9781422272183

The Effects of Strength Training on Body Composition The overall amount of leanmusclemass, fat, water, and bone found in the human body is known as your body composition. Typically, it’s measured as a ratio of fat mass to lean tissue, and it’s often displayed simply as the percentage of body fat. Measuring body composition, therefore, is considered amarker of health in both adults and young people. Without literally cutting into someone, however, it’s impossible to measure body composition with complete accuracy. Instead, the current gold standard of measurement is dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry , or DEXA, the method that produces the most accurate measurements. LeanMuscleMass Strength training shifts your body composition, helping it becomemore leanmusclemass dominant. Not only does weight training buildmuscle and burn fat during the workout, but it continues towork at rest. The moremuscle you have, the better your metabolism functions to convert stored fat into energy. A healthy composition of lean bodymass is associatedwith a reduced risk of diabetes, obesity, illness, and fracture. Bone Density Although once there was a concern about the effect strength training has on growth plates, that theory has since been debunked. In contrast, a supervised, well-organized, and appropriately progressive strength programcan improve bone health across all ages. Themechanical stress placed upon bone during resistance training triggers processes that help bones formand grow stronger. To optimize bone health, strength training should begin before puberty and continue into adulthood. According to research in the journal Sports Medicine , kids starting physical activity early experiencedmore stimulated bone andmuscle growth comparedwith non-physically active youth.

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The Importance of Strength Training