Weight training helps to increase your lean muscle mass, which in turn increases your resting metabolism. This means that when you are carrying out your daily activities you are burning a lot more energy as a result of your muscles being stronger. Muscle in its resting state is like an idling car engine, burning up fuel in the form of calories Therefore, it’s true that the more muscle you have, the more calories your body burns at rest each day The more muscle you have, the greater the storage capacity you have for carbohydrates as well. Stronger muscles will allow you to eat more carbohydrates in your day without them being converted into fat.
The actual act of lifting weights and doing a weight training session burns a high amount of calories also. By focusing on compound exercises (multi-joint movements that work several muscles at one time) you increase the calorie burning capacity. If you think of exercises such as squats, deadlifts, lunges, bench press and pull ups, these are all compound exercises which challenge multiple muscles meaning you can maximize the calorie burning potential. Not only does weight training help with fat burning, it will also help to make you feel tighter in the muscle and many people see a drop in the size of clothes they wear. This in turn increases self confidence and can help to overcome any body image issues. It should also be mentioned that it is recommended that women especially follow a structured weight training program to prevent the development of osteoporosis or brittle bones, a condition which can be overcome through weight bearing exercise and adequate intake of calcium.