Workout Wednesday: Benefits of Strength Training

Strength training includes weight lifting and calisthenics (like crunches, pull ups, push ups). These exercises do not burn a lot of fat, but they are important to build strength and increase muscle mass.

Many people who are aiming to lose weight may not think that they want to increase muscle mass, but I assure you that this increase in mass with help anyone lose fat. Muscles need energy to function. They can get this energy from two different places: the Calories you consume or fat storage. When you reduce the amount of Calories you consume your muscles will have no place to go but to the fat for their energy. The more muscle you have, the more fat you will burn even if you are just sleeping. That's right, a muscular person will burn more Calories just breathing than a person with less muscle all other factors remaining equal. This increase in energy use is called a faster metabolism. You can increase your metabolism by increasing you muscle mass. Bottom line, the more muscle you have, the faster you will burn fat.