"I hated every minute of training, but I said, don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life a champion." ~Muhammad Ali

  I know that for a lot of us who exercise we want to know the quickest way to burn the most calories.  Almost all research now a days lends itself to say that running is one of the best/fastest ways to burn the most calories.  And running is a great workout, and something that's easy enough for everyone to be able to do.  However, we all have to be aware that running is not the only type of exercise we should be doing, even if it is the best way to burn the most calories in the shortest amount of time.  Every workout plan needs to have some sort of strength training in it if you want to achieve your health and fitness goals, no matter what they might be.  As long as you're performing strength training in a healthy way it will always help you acheive the goals you have set for yourself.  Some of the benefits of strength training are: "Faster resting metabolic rate from increased muscle mass" (which means that you'll be burning more calories by doing absoulutely nothing, which is always awesome).

~"A boost in cardiovascular fitness; yes, intense strength training puts a strain on the cardiorespiratory system."

~"Faster reflexes and better balance."

~"Increased bone density and enhanced immune system."

There are of course many more benefits to strength training, however those listed above I believe can be motivating factors for everyone.


("For Extra Motivation, Check out All These Benefits of Strength Training." On Fitness Sept.-Oct. 2010: 12. Web.)



This next fact I found really surprised.  If you're anyone that knows me well you'll know that I've had some problems with back pain for a while.  Those problems used to be reason enough for me to stay away from the gym whenever I felt like I might be having any sort of back pain again.  However, a recent study suggests that back machines at the gym may help improve back pain.  A study conducted by Christian Lariviere, who is a professor at the Institut de recherche Robert-Sauve en sante et en securite du travail (IRSST), showed that subjects who were hooked up to "electromyography sensors that tracked muscle activity and fatigue...showed that using equipment designed for lower back exercises was beneficial."


 There really isn't much else in the article that tells us exactly how much benefit using these machines gives us, but the most important thing is that they do not hurt.  This of course is not proof that if you are in severe pain you should continue doing your normal workouts, but it does mean that slight pain or irriation doesn't neccesarily need to put you out of the gym for any amount of time.


("Study Shows Back Machine Workouts Remedy Low Back Pain." On Fitness Sept.-Oct. 2010: 14. Web.)