“Why bother building muscles?” might seem like a silly question to ask in a blog post for a gym. After all, isn’t that the main reason people go to a gym? To get strong, build muscles, look great, and get healthy.
While the answer seems obvious, it’s still a good question to ask. Knowing there are benefits to building muscles that go beyond how you look can help improve motivation. It might also help give you the push to try more strength training if you’ve been focusing more on other fitness goals.
Boost Metabolism
Building muscle boosts your resting metabolic rate. The more muscles you build, the more calories you burn even when you’re sitting in front of your computer at work or chilling on the couch.
Build Up Bones
Your muscles aren’t the only things getting stronger when you do strength training. As your muscles get stronger, they also pull on and strengthen your bones. Weight training improves bone density. This is an especially important benefit to building muscles for people with a higher risk for osteoporosis.
Support Joints, Ligaments, and Tendons
Building muscle also strengthens joints, ligaments, and tendons as you build stronger muscles and bones. This can help prevent injury since you’re less likely to have strains, sprains, and tears in stronger ligaments and tendons. Working out can also help reduce everyday aches and pains.
Improve Posture and Balance
Building strength and improving joint health helps improve your posture. It can also help with your balance, which is something that’s just as big a help in everyday life as in the gym. Improved posture can even make you more resistant to stress and improve your mood (Nair et al. 2014).
Enjoy A Better Mood
Regular exercise has great benefits for your mental health as well as physical health. We already talked about how improved posture can improve mood and help relieve stress. Exercise, including strength training, also releases mood-boosting endorphins and lowers cortisol. It can also improve self-confidence as you hit workout goals.
Better Your Overall Health
Strengthening your muscles helps improve overall health. We’ve already touched on several reasons for this. In addition to those benefits we already talked about, strength training improves blood flow and strengthens the heart. Building muscles can also boost your immune system and help your body regulate blood sugar.
Get Moving!
Really, there isn’t a good reason not to build muscles. The mind-body benefits far outweigh any “bother” of dedicating time to strength training. The next time you wonder if heading to the gym is worth it, think about all the reasons why building muscles is great for your mental and physical health. And if you’re looking for a community of supportive fitness-minded people to work out with, check out Extreme Studio Performance. Click here to request a tour and free evaluation.