Why Train With Weights? You've heard the phrase: "The strongest shall survive" right? Well it not only applies to competitive athletes, but to everyone, men, women and children of all ages.
Studies have shown that men and women in their 60's, 70's and 80's have reversed their immobility and increased their quality of life through exercising with light weights.
Increase Bone Density Using resistance increases bone density, decreasing your risk for osteoporosis and even reversing the effects of osteoporosis.
Women tend to lose upper body strength after the children have gotten too big to be picked up and carried around, so it's important to maintain that strength through resistance exercise.
It'll help maintain bone density in the upper spine too.
Equipment Types You could use a home gym type of fitness equipment, or a bowflex type or even a crosstrainer type of equipment, but free weights are really the best.
This means using dumb bells or plates on bars to 'resist' against your muscles, making them work and grow strong.
Also, using your body weight as resistance works well, this is part of the theory behind Pilates type of mat exercise.
Reduce Body Fat Even if your goal is to lose weight - just working out with 5 pound dumbells burns calories, but also the muscle they create burns calories even when you're not working out.
Plus, you'll want to be sure to have those muscles toned up for after you lose the weight, so you will look firm and tight, not flabby and loose.
Tone Your Muscles If you're relatively thin, but just want to fill out your clothes better, resistance training is the only way to go.
Light dumb bells firm up the muscle tissue just enough to make you look fit.
Achieve Your Goal Whether your goal is to lose weight, tone muscles or grow big bulky muscles, you will need to do some type of resistance training.