Why is resistance training so important?

Why is resistance training so important?

John Spencer Ellis (Author, TV Show Host, Trainer and CEO, National Exercise & Sports Trainers Association) gives expert video advice on: How do I design a strength training program?; How often each should I train each muscle group?; How much weight should I use when I train? and more...

Strength training is important for many, many reasons. Number one: It increases bone density and strength and integrity of the bones. There's a certain type of exercise—strength training—that you can do called an axial-loaded movement. Your axial skeleton is, essentially, your spinal column, your rib cage, and so forth; everything but your arms and legs, if you want to look at it that way. And when you do a movement like a squat or a standing overhead press or a dead lift—those fundamental, basic movements—that stimulates bone density, and that's a good thing. Also, by increasing your muscle mass or muscle density, you'll increase your metabolism; so you can eat more calories and maintain your weight, or it's easier to maintain your weight or lose weight by just the resistance training itself. However, again, modifying your diet will help as well. Resistance training also improves your posture. If you just do cardiovascular training and don't do strength training, you may become thin, but you may also be flabby at the same time. So to maintain the structure and to really change your body the most, you must do resistance training