as chopping wood, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, and carrying heavy grocery bags back and forth.
Earlier in your training career, you will find your muscles aching and burning quickly. It’s important that you get enough rest between sets to replenish the tired muscle cells with fresh, oxygenated blood and nutrients.
Take it easy as you figure out your body’s limits. Don’t try to keep up with a friend’s pace because you’re more likely to get cramped and injured.
Improves Posture And Fixes Muscular Imbalances
9-5 desk-based jobs are a relatively new concept when compared to the thousands of years humans have walked this Earth. In short, we’re not built to sit long hours hunched over a laptop screen. Over time, you will develop muscular imbalances along the way and your posture will take a hit.
Too much sitting can cause tight and weak hamstrings. The hamstring-glutes-lower back work as important parts of the posterior chain, and the chain is only as strong as its weakest link.
Your upper body takes a hit, too. By not engaging your upper back and rear delt muscles (letting your shoulders droop over the table), you’re making them weaker over time, and muscles in the front tighten and you end up with a rounded back posture.
How to improve your muscular with weight lifting exercises? You should incorporate a lot of hip-hinge exercises to increase the strength of your posterior chain. The most common exercises are the deadlift variations.
If you haven’t done these before, you must seek advice from a qualified personal trainer or someone that has a lot of experience with the movement. While deadlifts are amazing for your back, they do pose some risk if you aren’t doing them right!
To ease your upper body issue, work on reverse flys or face pulls to fully contract the upper back/rear delt muscles. You want to start with very light weights and prioritize form quality over rep quantity.
Further Safety Tips About Lifting Weights
I’ve gone over a few safety tips to complement the main points. However, to add value to my readers, here are two general safety tips, I think every lifter must keep in mind:
Stability is key. Whether you’re bench pressing or squatting, your feet must be firmly planted to the ground. Stable grounding means a strong core, and a strong core reduces the risk of injury. I would recommend flat-footed shoes for standing overhead presses, deadlift variations, and squats. These could be in the form of the classic Chuck Taylor’s or dedicated weightlifting shoes.
Lighten the weight, and don’t sacrifice your form. Don’t be that guy or girl in the gym swinging through barbell curls just to finish the set. This is foolishly dangerous. Instead, drop the weight, or take an extended break in between so that you can resume safely.