Go heavy, go often: 5 Top Reasons for Increasing How Much You Lift

(MensFitnessFocus.com) Heavy lifting is increasingly popular these days. You might feel happy in your comfort zone, but upping the amounts you lift in a workout can have a number of important benefits. Heavy lifting isn’t just for those who want to get ripped like a body-builder, it’s actually got a number of key upsides. We’re going to look at some of them.

It’s great for shredding weight

There’s a popular belief that cardio is all you need to lose weight. This isn’t actually the case. Recent research has shown that heavy lifting can potentially be more effective than simply sticking to a cardiovascular workout. Most successful workout routines should obviously include a range of different exercises, and it’s not advisable to only lift big weights if you’re looking to trim some pounds, but heavy lifting can really help.

The great thing about lifting to lose weight is it tends to only burn fat whereas cardio can burn fat and muscle. It has also been suggested that you could reduce body fat with heavy lifting without the need to cut calories or change your diet. It’s that much more effective than simply sticking to cardio.

Heavy weights burn more calories

So we’ve just looked at how heavy lifting burns the right sort of fat and stays away from shredding your muscle (which you probably want to keep). But it actually burns more calories, too. Research suggests that although you’ll burn more calories in a cardio session compared to a lifting session of the same length, your body actually continues to shed more calories for a period after heavy lifting. That makes weight lifting more productive even for those who are simply trying to burn calories. This potential benefit is actually multiplied somewhat when you lift heavier weights.

Heavy weights build strength much faster

This seems obvious, but you’d be surprised how many people think they can get the strength they need with weights that are simply too light. Real strength is gained from heavy weight lifting.

Heavy weights can actually help you lose belly fat

It can be hard to focus on specific areas of the body where you want to lose weight, but heavy lifting is actually recommended because it can help shed weight around the waist. Your body stores fat in particular places, and research has suggested that heavy lifting can help trim these areas long before cardio would.

Heavy lifting can prevent injury

The importance of this shouldn’t be underestimated, but heavy lifting can be great for getting your body in shape and building a physique that’s harder to injure. Strengthening the muscles around your joints is especially important, and their integrity can be improved by heavy lifting (which can also help you maintain good form).

The reality is, heavy lifting isn’t just limited to those who want to get huge. It’s got a number of great benefits for normal people who just want to get in shape. Whilst you should make sure you stay within your limits and only lift safe amounts, heavy lifting can add some great variety to your workout.

The quality of the weights you use can also make a huge difference. There’s a massive gap between cheap weights and the right equipment. For some of the best quality weights and fitness equipment at affordable prices, you can visit Rep Fitness.

Reporting by Peter Ellington.

MensFitnessFocus.com is part of the USA Features Media network. Check out all our daily headlines here.