Resistance Training

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In our society many people are looking for new ways to lose weight. There are many diet plans and pills that are advertised in magazines and on television that clam to help individuals lose weight. No matter what type of diet, pill, or exercise an individual uses the way to lose weight comes down to energy in and energy out. The best way to lose weight and maintain a healthy body fat percentage is to implement a plan that involves both nutrition and exercise. Resistance training is a needed component of an exercise program that has the goal of weight loss.
Resistance training can aid in weight loss because it can increase the individuals resting metabolic rate. Resting metabolic rate is the amount of energy required by the body to maintain normal functions at rest (Kinucan and Kravitz, 2006). Resting metabolic rate decreases with age because of a loss in fat free mass. Men tend to have a higher resting metabolic rate compared to women and this is thought to be the case because males have more fat free mass (Kravitz and Malone, 1999). Resistance training
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Dr. Len Kraviz and Ethan Wilmore, explain why people loose muscle as they age, in their article “What is sarcopenia, and can we turn back the clock”. Sarcopenia is the term used to describe muscle and strength loss as a result of aging (Kravitz and Harris, 2014). As individuals get older they tend to start gaining weight because their metabolism is slowing down. Sarcopenia is evident as people get older because of a decrease in their physical activity (Wilmore and Costill, 2015). One of the reasons muscles decreases with inactivity is because the motor unit is not being stimulated anymore. When the muscle is no longer stimulated, the muscle cells start to waste away. Although inactivity with age can result in muscle wasting, resistance training can counteract neural degeneration (Kravitz and Harris,