A good workout routine should consist of a healthy mix of cardio and strength training, as there are countless benefits of strength training, and it’s a complementary exercise to cardio.

Often referred to as resistance training or weight training, strength training is a type of exercise that provides you with more health benefits than just strengthening your muscles, reducing fat and toning your body.

For example, strength training can improve your immunity since a healthy immune system calls for strong muscles. One of the top benefits of strength training is that it can improve life longevity. The practice of strength training also protects your bones and joints from injury.

The term ‘strength training’ is often associated with weightlifting, since lifting weights is a form of strength training. However, bodyweight exercises and calisthenics such as performing reps of squats or push-ups also qualify as strength training.

When it comes to the benefits of strength training, we can’t deny that appearance-focused benefits such as well-defined deltoids, toned arms and sculpted biceps are great perks. However, consistent strength training with your personal trainer will provide you with many long-term health benefits aside from your improved physical appearance.

Below are 7 important benefits of strength training:

1. Increased Muscle Mass

Since a natural part of aging is that we start to lose muscle mass, it’s crucial to engage in strength training to preserve and increase your body’s muscle mass.

Why does strength training increase muscle mass? When you apply a load, resistance or weight-bearing stress to a muscle group during a strength training exercise such as weightlifting, your muscles will adapt to the stress by getting stronger.

When you continue to lift progressively heavier weights with the help of your personal trainer, your body will continue to adapt by building stronger and stronger muscles.

Heavier weights and less repetitions is the best way to increase muscle mass compared to more repetitions with less weight. A personal trainer will help you build muscle mass safely and effectively.

The optimal way to gain muscle is to execute a specific type of strength training called hypertrophy, which is when you lift moderately heavy weights in a 6 – 12 rep range (per set), with 3 – 5 sets per session, and a rest period of only 60 – 90 seconds between sets.

This 6 – 12 rep range is optimal for building power, strength, and muscle size. Many people idealize the physical appearance of bigger and stronger (or more toned) muscles. Increased lean muscle mass also typically leads to less body fat. However, as you’ll learn below, there are

2. A Healthier Heart: One of the Primary Benefits of Strength Training

One of the top health benefits of strength training is that it’s very good for your heart health. A study conducted by researchers at Iowa State University found that strength training in the form of lifting weights less than one hour per week can reduce one’s risk for heart attack or stroke by as much as 40 to 70 percent.

The American Heart Association strongly recommends incorporating strength training into your routine at least two times per week, with each muscle group in your body being worked twice per week at minimum.

Don’t forget that when you work out and get your heart rate up, you’re exercising your heart and lungs which improves your cardiovascular endurance and your cardiovascular health.

3. You’ll Burn More Calories at Rest

Benefits of strength training of course include weight loss, fat loss and calorie-burning benefits. Strength training results in a post-workout metabolic spike that lasts for hours after your workout. After a strength training or weight training session, you will continue to burn calories at rest. Essentially, strength training can lead to weight loss not only because it burns calories, but also because it can help increase your metabolism.

Scientific research indicates that metabolic rates are increased for a much longer duration after a strength training session compared to a cardio workout, which may surprise some people.

4. Improved Flexibility and Stability

Flexibility is important because it reduces your risk of workout-related injuries, helps improve your athletic performance, and promotes healthier blood flow in the body.

Strength training can help you become more flexible because during strength training, you are repeatedly moving groups of joints, muscles, and ligaments through their full range of motion. Furthermore, many strength training exercises incorporate deep stretches within their completion, such as deadlifts, tricep extensions, and more.

As far as stability goes, stronger muscles supporting your body means you will naturally have better balance and better stability. Strength training strengthens your body’s stabilizing muscles, and in general, the stronger your muscles become, the better your performance control, coordination, and balance. 

5. Enhanced Athletic Performance

Building stronger muscles through a strength training regime helps improve your athletic performance because strength training improves your power, strength, flexibility and endurance.

It’s not just sports and athletic endeavors that require strength for optimal performance, though. Strength training also improves your ability to do basic daily tasks like household chores, or physical activities such as keeping up with your friends during an outdoor hike.

Those concerned with improving athletic performance likely are concerned with improving their strength, and should speak to their personal trainer about adjusting their rep range to suit this goal. A rep range in the 1-5 range with heavier weights will help build maximal or ‘top-end’ strength. In this modality, you are lifting very heavy weights in a 1-5 rep range (per set) with 3 – 5 sets per session and a rest period of roughly 2.5 – 3.5 minutes.

6. Increased Bone Density and Better Bone Health

Bone density is an important component of healthy bones because bones that are less dense and therefore more fragile will break more easily.

Your risk of injury will decrease if you have higher bone density.

One of the top benefits of strength training or weight training is that it will improve the health of your bones and joints, and could help prevent health conditions such as osteoporosis.

During a strength training workout, you are stressing your bones temporarily, which prompts bone-building cells to react by strengthening your bones to prepare your body for such stress.

7. Improved Life Longevity

Regular strength training exercise can have important long-term health benefits such as improving your life longevity and helping increase the odds that you’ll live longer. This research study on the subject found that participants who followed a strength training program and worked out for 30-60 minutes per week had an average of 10-20% less risk of dying prematurely compared to participants who did not do strength training.

Perhaps this is because strength training improves cardiovascular health, immunity, cell turnover rate and makes your body healthier as a whole. Since a healthier body achieved through strength training decreases one’s risk of cancer and heart disease, it’s no surprise that regular strength training can improve life longevity.

A large research study found that strength training twice per week lowered the risk of dying from  cancer by 31%, and increased participants’ average lifespan more than cardio workouts. Furthermore, a stronger body achieved through regular strength training is a body that could withstand cancer treatment much better, rehabilitate easier, and that in itself could also increase life span.

Final Thoughts

All of the above benefits of strength training have likely inspired you to start a strength training routine. It is safest to consult with a fitness professional such as a certified personal trainer to learn safe techniques and proper form before beginning a strength-training program. Your trainer can guide you on how to lift weights or engage in bodyweight exercises safely, either through virtual training sessions or in-person sessions.

Remember that your program’s intensity and rep range will depend on your specific goals. If your focus is to get stronger and more powerful, or to improve athletic performance, then training in a 1 – 5 rep range with heavier weights is what your trainer will likely suggest. If your goal is to increase muscle mass while getting stronger, hypertrophy might be best for you in the 6 – 12 rep range, or a combination of strength training and hypertrophy. The expertise of a personal trainer is crucial in determining the right program for you, to help you achieve your specific fitness goals.