- improves balance
- enhances posture
- increases coordination
- prevents injury
- protects bone health
- eases pain
- reduces fat
- prevents weight gain
- slows age-related muscle loss
“Weight training truly is the fountain of youth when it comes to keeping your body healthy,” explains Allison Jackson, a certified personal trainer.
“As we age, we generally lose muscle,” she explains, adding that, in addition to building muscle, weight-bearing exercises are key to building stronger bones.
If you’re worried about muscles changing the body you already love, keep reading. We’ve got the science-backed info on why muscle matters and how to build strength training into your workouts to fit your goals.
- lifting
- taking a power yoga class
- busting through a high intensity interval training (HIIT) circuit
- doing body weight exercises
- pushups
- squats
- crunches
- donkey kicks
- triceps dips
Aim for a mix ofisotonicandisometricexer
ISOMETRIC
- plank
- Warrior Pose(s)
- wall sit
- boat pose
- glute bridge
For both types of exercises, try for 3 sets.
3. Bust the moves that give you the most bang
Whether doing reps or holding a static pose,compound exercises, which target multiple muscles or muscle groups, will make your efforts the most efficient.
Thinkburpees, side-plank rotations, and mountain climbers. These exercises often get your heart rate going and give a dose of cardio, especially if you do them as part of a HIIT circuit.
4. Modify movements to suit your needs
Altering an exercise is all about meeting your body where it’s at right now. If your wrists aren’t pleased, drop to your forearms.
Or if you aren’t ready for standard pushups, use awallor a bench so you can do them at an incline. Over time, you may be able to work your way to the floor.
Most exercises have several modifications. Or you can try a “sister move” that produces similar results.Step upscan sub in for box jumps, for example, if you don’t have a box, are worried about banging your shins, or just want to go easier on your pelvic floor.
| Exercise | Modification or “sister move” |
| Box jumps | Step ups |
| Pushups | Incline pushup (wall or bench) |
| Squats | Chair squats |
| Crunches | Standing bicycle crunches |
Before getting started, consider doing your own research or schedule a session with a personal trainer who can teach you moves that make sense for you.
If you’re striving to sculpt a leaner physique or you want to lose fat, gaining muscle can help you do both. Muscle also protects your body from injury and can ease pain by addressing posture or body imbalances.
1. Look leaner
If you compare a pound of muscle to a pound of fat, you’ll see that muscle takes up less space than fat. This concept leads to confusion because of the myth that muscle weighs more than fat. But a pound weighs a pound, regardless of what it contains.
Ultimately, adding muscle can give you a more svelte look in your skinny jeans, even when the number on the scale doesn’t change.
And regardless of your gender, you’re not going to get a “bulked-up” bodybuilder look without a serious fitness and diet program specialized for that purpose. So ditch that myth if it’s holding you back.
2. Burn more energy than fat can
Although the difference isn’t huge, muscle tissue torches more calories than fat tissue does, both during physical activity and at rest. If you’re trying to increase your calorie burn, increase your muscle mass.
3. Amp up the afterburn
The process of the body attempting to recover or return to its resting state after a workout produces an extra calorie burn that can last for several hours to more than a full day.
This afterburn effect is known in scientific lingo as excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC). The higher the intensity of your workout, the longer EPOC will last.
Research shows that strength training can enhance and extend EPOC, especially when it’s done as part of a HIIT workout.
4. Change how you eat
Although more research needs to be done on this topic, research suggests that increasing your muscle mass may make you less hungry, which could help with weight loss and decrease the risk for developing type 2 diabetes.
If weight loss is your goal, gaining muscle can help you look leaner, burn more energy both during and after exercise, and even potentially change your eating habits.
5. Prevent accidents
Many of our daily movements involve our transverse abdominis, located behind the “six pack.” It acts like a girdle wrapping around the spine.
When it’s strong, we can protect ourselves from falls or other mishaps, and enhance our form and ability to do the activities we love.
6. Better posture
Our muscles hold us up, whether we’re standing in line at the coffee shop or sitting at our desks. If we have weak muscles and slump because of fatigue, we might experience achiness or stiffness.
If we strengthen our muscles, however, we can hold good posture for longer and stave off pain, according to a study.
Strength training can also correct imbalances in the body like lordosis or uneven shoulders that could lead to discomfort.
7. Ward off issues as we get older
After age 30, we say goodbye to approximately 3 to 8 percent of our muscle mass per decade, with even more significant losses later in life. This muscle loss may account for more fatigue, weight gain, and increased risk for fracture.
We can ward off age-related muscle loss, termed sarcopenia, with exercise that includes a combo of cardio and strength training.
You can craft your own muscle-making routine, but if you’re looking for some guidance, ideas, or just a jumpstart, you can follow a program that fits your preferences, lifestyle, and budget.
- DailyOM gives you a list of 3-week courses to choose from, each with instructor-led video workouts that show up in your inbox. Courses are “pay what you want,” and once you’ve made the purchase, you can access your courses repeatedly. DailyOM caters to yogis and people in need of joint-friendly HIIT-based workouts.
- Freeletics offers take-anywhere, no-equipment sessions based on your goals, current fitness level, and age. The subscription-based app teaches you to use your own bodyweight to get results via customized, guided plans. Workout recommendations will change based on your feedback.
- BodyBoss ends you a 12-week progressive HIIT program. Their one-time payment is more economical than a recurring gym membership and it includes a bonus pre-training section to prepare you for the main action. Share your progress, enjoy camaraderie, learn helpful modifications, and glean motivation from the online Facebook community. The program and community are geared towards women, but all genders can benefit from the movements.
- Bodyweight Training provides more than 200 exercises you can do using your body weight and everyday items. Tackle any of the 10-week programs that fit your fitness level or goals. Pay $5 for the app download and then choose which in-app purchases you want.
Realize your power
The benefits of muscle–building transcend giving you an athletic or lean physique. Adding brawn can boost your confidence to do new activities, improve your health, and amp up your life enjoyment as well as keep you feeling agile and able throughout the years. That’s reason enough to hold that plank.
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