5 reasons to lift weights + a workout schedule

5 reasons why you should lift weights

1. Boost your mental health 

We all know that weight training helps to gain strength and tone up your physique, but it sure goes deeper than the surface. Lifting weights is a unique and powerful mental health tool as well.

Any form of exercise, including lifting weights, releases endorphins in the brain. These endorphins are a so-called ‘feel good’-hormone, which speaks for itself; it makes you feel good! This ‘natural high‘, as they call it, makes you to feel happier, relieves stress, and boosts your self-confidence. And the best part? The endorphins keep on flowing after you finish your workout, so it’s the perfect start to a great day. Down to give it a go?

2. Increases your metabolism

Strength training has a positive effect on your metabolism. But what does that mean, you wonder? Let us explain.

First off, your metabolism is the “chief” that’s in charge of digesting all the food and drinks you consume. Every single day, it’s busy converting your caloric intake into energy to fuel your body.

How fast or how slow your metabolism works, has an impact on your fitness level. The working speed of your metabolism is determined by several factors like your gender, age, genetics, and even the size of your organs (fun fact!). These are all out of our control. However, habits like eating too little or too much can also affect your metabolic rate.

With strength training, you can increase your metabolism. And because of that, you can even burn calories when you’re resting. So… sitting on the couch binge-watching your favourite show while still burning calories? Yup, it’s not a myth!

Not only will you continue to burn calories after finishing your training, but building more lean muscle mass will also cause a boost to your metabolic rate! The leaner the muscle mass your body carries, the more calories you’ll burn at rest. It’s great for fat loss, weight maintenance, or going for a more shredded look.

3. It improves your posture

Working comfortably from home, hunching over our iPhones, or just sitting on our butts all day. Generally speaking, our postures seem to be getting worse with each generation. It’s causing lower back pains, neck humps, and more hassles we’re trying to avoid. The good news? We’ve got a solution!

Lifting weights helps to strengthen e.g. your core, glutes, back, and shoulder muscles. This will naturally improve your posture and reduce or prevent the risk of chronic back pain. But of course, all of these benefits only come into play on one condition: practising good form during your workouts! To do so, check out our previous blog about common mistakes that are made in the gym. This will help you to not make the same mistake and improve your posture in no time.

4. Enhances your body composition

So you’re finally stepping on the scale, and your weight hasn’t moved after a whole month of dedicated lifting? You’re doing great! Lifting weights is a natural way to alter your body composition over time, and changing your scale weight is not one of its priorities. Depending on your personal goals, when you stick to your training and eating plan accordingly, you’ll notice an increase in your muscle mass and a reduced body fat percentage over time. You lose some, you gain some! The mirror shows the real results. Natural BBL? It sure sounds like it.

Can’t wait to be rocking a toned body while feeling stronger than ever? You’ll probably start seeing results within the first 3 to 6 months. What are you waiting for?

5. Reduces the risk of chronic diseases

Yes, lifting weights brings incredible benefits to many aspects of our lives, and training on a regular basis definitely helps to sweeten your general lifestyle. But did you know that our beloved hobby can even cure diseases?!

Studies show us that lifting weights a couple of times a week significantly decreases the chances of chronic disease. And while disease prevention is an amazing factor, lifting weights is also considered an effective medicine for certain diseases. Think of Type II Diabetes, High Cholesterol, and Cardiovascular diseases. Isn’t that amazing? 

Lots of reasons to lift

Strength training might just be the thing you need to achieve your mental, physical, and fitness goals. By lifting weights regularly, you can get physically stronger, uplift your mental health, increase your metabolism, reduce the risk of diseases, and improve your overall quality of life! And the list goes on…

So, whether you’re just starting out, have been feeling stuck on a plateau, or looking for your next fitness challenge, lifting weights has its benefits tailored to everyone!

The Ultimate Strength Training Workout Schedule (Beginner proof)

We’re sure that after reading about all the upside of weight lifting, you can’t wait to get started. Whoohoo! We feel the same way. To give you a flying start at the gym, check out the schedule below for the Ultimate Beginner Friendly Strength Training workout schedule. Start lifting today!

