4 Reasons You Should Be Strength Training

In order to get the most out of your minutes at the gym, strength training is a crucial element of your workout plan.

Don’t get us wrong, cardio is an effective way to get your heart rate up and is great for your long-term health, but you may be doing your body a disservice by skipping barre class and HIIT training. Here’s why you should be incorporating weights into your workout 2-3 times a week:

1. Your body will work harder, even when resting. You burn an extra 120 calories a day for every 3 pounds of muscle you build, just going about your day.
2. You’ll protect your body from injury. Balance and functional strength training have been proven to reduce the risk of injury and keep you crushing your goals without spraining an ankle or injuring your knees. A great way to prevent back pain is by strengthening your core, so your barre core burnout will help protect you from injury in all your workouts.
3. You can build long & lean muscle. Many people avoid hitting strength classes because they don’t want to get “bulky”. Large muscles are only achieved through a rigid diet combined with strength training, not lifting weights alone. Don’t shy from heavy weights, as long as you’re working the full range of motion, you’ll stretch your muscles while you build them.
4. You’ll strengthen your mental resilience. Switching up your workouts will keep your muscles and brain guessing. By pushing yourself to conquer heavier weights or more repetitions, you’ll strengthen your mental game and train yourself to say “yes” to more challenges.

Barre class is an insanely effective class to tone & build muscle. The combination of small weights and increased number of repetitions strengthens and lengthens your leg, arm & ab muscles. Using combination moves, you’re working both small and large muscles groups, giving you a distinctly effective workout. HIIT class works each muscle group in intervals that will push your heart rate up at the same time, giving you a powerful strength and cardio combination.

Step out of your comfort zone this week and book a barre or HIIIT class, your body will thank you.