No Matter If You Push, Pull, or Press...Just Lift Dammit!

To me, this is not a debate, but before I dive into the reasoning weight training is the most important aspect in actually changing your body make-up physically, let's identify what weight training really is. www.dictionary.com defines weight training as, "Physical training that involves lifting weights." Simple right? Yes, the definition is simple, but it is much more important and complex than that. Weight training is actually changes fat cells into lean muscle fibers. So what? Well, I'll tell you; when you lift weights and build muscle it will, after time, change your body composition. When your body composition changes (into creating more lean muscle tissue) your metabolism increases. I bet you're asking why an increase in metabolism is important? It's important because an increase metabolism causes an increase in burning calories. This aids in losing weight. The body basically will start utilizing food as fuel (with increase in muscle within the body). This all goes back to the title of this blog, "No Matter If You Push, Pull, or Press...Just Lift Dammit!"

When you lift weights you're either doing isolation exercises, or compound movements in a pushing, pulling, or pressing format. If you bench press (barbell, or unilaterally with dumbbells) you're pressing. If you are doing a back row (barbell, or unilaterally with dumbbells) you're pulling. If you're doing a lat pull-down...well you get the picture. All movements involve one of these types of movements, but that's not enough. You can do the movement, but it needs to be done correctly to get everything out of this type of exercise. The "negative" or the part that feels like resistance, is essential if you want to work that specific muscle(s) correctly. "SLOWDOWN!" is what I usually tell my clients. Feel that resistance, stress that muscle. Going fast and getting sloppy is a joke, and played out. Control is the key (we will touch on this in a future blog).

Lift weights! No matter if you push, pull, or press...lift weights. These weights do not have to be heavy at all; form is one of the most important aspects of lifting. Heck, you don't even need to use weights. You can use bands, tubes, even just body-weight, just lift!