Weight Lifting Isn’t Just for Meatheads

We have all seen them. The huge guys at the gym, lifting huge stacks of plates and grunting and sweating like their head is about to explode. Their arms are busting out of their shirts and their legs look like they belong to a horse…a muscular horse. Who wants to look like that? This is one of the main reasons that some people, although they want to lost weight and look great, refuse to lift weights. They are scared that picking up the heavy iron will turn them into hulking behemoths that can’t put their arms down by their side. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Lifting weights will not turn you into a bodybuilder overnight. Getting the kind of muscle you see on those big boys in the gym takes years (10-15) of work, incredibly long workouts, and sometimes, a little “help” from a not so natural source…if you get my drift. For most of us, adding weight training into our exercise regimen will do exactly what we want it to. Weight training will help you to lose weight, get in shape, and look better at the beach. You see, for every ounce of muscle you build, your body will speed up its own internal fat burning process. The more muscle you build, the more fat you were burn. Now, muscle DOES weigh more than fat, but don’t let that scare you. I mean, what do you really care about, how much you weight, or what you look like with your shirt off? That is the real test if improving your physique is high on your priority list. Most of us just want to watch the scales and see the pounds come pouring off, but when you are regularly training with weights, this oftentimes does not happen. As you are burning fat, you are building muscle, so your weight may stay the same, but your body may look drastically different. Your clothes will fit better, the people at the office will start to look at your differently and when beach time comes, you will be the first to rip off your shirt!

So, how do you get started with a good weight training program? The last thing you want to do is hit the gym and start blasting out arm curls with absolutely no idea of what you are doing. Weight training is serious business and can be very dangerous. One wrong move and you could wind up lying in bed for 6 months watching your body slip into worse shape than before you started. A solid rule of thumb when beginning to work with weights is to partner up with someone who knows what they are doing. This could be a friend who has lots of experience or better yet, a personal trainer. A qualified personal trainer can walk you through a step by step process of building an effective weight training program that will help you to reach your goals while avoiding injury along the way.

So the next time you think about lifting weights, you may not conjure a vision of a well oiled massive figure posing in tiny trunks; you may see yourself, ripped, in shape, and looking fantastic thanks to your weight training program.