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Starting a sound weight lifting plan is one of the most beneficial things you can do for your health. Many people overlook the power of weight lifting because they feel that it is going to make them develop big bulky muscles.
Generally, unless you are taking in massive amounts of foods or naturally have very high testosterone levels, this is simply not going to be the case.
One of the best things about weight lifting is that it will increase your metabolism for a long period of time after you have completed it. This is a process known as EPOC (excess post exercise oxygen consumption). What it means to you is that you will be able to consume more calories throughout the day without seeing the scale increase. This is one reason men can usually eat more food than women; they simply have more muscle mass to support.
Another benefit to strength training is that it will make everyday tasks easier. For example, you will no longer struggle carrying in the groceries or shovelling snow. Many people, as they get older in age, start to notice significantly declining levels of strength and this can seriously impact their quality of life.
In order to perform this type of exercise correctly, aim to get in 3-4 workouts a week, performing 1-2 different exercises for each body part. For each exercise, complete 2-4 sets with 8-12 reps per exercise. Also always be sure to allow yourself one day off between workouts for your body to recover and grow.
Try and also focus your exercises around compound movements as this will call into play the highest number of muscle fibers. Examples of these include squats, lunges, deadlifts, chest presses and military presses. Isolated exercises such as bicep curls, leg extensions, tricep kickbacks and lateral raises are good to add however should be done after the larger lifts are complete.
So next time you are in the gym, don't forget to make strength training a portion of your workout. You will be more than impressed with the results you see.
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