New to the game and not sure where to start? You came to the right place. Scroll down to find the ultimate workout to get introduced to lifting weights (beginner-friendly, of course).

Prefer video or looking for more inspiration? Checkout out this full body workout inspiration from our trainer, Alejandro:

1: WARM-UP

Rule number one of every workout: never skip the warm-up! Do some stretching and get your blood pumping on cardio equipment of choice. It helps to prevent injury and loosens up those tight muscles before you get to work.

2: INCLINE DUMBBELL PRESS: 4×8

The incline dumbbell press works your chest and front delts. It’s a stable movement with a long range of motion, A.K.A. a great recipe for muscle growth!

How to perform:

Take a seat on the bench and lean back. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, and position them at your shoulders. Keep your feet flat against the floor and relax your neck against the bench. Ready to go?

Brace that core, now press both dumbbells straight up, over your chest, as you exhale. Remember to keep your wrists straight! Now slowly lower your dumbbells back to the starting position as you inhale. That’s your first rep!

Reps & Rounds:

Perform 8 reps, 4 rounds.

3: LAT PULLDOWN: 4×8

This exercise is a great way to learn how to use your back muscles during your training. All you need? The pull-down machine at your gym.

How to perform:

Sit down on the pulldown seat and place your feet flat on the floor. If the machine has a thigh pad, adjust it so that the upper thighs are tucked under firmly. Grab the bar with a wide overhand grip. Move your shoulders up, back, and down to get into the starter position. Squeeze your shoulder blades and engage your core while pulling the bar down to chin height. Now slowly let it back up while keeping control over the weight. Repeat this and feel your back muscles burn, baby!

Reps & Rounds:

Repeat for 8 reps, 4 sets.

4: ROMANIAN DEADLIFT: 4×12

The Romanian Deadlift is the best exercise to work your glutes and hamstrings, and the back of your legs. While you can do these with a barbell, we’re starting with a pair of dumbbells so it’s less challenging.How to perform:

Place your feet hip-width apart, and bend your knees just slightly. Hold your dumbbells in front of your sides, with your palms facing your thighs. Squeeze back your shoulder blades, keep your spine in a neutral (not arched!) position, and slowly bring your hips back. Once the dumbbells reach below the knees, drive your hips forward while squeezing the butt. Back to the starting position? You’ve completed your first rep.

Reps & Rounds:

Do this for 12 reps, 4 sets.

5: DUMBBELL DROP SQUATS: 4×12

This exercise is an alternative to the ‘regular’ squat to work on your glutes (a.k.a. butt). This is a great exercise for beginners to learn the correct squat form. You will need one dumbbell to perform this exercise. Oh, and no ego-lifting here! Start off with a low weight and up the weight if it feels too easy.

How to perform:

Stand with your feet a little wider than your hips, with toes pointed slightly outward, holding your dumbbell with both hands. Go down into a squat, keep the weight between your heels, and push your chest forward with pride. Push through your heels to return back up. There, you have one rep!

 Reps & Rounds:

Do this exercise for 12 reps, 4 rounds.

6: SEATED LEG RAISE: 4×15

Time to work those abs, baby! Seated leg raises are a great beginner’s exercise to work on your core. Get ready for sore abs tomorrow! 

How to perform:

Take a seat at the edge of a bench, plyo box, or similar object. Place your hands on the equipment to make sure you’re in a steady position. Lean back a little while extending your legs in front of you, it’s okay to have a slight bent in your knees. Then crunch your upper and lower body together, while moving your legs upwards. Don’t forget to squeeze your abs throughout the movements, that’s what we’re training 😉.

Reps & Rounds:

Get moving for 15 reps, 5 sets.

Sore muscles incoming… 👀

Save this workout for your next, or first, gym sesh. Start working towards your best self today, remember, as long as you keep going, you can’t fail!

Grab your free gym session

Did you know that you can get a free day pass at TrainMore? After reading this blog you’re more than ready to hit the gym, so this free day will come in handy. Grab your free day pass here.

Will you lift weights from now on?