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in
Resistance Training
As a man in his 40’s it is an unfortunate aspect of life that at a period when we seem to have less time than ever to exercise, exercise becomes an increasingly important aspect in preserving our long term health. Although any exercise is great for helping to maintain a healthy weight and promote general health and well-being, I am a big believer in using resistance training as a tool because it offers several distinct advantages over other forms of exercise.
Resistance training doesn’t have to be training like a bodybuilder though, one of the great things about using different types of resistance, including body weight, is that it provides a variety of ways to train to suit you, your time frames and your goals whilst keeping things fresh and exciting.
Resistance training is important not only because it helps maintain a healthy weight but it also allows to protect against muscle loss and to even grow new muscle, which provides much more than just aesthetic benefits. Muscle, when combined with proper movement patterns developed during training, helps keep our joints protected and healthier, our movement quality higher and increases our metabolic rate.
Load bearing exercise also improves bone mineral density, helping to fight off age related bone losses and if performed at the right intensity is a great workout for the heart too. These are just some of the reasons why I use resistance training with all my clients regardless of their goals, it is not going to make you overly muscular (unless you design your programme and nutrition to do that), especially not overnight, and in my opinion ‘iron meditation’ around is one of the most enjoyable and effective forms of stress release going!
I am a personal trainer and strength and conditioning coach based in Poole, Dorset.
