Weightlifting is fast becoming an integral part of every man’s gym routine – and there’s a good reason for this.
The benefits of pumping iron are plenty; more and more studies are proving that weightlifting can significantly improve health and well-being and promote self-confidence and sexual performance.
All men can benefit from incorporating weightlifting into their weekly routines.
Enhanced Brain Power
Weightlifting has been shown to stimulate cells in the brain to grow and divide, increasing its overall size and improving cognitive function.
The Georgia Institute of Technology reported that just twenty minutes of intense exercise enhanced long-term memory by 20% in adults.
Regular weightlifting was found to encourage the growth of the brain’s most important memory center – the hippocampus – significantly improving participants’ performance on memory-based exercises.
Improved Mental Health
The benefits of exercise on physical health are widely accepted. What’s lesser known, however, is the profound impact that regular exercise, particularly weightlifting, can have on our mental health.
And it isn’t just a quick, fleeting mood boost that weightlifting can grant us.
The University of Vermont found that just twenty minutes of exercise stimulated feelings of happiness that lasted up to 12 hours.
The molecules responsible for this boost are called endorphins – tiny neurotransmitters released into the brain that work to inhibit pain signals and promote feelings of euphoria.
The result? Reduced feelings of anxiety and increased happiness – and that’s not forgetting the chiseled biceps you’ll have after hitting the dumbbells. Not bad.
Heightened Self-Confidence
Many turn to the squat rack to quash their insecurities and boost self-confidence. And they’re doing the right thing.
Taking into account that many physical insecurities stem from poor body image, simply hitting the gym regularly can work wonders on your self-esteem. For some people, exercising regularly and honing their physique can boost their confidence. More often, however, the biggest benefit to your confidence doesn’t come from losing weight or putting on muscle. Instead, it comes from learning to push your limits, increase your range of motion, and acquiring new skills.
Better Posture
Improved posture is one of the biggest aesthetic benefits that can be achieved by lifting weights.
Strengthening your upper back and shoulder muscles with exercises like lat pulldowns and dumbbell flies will help you stand taller, maintaining a far healthier posture for your spine.
Not only that, but a healthy, tall posture will also help you to feel more relaxed and confident.
As Amy Cuddy explains in her TED Talk, a study conducted showed that those who adopted ‘power poses’ – strong, open stances that convey self-assurance – for just a few minutes felt far more confident during interviews than those that adopted a closed, less-dominant posture.
Simply by looking confident, after some time, you’ll start to feel more confident too.
Develop Discipline and Mental Strength
Lifting heavy weights is tough. It takes a lot of discipline to drag yourself to the gym, pushing yourself to new limits each time you lift weights.
Thus, weightlifting not only serves as excellent physical exercise, but it’s also a great way to improve mental strength.
During an intense workout, you’re forced to push past any self-limiting thoughts, completing each set regardless of whether or not you feel like carrying on.
You learn that even when your mind has given up, telling you that you’re too tired to continue, you still have it in you to pump out a couple more reps.
This is a crucial lesson that can be taken with you anywhere. (Not just the squat rack.)
Whether working on an arduous project at work, grinding late at night to meet deadlines, or running a marathon, you learn through lifting weights that you always have it in you to keep moving forward, even if your thoughts tell you otherwise.
Discipline and mental strength are invaluable benefits of exercise that can improve our success in all areas of life.
