WHY IS STRENGTH TRAINING IMPORTANT FOR WEIGHT LOSS:

Strength training initially gets overlooked when it comes to weight loss because people only tend to look at the immediate result for losing weight. Initially someone can lose a few pounds walking or using a cardio machine like a treadmill, however they will soon set themselves up for a plateau. Cardio workouts alone decrease our metabolic rate and can also decrease our muscle mass. Muscle mass is the fuel that drives our body and the more skeletal muscle mass we have the more calories we can burn. When people are looking for popular Google searches such as "gyms near me, classes near me or personal trainers near me" they will look at the cardio workouts first and not even think about the weight section.

SEGMENTAL LEAN ANALYSIS:

Using the InBody 270 Scale allows me to analyze my clients  symmetry of their muscle mass. It shows the muscle mass in our entire body broken down into individual areas like left and right arm, left and right leg and our trunk. When we gain weight our muscle mass decreases which causes us to burn less calories and store more weight. By improving your muscle mass in areas that are lacking the most, it will improve your weight loss while not even working out. For example, our legs are the biggest muscles in our body, so if your legs lose muscle mass you will store more belly fat. By strengthening your lower body you will naturally boost your metabolic rate and improve your weight loss goals.

LOOSE SKIN:

As we lose weight, our skin can lose elasticity. A dramatic loss in weight can even make it more dramatic, even if you only need to drop 5-20 lbs. If you focus on high intensity strength training with a lot of repetitions you will gain strength, muscle tone along with tightening your skin at the same time. You will also burn more fat than cardio. I have helped many of my clients doing workouts like this to improve their muscle mass while decreasing body fat at the same time.

IMPROVED POSTURE:

Weight loss can often cause us to lose muscle mass if we are not strength training. Some very important areas of our body like our back and legs can lose significant muscle mass that can impact our posture. Some of the most important exercises I teach to my beginner clients are exercises to strengthen their shoulders, upper back, glutes and hamstrings to improve their posture. If you are strength training correctly from the beginning of your weight loss journey you will improve your posture and this can also prevent injuries.

METABOLISM:

Our BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) are one of the most important factors for weight loss. I am able to see a clients current metabolism using my body composition scale. An easy way to assess a client for having a good metabolism is taking their weight and multiplying it by 10. For example, if you are 200 lbs. and if you have a BMR of less than 2000, then you have a slow metabolism for your weight. Strength training will improve your metabolism. An improved metabolism will allow you to consume more calories and lose more weight, even when you are not working out.

STRESS HORMONES:

Weight loss can be a very challenging journey mentally. In the beginning, we are motivated and make changes to lose weight and sometimes we do not see the immediate result. We tend to just focus on our weight and do not focus on the benefits of working out. If your workouts are mainly cardio based like on a treadmill or elliptical it is challenging to determine your progress other that the time you spend on the machine you are using. If you focus on strength training you will notice yourself getting stronger with increasing the weight you are using or the amount of reps you are performing.

This progress will change your mindset to focus on your performance rather than just on the scale. The more you focus on your body getting stronger, the more confident you will feel and you will gain a sense of accomplishment. This will keep your stress hormone down and improve your overall mood, which will improve your progress. YES! The way you feel does impact the amount of progress you can achieve!