This Should Feel Good

Most of the time when we think of weight training many of us picture the Arnold lifting massive barbells stacked with huge plates that read 1000 lbs comically on the end. We think of big moo-scles. We think of veins and grunting. We think of those awesome sleeveless tanks and unitards. We think of pain. And though there is not much stopping you from purchasing your next work out outfit from "Highschool Wrestlers R US" it is not a requirement. The truth is weight training does not have to include an end goal of becoming super huge and if you are a woman you wouldn't be able to WWF your guns out with out a specific and detailed plan of attack, which would most likely include hormonal therapy. Lifting heavy and less reps will increase strength, where as lifting light with more reps increases lean muscle tone. Either one is effective to the end goal of increasing muscle percentage in one's body. Now, you may be wondering why the need of increased muscle percentage matters to you: You are within a healthy weight (and you are definitely not looking to increase the number on the scale like you've heard weight training does), you fit nicely into a respectable dress size and you are overall happy with your exercise routine. This is why weight training matters to you: The more muscle you have, the higher your metabolic rate through out the day. This is important because as you get older, your metabolism slows, leading to weight gain. By increasing muscle to fat percentage you get a heads up on this process. Also muscle may be heavier than fat, however, it takes up less space, so even if your weight may not change a huge amount (which it may not if you don't have much weight to lose) you will see a significant decrease in inches.  I went from a 6/8 pants size to a 2/4, which I am happy at so I work to maintain it.  A decrease in waist size equals an increase in longevity as stated here: "new research suggests that waist size could play as important a role as body weight in determining how long you live. After examining a database of more than 100,000 men and women ages 50 and older participating in a cancer prevention study, researchers found that those with the largest waistlines had about twice the risk of dying over a nine-year period as those with the smallest waistlines. " (http://health.usnews.com/health-news/diet-fitness/heart/articles/2010/08/10/for-good-health-watch-your-waist-size-not-just-your-weight) Cardio is great, but it is not the only piece in the healthy living puzzle, you have to add resistance training. You will be happy you did. Forget the "No Pain, No Gain" slogan. Weight training should not hurt. If you feel actual pain, stop. What you should do is work until it feels uncomfortable, until the muscle is TIRED and then give it a rest. And to clear up one thing:  muscle tanks don't make you stronger, they just make you awesome!