Does strength training increase metabolism?

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People with higher metabolism tend to be more active and slim as the food they ingest is used up faster and provides more energy. The primary purpose of all diets and workouts is to raise your metabolism and boost calories consumed. Slimming drinks, teas, juices, pills, specific foods, diets, and exercises raise our metabolic rate and increase calorie burn-out. Strength Training is one such workout that builds up your skeletal muscles and raises your metabolic rate even in a resting position. 

What is Strength Training?

Strength Training is also known as resistance or weight training. It involves your body weight or external tools to build muscle mass and strength. It reduces fat and builds up muscle mass which raises your resting metabolism. Heavy objects like lifting bottles can strengthen your muscles. Exercises in which a person can lean against their body weight strengthen muscles. It is a low-cost, time-saving workout that you can do anywhere and anytime. 

How Strength Training Raises Resting Metabolism?

Boosting our metabolism means using more energy and calories than we use throughout the day. A high Resting Metabolic Rate means we can burn more calories even while sitting or sleeping. 

Strength Training builds up muscle mass and reduces fat mass. The muscle mass uses more energy when in the rest position and helps tone our body even in the rest state. We can do the workouts twice or thrice a week to show good results as the muscles, once built, should be maintained so they continue to work and keep RMR (Resting Metabolic rates) high. The higher strength we get, the more weight we can lose. 

Yoga, Pilates, Dumbbells, Weight Training are all forms of Strength Training that are getting more popular due to their long-term benefits and flexible workout frequency. Strengthening muscles keep your body well-toned and burn calories the same way after completing a workout or leaving the gym. 

Health Benefits of Strength Training

Increases Lean Muscle Mass

A strength training workout has weight lifts, yoga, high-intensity strength training (HIIT) circuit, and bodyweight exercises. The workout should be done 2-3 times weekly can build up our muscles. No rigid routine is required to build lean muscle mass. A good choice of resistance training styles suiting your lifestyle can strengthen your muscles and make you feel more energetic. 

Reduces Body Fat 

An increased muscle mass results in fat burn, during and post-workout. The raised fat-burning levels reduce body fat and keep a person safe from many ailments resulting from high-fat content. 

Boost Metabolism

Muscle gains and fat reduction can boost your workout, and resting metabolism makes weight loss easy as the metabolism is raised even in resting positions like sitting and sleeping. 

Burn Calories at higher rates even after a workout

A higher metabolism does more burn-out of calories during and after a workout. A person loses more calories, raising the calorie deficit naturally and helping maintain weight. 

Make Bones Stronger

Weight-bearing and high-impact exercises like strength training promote the formation of new bones. Growth and repair of bones can increase bone density which is very beneficial for older people and women whose bones get weaker with age. It can help fight against bone diseases like Osteoporosis and prevent fractures due to weak bones. 

Improves Body Image, Posture, and Balance

Lifting dumbbells and bodyweight can strengthen our back, shoulders, legs, and arms. It improves long-term back problems and improves body image due to poor posture. Lifting your body on single parts like putting body weight on arms in planks and on legs during squats and standing still and upright improves our body posture and body balancing.

Decrease Depression and Improve Mood

Any form of exercise can improve our moods and decrease depression and stress as it affects the brain parts controlling anxiety and stress. It also induces the release of endorphins which give positive feelings and reduce pain perceptions. Unlike Cardio, weight lifting does not involve heavy and fast-moving workouts and is fun and easy to go for many people.

Raise Energy Levels

Resistance Training Exercises eliminate fatigue and raise energy levels in many people as the muscles keep respiring for long and get oxygen supply by being involved in cellular respiration. The mechanism naturally raises energy levels making a person active and more profound for a workout. 

Manage Chronic Conditions like Diabetes, Arthritis, Heart Diseases

Resistance training reduces body fat, maintains blood pressure, reduces insulin resistance and body glycemic control. The muscles respiring even in a resting position reduce hypertension and lower resting systolic blood pressure. Moderate physical activity done in strength training workouts can raise good cholesterol (HDL), lower bad cholesterol (LDL) reduces cardiovascular risk factors. 

