March 08, 2023

The 5 benefits of strength training

Let’s take a moment to talk about strength training. We all know how incredible strength training is for physical fitness, but did you know just how good it is for your mental fitness too?

Strength training helps us to build confidence, clear up brain fog and boost our mood, keeping our mindset in tip top shape.

Strength training also protects our joints and bone health. That’s why it is so important to complement our high intensity workouts with strength or resistance training to support recovery and strengthen the muscles we need to feel (and perform) at our best and decrease risk of injury. This is something our Head Trainer at KIC, Danny Kennedy, can’t stress to us enough!

Here are 5 benefits of strength training we love:

1. Improved mental health

Regular strength training is known to help improve overall mental health. This includes a major boost to self-confidence by helping overcome challenges you might have thought you couldn’t. Strength training may also help reduce anxiety and help improve mood regulation. Overall, exercise helps us to feel good through mood-boosting endorphins!

2. Increased strength

We know we’re stating the obvious here, but we can’t reiterate enough how important this is! Strength exercises increases muscle mass, helping you lift weights more easily and for longer durations of time. Having strong muscles is also going to help in everyday life – think about those simple tasks like carrying your groceries or lifting heavy items – it will become even more easier and you’ll reduce your risk of injury!

3. Improved bone health

Bone health is another benefit we love. By putting temporary pressure on our bones, it can actually increase bone density and reduce the risk of osteoporosis, falls, and fractures in the future.

4. Reduced risk of injury

Strength training also helps strengthen the muscles and tendons we need to protect our joints when moving under impact or high intensity, decreasing the risk of them being strained or torn. It also enhances our everyday lives so we can continue moving our bodies and doing the things we love like walking, running, participating in sport, and other daily activities.

5. Increased energy and endurance

Although you may not always leave a strength session feeling super sweaty, like you would for a HIIT workout, but that does not mean you haven’t worked hard – you are still going to experience that release of endorphins and feel good hormones!

Strength training also improves your fitness through progressive overload (gradually increasing the weights over time or number of repetitions) and benefits your metabolism, keeping it firing long after you exercise.

Remember, it’s all about progress, not perfection! The more you practice and incorporate strength training into your workout routine, the more you will notice the benefits it will have in supporting your HIIT workouts, runs and even day-to-day life!

 

Join KIC today with our 7 day free trial, to start your journey towards feeling stronger!