Improving workouts and strength training not only builds your physique but they also offset the decline you experience as you age
Strength training has always been the best method to change body composition. The desired effects include increase in lean mass and a decrease in body fat. Here, we’ve got five tips to not only make your strength training routine more effective but also to have a stronger base as you grow older.
1. Follow a functional and performance-based strength training routine
Functional training is not about fancy exercises and equipment. It’s about training your body the way it should move and perform. Human bodies are meant to push, pull, bend, extend, squat, lunge, and rotate.
That’s why using machines will not train muscles in a way that fires them properly in conjunction with other muscles since gym equipment isolate them as body parts. It’s more effective to train muscles as a unit. However, if you are into bodybuilding, then of course you should still do body-part isolation exercises and use machines to induce muscle growth.
2. Vary your exercise equipment
Don’t limit yourself to free weights or machines you’re used to. By trying and incorporating other free weights, your body will receive new training stimulus and create more adaptations leading to better results. It could work on other training aspects like balance, coordination, core stability, flexibility, and mobility since it’s new to your body. You will also be able to target other muscles that you probably were not working prior to using new equipment.
Functional training is not about fancy exercises and equipment. It’s about training your body the way it should move and perform. Human bodies are meant to push, pull, bend, extend, squat, lunge, and rotate
3. Develop strong glutes
The gluteal muscles are the biggest and most crucial muscles that exude power. When you train your butt properly, you can improve your overall athleticism and strength. It’s also a factor in preventing ankle, knee, hip, and lower back injuries since the glutes help stabilize these areas. If you have strong glutes, you can get better with your squat, deadlift, lunge, sprint, and kettlebell swings.
4. Core activation exercises
Doing hundreds of crunches or sit-ups won’t train your core the way it’s supposed to function. The core is not just your abdominals; it is comprised of all the internal and external muscles that attach to your hips, pelvis, and lower back. Basically its function is to keep the spine neutral during all sorts of movements, especially athletic movements. A better way to train your core is to perform at least two sets of plank and side plank variations after your warm-up and before you lift.
5. More muscle helps you lose fat easier
Gaining more muscle is a great way to burn fat. An increase in lean mass increases your body’s overall metabolism. The better your basal metabolic rate, the more calories are burned even when you’re not exercising.
Men are afraid of strength training because it might slow them down while women think it makes them big. The best athletes in the world do strength and conditioning to improve athletic performance. Bu women don’t have the same testosterone levels to get their muscles as big as those of men.
Doing strength training has a lot of benefits and if you really want to get lean and drop your body fat, then start lifting.