Weight Lifting Benefits Your Health more than Sports

Most of us play sports of some kind on the weekends or after work. Unfortunately, the vast majority of us weekend warriors fail to make weight lifting a priority. Although weight lifting should be a part of everyone's life whether they play sports or not, it often goes by the wayside.

Many falsely believe that weight lifting is only for those that are professional weight lifters, professional athletes or those who just want big, bulk muscles. This is not the case. Weight lifting is for everyone. This is especially true when you reach your 25th birthday. At this point your metabolism tends to slow down which can hinder your athletic performance.

The body begins losing lean tissue mass (muscle) in our mid twenties and continues to do so for the rest of our lives.

When this happens, our body composition changes and fat begins to take on a higher percentage in our tissues. This fat can lead to all kinds of health issues and may be a precursor for Coronary Heart Disease.

Lifting weights allows you to convert fat tissue into muscle. Calories are burned by muscle tissue faster than in any other part of your body. While sports are a great means of keeping your cardiovascular system healthy, they rarely build muscle.

Athletes, both professional and casual, benefit from weight lifting because it increases endurance and helps to lower the fat content in your body composition. Not only that, building muscle will increase your strength and power and this cannot help but aid you in your quest to win.

If you are passionate athlete then you should add weight lifting to your training routine. You also need to incorporate proper nutrition into your routine to see the most benefits from weight lifting. Your nutrition plan should include protein, carbohydrates, and fatty acids.

If you don't have the fatty acids in your diet your are more prone to injury and decreased muscle gain.

When you weight lift you need to make sure you have enough energy to do it properly. Add 500 calories to your daily caloric intake to help supply you with the apporpriate energy. This energy helps to maintain any muscle growth and keep you going strong. If you don't eat enough your body will deteriorate your muscles for energy.

Keep track of your gains during weight lifting and also with regards to your diet. Items to keep track of include: body fat percentage, caloric intake, and weight lifting details. The only way to properly determine your progress is to track it. You can also see if you need to modify any part of your exercise and diet routine in hopes of better results.

Weight lifting should be a part of your exercise regime.
This is especially true if you have seen your 25th birthday go by. Nearly 60% of Americans are overweight. This devastating condition can be overcome by weight lifting and proper nutrition. Playing sports will benefit you physically, but adding weight lifting to your routine will take you to the next level. Start your weight lifting program today and watch the pounds melt away and your level of health soar.