I read a joke on Facebook that went like this: "To all of those fit, buff people in the weight room - go home, you are done already!"
I laughed but the joke stuck with me. It has some real truth in it.
It's not that the fit people should stop going to the gym - if they did that, they would lose all they have gained. But rather, there are several other types of people who should be in the weight room as well, people who don't necessarily think they belong there.
Seniors
Out of everyone, seniors benefit the most from lifting weights. Building muscle helps slow down the aging process and can help prevent injuries.
During a time when your body is naturally trying to break down, you can fight this process by challenging it to continue to build and grow by lifting weights.
Weight lifting also helps prevent bone loss so if you have an accident, there is less chance of cracking brittle bones.
Women
When I walk into a gym, I typically see the men in the weight room and the women on the cardio machines. I'm not sure why the myth persist that weights will make you big and cardio will make you small.
Yes, it is possible to bulk up if you lift heavy weights several times a day and eat a diet high in protein. But this is also very difficult to do and doesn't happen by chance.
If we are thinking purely aesthetics, weight training is actually the best way to transform your body into an appealing shape, whether that be smaller or bigger.
Although training the heart is extremely important, cardio should not always take precedence over training with weights. A balance of the two is the best approach.
Overweight or out of shape adults
I often hear people use the excuse that they will come to the gym when they are in better shape. You know the best way to get in shape: come to the gym.
If you are overweight or severely out of shape, training with weights can be an easier place to start. Cardio machines demand a huge oxygen output, which forces your heart to work much harder than may be comfortable or safe.
Again, a combination of the two is the safest and gives you the benefits of both.
Young adults
Not all teens are athletic or have the confidence to try out for sports teams either at their school or community clubs. The gym can be a non-competitive, non-intimidating environment where teens can start healthy, life-long habits of building fitness into their regular routine.
Endurance athletes
Endurance athletes, specifically marathon runners and long-distance cyclists, fear muscle almost as much as they fear fat. They believe any extra weight will slow them down.
But what they don't realize is that weight-to-strength ratio is much more important than actual size. What if you could substantially increase your strength by gaining only a few pounds of muscle? What if you knew that this increased muscle would help burn fat, maintain a higher metabolism and help prevent injuries, all which serve to further your life as an athlete?
Adding in a weight training program, especially during the off season or pre-season, might be the edge an endurance athlete is looking for.
Kristina Bangma is a coach, personal trainer and writer with a love of riding and racing. Email questions to [email protected].
