Being strong is part of balance, posture, and functional movement. Your muscles have to be strong enough for your body to be able to get up off a chair, bed, floor, or a flower bed. Your strength improves your production of force and speed (golf swing, punch, throw, tennis serve). Being strong aids in balance and in posture. Strengthening primary movers like your chest, back and legs are important, yet more importantly is strengthening your connective tissue to better stabilize your joints to help prevent and aid in injury recovery. Strength training has been proven to strengthen the heart and help reduce a variety of issues. According to findings published in Medicine and Science in Sports Exercise show that lifting weights for less than an hour per week can reduce the risk of a heart attack or stroke between 40% and 70%.
There is a vast majority of research that supports that resistance training is an effective way of increasing bone density as we age. This type of training can be done with weights, kettle-bells, suspension training, bands, and by utilizing your own body weight in variety of ways. Strength training also aids in building muscle, giving you a more youthful and fit appearance, while helping you burn more calories , even while you are resting.