There’s nothing scary about strength training

The benefits or strength training are wide ranging, from helping you to lose or manage your weight to enhancing your quality of life and preventing injury, ultimately the physical benefits stem from an increase in muscle mass.

Don’t get us wrong, you don’t need to think Arnold Schwarzenegger or ‘World’s Strongest’, but building muscle will never be a bad idea.

So let’s get into some of the detail around the benefits of strength training:

  • Muscle supports your joints, think of it as the back up or the plan B, your joints become stiffer and less flexible as you age, muscle can help prevent that by supporting joints as you move around and continue to use them

  • It changes your body shape, muscle is smoother and leaner than fat, so your body will appear differently when you strength train and build muscle mass

  • Increasing your bone density is another benefit, which can significantly help with reducing your risk of osteoporosis

  • The more muscle you have, the more efficient your body is at burning calories (your metabolism gets quicker) so you can successfully lose/manage your weight

  • Strength training may enhance your quality of life and improve your ability to do everyday activities, think about lifting heavy bags of shopping from the car or picking up children and/or grandchildren, it’s also linked to better balance and can therefore reduce your risk of a fall

  • Reduced rick of chronic conditions, such as arthritis, back pain, obesity, heart disease, depression and diabetes – it’s all connected!

  • Finally, it might even sharpen your thinking skills; some research suggests that regular strength training and aerobic exercise may help improve thinking and learning skills for older adults

Instructors in Contours gyms at North Tyneside leisure centres are able to help customers to better understand what equipment can exercises are beneficial strength exercises for that individual as part of an induction, members are also eligible for free programming and can speak to reception to book an appointment to develop a strength programme at any time.