Pros and Cons of Weight-Lifting
| Subject: | 🍏 Nutrition |
| Type: | Expository Essay |
| Pages: | 4 |
| Word count: | 995 |
| Topics: | Weight Loss, Anatomy, Exercise, 🍲 Food |
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Table of Contents
Thesis statement
Weight lifting is considered to be one of the major strength training activities for skeletal muscles size and strength development. It is done to achieve different purposes that include injury prevention, weakness strengthening and fat loss, improvements of the looks or getting stronger.
Introduction
Weight lifting has been associated with different long term and positive effects on the general well-being and health. Adhering to regular physical routines lead to desired athletic shape, thereby eliminating self-esteem factors related to appearance. Some people shun weight-lifting as a tedious aspect meant for those who want to build muscles. Weight-lifting is not entirely for muscle-building. There are four major weightlifting benefits and they include bone mineral improvement, coordination improvement, metabolism and muscle mass increase and strength improvement (Pratley et al.134). These mentioned benefits can be gained from a range of weight trainings such as weight lifting. Weight lifting however has pros and cons as well. In the current study, we are restricted to the discussion of two pros and two cons of weightlifting and they have been explored as seen in the next section
Pros of Weight lifting
Loss of Body Fat
It has been found that weight-lifting builds muscle. Therefore, as lean muscles expand, metabolism equally increases. Higher metabolism rates translate to the lifter burning more calories throughout the day and not just during the weigh-lifting sessions (Villareal et al. 1218). As an activity practiced by women and men, research indicates that for an average woman, strength training makes them strong, in addition to assisting them in weight management. Often, people try out different methods of losing weight before they resort to the efficient weight-lifting (Villareal et al. 1219). Some of these schemes which are mythical range from absconding food, consistently taking lemon juice and eating snacks and fruits only.
Low Injury and Low Intensity Risks
In comparison with cycling, jogging and other exercise methods, weight-lifting techniques such as bench pressing, squatting and dead-lifting appear more like wishing for death than a beneficial discipline. When one does weight-lifting, the risks of injury appear to be elevated significantly as compared to other forms of exercise. In a study conducted through reviewing 20 studies, it was indicated that bodybuilding ranked low in terms of injuries (Villareal 1224). It came out as producing only 1 injury per 1000 training hours. It was also concluded that most injuries caused while weight-lifting are only minor ones such as muscle or joint pains. These kinds of injuries do not call for special medical attention and can be easily treated at home or die naturally. Others disappear as one gets sufficient rest. Even though more intense weight-training displayed more frequent injury rates, they were not as bad as compared to other exercise forms, producing only 3 injuries in 1000 training hours (Villareal 1225). These indicated rates, as compared to accidents that occur during cycling, boxing and other forms of exercises, are low.
Cons of Weight lifting
Exposure to Muscle Enhancers
A good number of weight-lifters practice to enhance their muscle or strength (Bishop, Jones and Woods 1018). Achievement of results varies for different people, depending on one’s physical response rate. Supplements and steroids are easily opted for when trainers do not achieve the desired results. While supplements are not unhealthy (but are nevertheless manufactured medicines), steroids have bad side effects that might last a life-time. Anabolic steroids, for instance, are readily available in gyms globally (Bishop et. al. 1019). These substances resemble the androgenic hormones of human beings, for example testosterone. Professional muscle-builders as well as those who do weight-lifting as a hobby ingest the drugs while aiming at achieving the best results.
A Costly Affair and time consuming
Weight-lifting is an expensive deal. Professional weight-lifters for instance, have to adhere to special types of diets which are expensive to the common citizen (Thompson 9). These types of food have to be consumed consistently so as to maintain the required body shape. Athletes who are not under sponsorship find it difficult to maintain their lifestyle. In addition to this, weight-lifting machinery is expensive to acquire if one is to set-up the equipment at home, considering the additional cost of a personal trainer. Moreover, gym sessions averagely cost a lot for a serious weight-lifter. Setting up the weights and lifting them is a long process as compared to other forms of exercise. For example, during jogging, one only has to wear their gear and set out on foot. On the other hand, in gym sessions, in most instances people have to share the same weight while alternating in between. In fact, weights cannot be lifted continuously because one has to rest in between as opposed to other exercises.
Conclusion
Weightlifting being one of the major strength training activities for skeletal muscles size and strength development, it is done to achieve different purposes that include injury prevention, weakness strengthening, and fat loss, improvements of the looks or getting stronger. The pros and cons are associated to weightlifting and a few have been covered in the current study. In this case, it justifies the hook sentence where it is one of the major activities commonly undertaken in the world for the purposes of health and wellbeing benefits. Weight training or lifting has benefits that are long term on the well-being as well as health. There is however nothing that lacks advantages and disadvantages and thus, weight lifting has pros and cons. Weight lifting, a practice which has been in existence for a long time, exhibits both merits and demerits. The exercise is known to lead to improvement of self-esteem, loss of body fat, reduction in risks of getting diagnosed with Osteoporosis and low injury risk. However, weight lifting also has its adverse side which entails the fact that it is costly and time-consuming, and can lead to a form of dehydration which is difficult to realize. Moreover, the vice exposes its adherents to harmful drugs in the name of enhancing results.
- Bishop P, Eric J, and Krista W. “Recovery from training: a brief review: brief review.” The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research,vol. 22, no 3, 2008, pp. 1015-1024.
- Pratley R, Nicklas B, and Rubin M. “Strength training increases resting metabolic rate (RMR) and norepinephrine levels in healthy 50 to 65 year old men.” J. Appl. Physiol, vol. 94, no1, 1994, pp. 133-137.
- Thompson, Walter R. “Worldwide survey of fitness trends for 2017.” ACSM’s Health & Fitness Journal, vol. 20, no 6, 2016, pp. 8-17.
- Villareal, Dennis. “Weight loss, exercise, or both and physical function in obese older adults.” New England Journal of Medicine, vol. 364, no13, 2011, pp. 1218-1229.
Offered for reference purposes only.