We are aware of the mere benefits of keeping physically active, or are we?

In the past few years, it seems exercise has been heavily neglected. The average person won’t even bother to workout or keep active these days, which could be due to a mere lack of knowledge concerning its advantages.

Many regard weightlifting to be some sort of a high-risk, perilous indulgence which will only leave you with a broken spine for six months - which, in some cases happens, but that’s no reason to ignore it.

The reality is that this form of exercising provides added benefits as well as normal healthy activities such as running on a treadmill. Experts say that it’s not just about building muscle mass and bulking up to become hulk, and for some it has completely changed their life.
 

One of the primary benefits it has which is not often discussed is mental health. Like any form of aerobic exercise, you can’t argue with this point. With a surge of endorphins released from strength training, which is the so-called “feel happy hormone”, studies show drastic mood changes, all of which are positive, ultimately lowering stress levels.

As for pupils, students and schoolchildren, this one is handy. Unlike any standard form of physical activity, it is heavy strength training in particular that dramatically raises levels of testosterone, essential for the growth and development of young teenagers, and even improves creativity, cognitive function, and your memory, a useful addition to help boost exam performance as well as your physical and mental wellbeing.

 

This one is common sense, but your strength will inevitably go up. The only hazard is that you have to make sure the exercises you are doing, especially heavy compound lifts, namely squatting, deadlifting and bench pressing, are done with correct form. This means to not bend the back or spine, and to use an appropriate amount of weight so that it is able to be controlled. Otherwise, you could see yourself out of the gym for months or even years, and leave yourself with permanent injuries, which you obviously wouldn’t want to.
Nonetheless, if you master this with all exercises you perform, you can expect to see massive strength gains in no longer than 1-3 months, which can never be a bad thing. Adding more definition to your muscles really has no negatives and we’ve all had that idea of becoming our favourite movie stars.


If you struggle to sleep at night or suffer from insomnia, it helps out a lot. Almost everyone finds it difficult to fall asleep quickly in the modern world with so many distractions keeping us awake at night, but this definitely improves your quality of sleep. If we have better sleep, we have more energy throughout the day to perform our normal, daily tasks to a much higher standard without constantly feeling drowsy, be it in the workplace, at home or in school. 

 

Our confidence skyrockets, we build immense self-discipline, and we can change our lives in ways that people don’t think is possible by just picking up a weight 2 or 3 times a week. Whether it’s dangerous isn’t even a question. Many waste such an opportunity that requires little to no effort in the beginning, so we have to make the most of it whilst we can. The benefits far outweigh the negatives.