Why Build Muscle Mass?

When the word “muscle” is brought up, the mental image on most people’s minds is that of a bodybuilder. Because of this, a lot of people don’t want to lift weights thinking that they will get big and bulky. By doing so, they are missing out on a lot of benefits of strong muscles for both health and fitness.


First things first, you will not get big unless you want to. The key is to lift lighter weights while doing more reps. By doing so, you are building stronger muscles instead of bigger muscles. You would want to avoid lifting heavy weights that take maximum effort and result to you doing only one to two reps. When you lift lighter weights, you should be able to do 16 reps and feel the burn during the middle reps. This burn means that you are working your muscles so you shouldn’t stop and finish your routine.


So, why should you build muscle mass? Stronger muscles are good for overall health and fitness. Muscles work together with your bones to help you move around. Your bones are responsible for your range of movement while muscles are responsible for strength. With increased strength, you are able to do more physical activity.


Aside from lifting heavy objects, your muscular system also carries your weight. Your leg muscles are responsible for carrying you up a flight of stairs and also keeping you balanced while standing. Arm muscles help you pull yourself up or push yourself off the floor from lying down. Muscles also coordinate with each other to help keep you upright. Your core muscles, the muscles in your abdomen and in you back, support your spine and help keep your back straight. Stronger core muscles mean improved posture, which lessens back pain. Your core muscles also work when you do a number of activities like bending over or reaching back to pick up an object.


Building muscle mass is also good for your bones. Muscle-building increases your bone density by making connective tissues stronger. This decreases your chances of getting osteoporosis when you get older. Aside from improving your balance, it also promotes better sleep and mental health. It also helps control you blood sugar levels.


For those who want to lose weight, building muscle actually helps you torch more calories. More muscles in your body means a higher metabolic rate, which means more calories are burned. During the workout, you are burning calories by damaging your muscles. During recovery, your muscles are repaired and they become stronger and this processes burns calories too! Compared to fat, muscles burn more calories during rest so you would want to replace fat in your body with muscle.


These should be enough reason for you finally pump iron during your next workout. For the best weight loss results, incorporate weight training with your regular cardio workout. It is important that when you lift weights, you give your muscles at least a day of rest. You can do cardio workouts five days a week but strength training should be done on three non-consecutive days of the week. Start building muscle mass now and improve your health and fitness.

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