When weight loss isn’t enough: the other reason you should weight train

April 27, 2018 Ashley 0 Comments

Any one else here addicted to cardio?

And tend to neglect strength training?

(To my shame, yes…)

I’ll admit it. For a few months (thanks, extended winter), I fell off the weight-lifting wagon. My biceps became flaccid. My calves got flabbier. And even my caboose deflated like conjoined Mylars from a party long passed. Granted, I didn’t get fat fat. It’s impossible. I munch shrubbery (see: vegan) and run like I’m training for an Olympics no one would watch ever (see: trail running). But two things occurred in tandem. First, I lost my taut body for a bit. And, second, the cardio I’d kept doing got harder. It almost got to the point where I didn’t wanna do any of it at all. See, I’m not the type just to work out to lose weight. I’ve found a brand of weight loss activities that I love doing. I’ve hacked fat by turning my workouts into play. (Trail running, MMA, chasing after my Pekingese who managed to wriggle out’ve her collar at 7 A.M. when I’m already running late…) They’re to me what wine and pharmaceuticals are to others. So, I won’t just sit there in a gym and lift or lower heavy things for the benefit of buns. Not if I can’t make it fun – or convince myself there’s an even better benefit. But, indeed, better benefit there is. Because, as it turns out, getting swoll is the stuff that makes my legal, non prescription, over the counter natural-activity-Valium activities all the more potent.

Case in point: fast forward to the first inkling of spring, and I was back to dropping them back-hams like they were magnets hovering over a steel rug. I mean, I got diligent. And, like clockwork, it happened. Within a week, I was reborn an aerobic god. Demolishing my PR. Sprinting to the finish. Ready for more. But, ever the curious student of life, I needed to know – what was that? Why was my cardio effected by something totally different – like weight training? See, the easy answer would be that I got stronger. Right? Right. That would be easy. But it’s wrong. ’cause I just learned in school, not long ago, that it actually takes a good month at least before any’ve your body meat builds up enough to notice.

So, I had to rule that out. And do a little research.

And what I found was this: The reason your favorite cardio activities receive a level up after steady lifting has to do with at least two things: blood flow and pyruvate. See, when you pump iron, you’re also pumping blood more abundantly. Your blood vessels have these receptors that widen so more of your crimson life oil can get to the muscle in question. Meanwhile, that muscle’s squirting your sanguine stuff up to your heart. And, if there’s more blood available, then your heart can get more out with each beat. Boom. It’s like a super oxygenated blood giveaway, Oprah style, to all’ve your body meat. And the next time you go to enjoy your formerly gentle jog through the woods, you’ll badazz through it in half the time.

But what about that pyruvate stuff, you ask? This one’s kinda nifty. (*Pushes up nerd specs and sucks spit through teeth*) See, our bodies require glucose as gas for our weightlifting joyrides. It fuels you. But, as with most chemical reactions happening in our body labs, there’re byproducts. And the byproduct of this just happens to be the aforementioned pyruvate. And why’s that matter? Because pyruvate’s molecular money for running and the like. It’s one’ve our body’s main sources for aerobic activity. And, by strength training, your body machine masters the art of manufacturing it in the most efficient manner.

So, if you need a better reason to strength train than weight loss, now ya have it.

Simply put, lifting’s like winning a body fuel lottery that goes straight to your cardio credit card.