Weight Lifting + Muscle Building

ravebarj

ravebarj

New member
Hey guys,

I'm new around here so if I posted this in the wrong section just let me know. I just began weightlifting with some friends within the last month, and although I'm rather inexperienced they've been at it for years and are coaching me through all the forms and such so as not to develop terrible habits or anything. I just have one question regarding weightlifting. Although I know weight lifting helps gain muscle, does it do anything else for you cardiovascular wise or anything? Just wondering.

Thanks,
Ravebarj
 
Increases strength, increased functionality, increased strength of connective tissue, improved performance/balance, improved glucose balance, improved insulin sensitivity, potentially aid in cholesterol and blood pressure readings, burns calories and therefore reduced body fat, increased metabolism, potentially increases bone strength/thickness......

Do I need to go on?
 
Someone posted this interesting read a bit ago... Opening paragraph pretty much is a direct answer to your question:
 
Yea, I posted that. It's written by Alan Aragon, a guy who has about as much respect that you can get from me, personally. That entire article is worth reading although the majority is not related to this thread.

Good reference P2B.
 
Although I WOULD like to take issue with one of the bullets steve threw in there, and ask for a clarification:

improved performance/balance
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Are you referring to balance as in "I can stand on one leg" balance?

I have never found that my workouts increase my balance, unless I do workouts specifically designed to work on that (The shake board, the balls, certain core workouts, etc etc).

also, what sort of performance are you referring to?

Every time I go into training, my golf swing goes to hell. I went from shooting an 83 in early august to shooting a 118 this past weekend on the same course (as an example). It happens every time. While a certain amount of loss is to be expected, I wouldn't say that that was an increase in performance.

EDIT:
I didn't mention that I hadn't golfed inbetween those times. Adding in a few strokes is expected... adding in that many is not.
 
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I can tell you for sure that using the elliptical hands-free (without holding the side bars) improves your balance. It is difficult at first, but becomes easy and fun when you get used to it.

Try that out next time you do some cardio. :)
 
PigtoBig said:
Are you referring to balance as in "I can stand on one leg" balance?
Click to expand...

If you are doing unilateral work, certainly.

If you are doing bilateral work, no. But it will improve your balance bilaterally.

Specificity of training always applies.

also, what sort of performance are you referring to?
Click to expand...

Define performance.

In my book, performance is a bundle of variables; strength, power, speed, etc all being a part of this bigger bundle.

Every time I go into training, my golf swing goes to hell. I went from shooting an 83 in early august to shooting a 118 this past weekend on the same course (as an example). It happens every time. While a certain amount of loss is to be expected, I wouldn't say that that was an increase in performance.
Click to expand...

Yea, you are leaving out the need for specificity.

Lifting weights doesn't magically make you good at anything and everything.
 
If you are doing unilateral work, certainly.

If you are doing bilateral work, no. But it will improve your balance bilaterally.

Specificity of training always applies.
Click to expand...

Come on, you know you are the king of links, gimme somethin. I can't believe that lifting weights promotes an increase in general balance any more than simply walking around would. Most of the the exercises are done / can be done in ways that decrease the possibility of your movement / having to correct yourself. Think on a bench press. Your back is flat to a long board, and the force you are pressing against is orthogonal to the surface holding you up. Pulling exercises are generally balanced likewise.
 
And you don't think a squat would improve balance?

A push press?

A power clean?

Not everything translates into balance at the feet either, mind you.

Also, if you are an athletic individual to start, chances are your proprioception and balance are already great, so room for improvement must come from more specific (there's that specificity principle again) means.

But your average gym goer will certainly have a positive correlation between their balance and resistance training.
 
Also, if you are an athletic individual to start, chances are your proprioception and balance are already great, so room for improvement must come from more specific (there's that specificity principle again) means.
Click to expand...

Okay, THERE it is. I thought you were saying that anyone could use weight lifting as a means of raising your overall balance. While a person is weight lifting, I don't disagree that they'll become more comfortable going through various motions that might not be everyday motions(squatting / pressing / pulling), and they could gain a sense of comfort in utilizing those motions.

When you said balance, I had the mental image of a football player in a crouch, on the balls of his feet, or of a wrestler holding up another wrestler about to take him to the mat.

Sorry for the discussion on this, I had just never heard anyone reference balance as a benefit of a weightlifting program.
 
No problem, think about the target population. Context has a lot of weighting in this particular case. When I trained in the gym, almost every single person had better balance after a month of training.

But they were not athletes to begin with for the most part.
 
sorry i didn't check back, i missed all the great advice! :D.

Thanks again guys, I appreciate the input.
 
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