Weight Lifting For Beginners

No matter what exercise program you choose, there will be two main goals sought: a reduction of excess body fat and an increase in lean muscle mass.

While some assume this is mainly for cosmetic purposes, there are a multitude of health benefits to reducing fat. Obesity is often the culprit in a number of health related disorders. Heart disease, hypertension, kidney and liver problems, and strokes are often the result of obesity.

Keep in mind one does not have to be morbidly obese to suffer from these problems. Even 20 or more pounds of excess weight can prove highly problematic. The best way to deal with this is through a combination of diet and exercise.

Far too often, however, many attempt to reduce fat solely through diet. This is not the right course of action to take because a clean diet alone will not increase cardiovascular conditioning nor will it improve heart function. Exercise is a must!

Fat is the result of stored calories. If you eat more than you burn, the excess will be stored as fat. The way to burn it is through a combination of cardiovascular training and weight training. Cardiovascular training involves physical activities such as playing sports, walking, bicycling, etc. Weight training involves progressive resistance exercises such as weightlifting, medicine ball training, etc.

Now, some may assume that weight training is not as helpful for fat loss in the way cardio training is. This is not an accurate assessment! Weight training is critical for weight loss! Lean muscle is denser than fat and it requires more calories to sustain itself. That means, muscle will aid in burning fat since it automatically increases metabolic function.

So, if you want to maximize the benefits of any exercise program, you need to follow a three pronged approach: a sensible diet, progressive resistance weight training, and cardiovascular training. Anything else is more akin to a "pipe dream" than a viable exercise program. However, here is some really good news: weight training and cardio work is not at tough as some believe. Really, anyone can do either of them.