Not many people think of strength training exercise when they think of losing weight (body fat). It simply sounds ridiculous building up strength to lose weight - after all, you would tend to think building up strength would actually put weight on instead of getting rid of it wouldn't you?

But not so, while you are building up and maintaining muscle strength when you strength train, there are many benefits of this special type of exercise when it comes to losing weight. It is simply an outdated myth that strength training builds up muscle tissue and you cannot lose weight while doing it.

If done properly strength training will tone your body giving it a better, firmer, sleeker shape. The whole purpose of losing excess body fat is so that you are not only healthier, but also so that you lose those extra flabby, wobbly bits which you are most likely not very happy about.

You may have heard that adding more toned muscle tissue is going to help you burn more calories and this is true. Your precious muscle tissue is your best defense against excess body fat. Muscle is highly active and requires a lot of fuel (calories) just to maintain. So, basically the more toned muscle you have, the more calories you will burn. This means that your weight loss will be faster, easier and you will reach your goal a lot quicker.

By having this extra toned muscle tissue your metabolism (your body's engine) is boosted. This means you will be burning more calories every minute of the day and night even when you are resting or sleeping. Only strength training exercise can do this. It will not happen with low intensity activities like walking, jogging or cycling.

Strength training will also ensure that you become fitter overall which will in turn allow you to be a more active person. When you are strong and fit you want to move more and sitting around becomes difficult to do. You will also feel healthier, happier and a much calmer person at the same time.

You will not get as tired out as quickly as you used to and find you will have loads more energy and that is likely to help you in your every day life and in everything that you do. Becoming fitter can only has positive effects in your life and strength training can help you to achieve your fitness goals.

Becoming stronger with strength training toughens the body up and that means that you are also far less likely to injure yourself as you would have been beforehand. You simply become more resilient which is great news if you wish to lead an active lifestyle.

You can see how many benefits strength training can give you. The reason for this is because it works major muscle groups through their full range of movement with resistance.
Muscle is the mechanism that drives the metabolism and you will be delighted when you experience the youth enhancing, weight reducing and energy boosting effects that it gives to those who do it regularly.