Raises Metabolism for Hypothyroid Patients

Hypothyroid patients are deficient in the thyroid hormone in their bloodstream that lowers their metabolism and leads to weight gain. Strength Training workouts raise metabolism for people with hypothyroid and reduce its symptoms without taking medications. 

Some basic Strength Training workouts

Steps for simple yet exciting home-based exercises for which you will need an exercise mat, two dumbbells or heavy-weight bottles, and a resistance band. You can fix one place and stand at the same position, allocating little space for these workouts. 

LungesStrength Training Workout - Lunges

  • Stand tall facing one side with feet, a shoulder distance apart.
  • Step forward your left foot and lower your hip to make a 90-degree angle for the left leg making your right leg get parallel to the ground.
  • Keep your spine straight and upright.
  • Hold to the position for 5-6 seconds and step back.
  • Do the same for your right foot.
  • Repeat 5-6 times for each foot to make one set.

Lunges tone lower body muscles like hamstrings, calves, glutes, and quadriceps. 

PlankStrength Training Workout - Plank

  • Keep your body straight and buttocks clenched, resting your body only on your forearms and toes. 
  • Remain in the same position for about 20 – 30 seconds.
  • Increase the interval to 1 minute as you gain strength with time.

Planks strengthen your back, chest, and shoulder muscles and improve stability and core strength.

Push-UpsStrength Training Workout - Push-ups

  • Repeat the plank position replacing your palms instead of forearms. 
  • Keep your back flat and push up and down, bending your elbows until your touch is nearest the floor, then revert to the starting position.
  • Repeat 10-12 times for each set.
  • Initiate with 1-2 sets at a time and move on to 3 sets as your progress.

Push-Ups strengthen your shoulder, chest and abdominal muscles, and triceps. You can replace toes with knees to make it easier.

You will need two Dumbbells for the ones listed below.

Squats with DumbbellsStrength Training Workout - Squats

  • Stand straight with your gap between your feet, slightly wider than hips.
  • Put your arms upright alongside your body and hold dumbbells or two slightly-heavy bottles.
  • Do sit-ups keeping your body upright, keep moving your arms up and down.
  • Do it 10-12 times and start with 1-2 sets progress to 3 with time.

Squats work for your leg muscles and glutes. They also tone your shoulder, back and core muscles, and triceps. They can be initiated without dumbbells and slowly progress to low weights and higher as you gain strength.

Shoulder Press with DumbbellsStrength Training Workout - Shoulder Press

  • Stand straight with feet-shoulders apart.
  • Raise dumbbells to shoulder height, over your head, and fully extend your arms.
  • Pause in the extended arms position for a few seconds and bring the weights down to the shoulder position.
  • Repeat it 10-12 times and start with 1-2 sets progress to 3 with time.

The workout strengthens your shoulder, chest, arms, and core muscles.

You will need a Resistance Band for the ones listed below.

Pull apart a Resistance BandStrength Training Workout - Pull apart

  • Extend your arms in front of you at chest position
  • Hold a resistance band with both hands and parallel to the ground.
  • Start this movement from your mid-back. Pull the band towards your chest, keeping your arms straight and moving outwards to your sides. 
  • Keep your spine straight and squeeze your shoulders blades together.
  • Repeat the process 18-20 times, starting with 1-2 sets, progressing to 3.

It works for your back, arms, and shoulder muscles.

Leg Pull with Resistance BandStrength Training Workout - Leg pull

  • Lie down on your back straight. 
  • Place the resistance band around your feet.
  • Pull up your legs with band and raise your back.
  • Extend as much possible, making a 90-degree angle between upper and lower body.
  • Remain in this position for few seconds and revert. 
  • Repeat the process 10-12 times, starting with 1-2 sets, progressing to 3.

Leg pull works for legs, back, hip, and glutes muscles.

Hip ExtensionStrength Training Workout - Hip extension

  • Wrap the band around your ankles.
  • Keep your feet hip width apart.
  • Keeping your body upright, pull your right leg as far as you can.
  • Return to the start position and repeat 12-14 times.
  • Do the same for the left leg.

The exercise works for your leg and hip muscles. 

So, get up and try these easy strength training workouts with minimal sets and lowest weight and see yourself gain strength and boost metabolism.