{"id":515557,"date":"2024-12-18T08:47:40","date_gmt":"2024-12-18T13:47:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/northernvirginiamag.com\/?p=515557"},"modified":"2024-12-18T08:47:41","modified_gmt":"2024-12-18T13:47:41","slug":"how-weight-training-can-improve-your-overall-fitness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/northernvirginiamag.com\/wellness\/fitness\/2024\/12\/18\/how-weight-training-can-improve-your-overall-fitness\/","title":{"rendered":"How Weight Training Can Improve Your Overall Fitness"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>This year, strength training was the <a href=\"https:\/\/classpass.com\/blog\/2024-classpass-look-back-report\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">third most popular workout<\/a> among users of ClassPass, a subscription-based fitness app, and the American College of Sports Medicine expects it to be one of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.acsm.org\/education-resources\/trending-topics-resources\/acsm-fitness-trends#:~:text=Exercise%20for%20mental%20health%20remains%20the%20%238,reducing%20feelings%20of%20anxiety%2C%20stress%2C%20and%20depression.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">top 10 workout trends for 2025<\/a>. If you\u2019re toying with giving it a try, here\u2019s some helpful info.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-why-lift-weights-nbsp\">Why Lift Weights?&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Strength or weight training \u2014 not to be confused with weightlifting, a competitive sport in which people vie to heave the most weight \u2014 has many health benefits, including strengthening bones and muscles, improving joint health, managing weight, and helping balance and coordination.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAlso, it mentally strengthens you,\u201d says Crissy Santillano, head coach at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.crossfitherndon.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CrossFit Herndon<\/a>, a strength and conditioning gym. \u201cThe stronger I became, the more confident I became as an individual, as a woman.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-who-should-lift-weights-nbsp\">Who Should Lift Weights?&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cEveryone can benefit,\u201d says Santillano. \u201cThe degree of intensity for a 20-year-old and a 60-year-old might look different, but they\u2019re still getting the same benefit,\u201d she says.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Traditionally a male-dominated workout, fitness trainer Justin Case says women are gaining interest in weight training. Case says that when he opened <a href=\"https:\/\/undergroundathlete.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Underground Athlete<\/a> in Fairfax in 2008, about 70 percent of his clients were men. \u201cThen slowly it went to 50\/50, and now we\u2019re approaching 70 percent women and 30 percent men,\u201d says Case, adding that women ages 35-55 are a big driver of that.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-rookie-mistakes-to-avoid-nbsp\">Rookie Mistakes to Avoid&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s important to know your body when you\u2019re starting any exercise program, says Case, a certified strength and conditioning specialist and former Marine. \u201cIf your arm doesn\u2019t go over your head naturally without pain, you probably shouldn\u2019t be doing [shoulder presses],\u201d he says. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of variations that could be done that are more appropriate.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Similarly, don\u2019t walk in on your first day and expect to bench press 250 pounds or even complete a pull-up. Be realistic, Santillano adds.&nbsp;\u201cWhen you start this, we want you going into it with the idea of this is going to be a lifestyle for you,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s not just a quick fix, and it\u2019s not going to happen fast.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-exercises-for-beginners-nbsp\">Exercises for Beginners&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Weight training has three main elements, Case says: exercise selection, volume (the amount of work you perform during a session), and intensity. These elements might be different for each person, but there are some foundational moves, many of which mimic common activities, that he recommends for everyone.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One is squatting. \u201cYou\u2019re going to sit down on a couch, a chair, a toilet, so we need to teach people how to squat,\u201d Case says. \u201cThere are so many variations.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another is a hinge movement, such as a deadlift. To do it, stand with your feet hip-width apart, hold a weight in each hand (or a barbell in both hands), hinge forward with a neutral spine to lower the weight and stand straight again. This works the glutes, hamstrings, core and back.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Other movements include an upper-body horizontal push such as a push-up, a horizontal pull like a row, and single-leg lunges.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Both experts recommend weight training two to three times a week to start, and then incorporating cardio activity (such as walking) or stretching on other days. This advice aligns with the federal <a href=\"https:\/\/health.gov\/our-work\/nutrition-physical-activity\/physical-activity-guidelines\/current-guidelines\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans<\/a> prepared by the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-bottom-line-nbsp-nbsp\">Bottom Line&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYou don\u2019t have to be fit to start doing this; any stage you\u2019re at is a good time to get started,\u201d Santillano says. \u201cIt\u2019s a lot of fun. And training should feel fun. It shouldn\u2019t always feel like you\u2019re destroying your body. What you do in the gym should improve your quality of life outside of the gym.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Feature image, stock.adobe.com<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>For more stories like this,&nbsp;<\/em><\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/northernvirginiamag.com\/newsletter\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong><em>subscribe<\/em><\/strong><\/a><strong><em>&nbsp;to Northern Virginia Magazine\u2019s Wellness newsletter.<\/em><\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Strength training, a growing trend, can help improve joint health, bones and muscles, weight management, and 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