Running Head: The Benefits of Weightlifting1

The Benefits of Weightlifting

Mikhael Karpovics
University of Northern Iowa

THE BENEFITS OF WEIGHTLIFTING2

Abstract

In the dawn of days, bodybuilding was a circus act. Big, strong men showing off their
muscles. It was almost like a freak show. Arnold Schwarzenegger was the dawn of an era, where
he turned a circus act into an art admired by many. Slowly people began going to the gym trying
to look good. People began liking it, yet rumors spread that weightlifting ruins your joints, stunts
growth, and so on. Research was done and athletes began to use weight training to enhance their
performance. Nowadays the gym is seen as something necessary for every athlete. Today, going
to the gym to enhance sports performance is seen as something normal. Kids as young as ten
years old start lifting. Not only does the gym increase their potential, but it helps athletes recover
from injuries as well, making huge changes in the medical field. Influencing physiotherapy and
helping people change their lifestyle to be healthy and fit. While training in the olympic training
center in Chula Vista California, weightlifting became a regular part of my routine. As I would
lifts weights three times a day. Even after I broke some bones, they made me lift weights in the
physiotherapy clinic. Surrounded by olympic medalists, I saw how hard they trained and how
crucial weightlifting was to their performance. Now I use weightlifting to stay in shape and
pursue a healthy, fit lifestyle. Trying to improve the way my body looks and my overall fitness. It
is a fun and healthy hobby that everyone should pursue.

THE BENEFITS OF WEIGHTLIFTING3

The Benefits of Weightlifting
Weightlifting has revolutionized modern day fitness and modern day medicine as it
changed the way athletes perform. At the beginning, weightlifting was seen as something taboo.

People didn't understand why someone would go to a gym and lift weights causing oneself pain
in order to get bigger. Once bodybuilders began to star in movies, people's perspective changed.
They began to admire how a strong, muscly man looked. Actors began to strive to look muscular.
Once athletes saw how strong weightlifting could make you, it revolutionized sports as athletes
incorporated it into their training routine. Doctors began to experiment with it helping patients
get stronger after they have suffered an injury. This led to weightlifting revolutionizing the way
physiotherapy helped people. Misconceptions on weightlifting came out as people argued it was
bad for the body such as growth, joints, and bones. Weightlifting has revolutionized modern day
fitness. It helps the average person pursue a healthy, fit lifestyle, as it can enhance the
performance of athletes, making them superior to their competition, also helping them prevent
injuries. As it helps them recover from them as well. It also has helped overweight people lose
weight and prevent them from getting life threatening diseases.

THE BENEFITS OF WEIGHTLIFTING4

Literature Review
Many people have characterized weightlifting as something bad or a sort of taboo art.
Over the past years it has become a much more accepted thing and most people participate in the

activity. Weightlifting was seen as damaging and hurtful to one's body, but thanks to science, that
has changed.
The physical benefits of consistent strength training include an increase in muscle size,
tone, strength, and an increase in bone, tendon, and ligament strength. It also improves
physiological health, such as improving self confidence, self esteem, and self perseverance. Pat
Manocchia, CEO of La Palestina, encourages workers to work out after or during work as he
believes it promotes self discipline and increases self motivation skills. Weightlifters tend to
have a better overall mood. Apart from helping physiologically, it can also help the overall body
as well. By increasing muscle size and strength, it increases bone density. The more weight you
lift the thicker your bones get in order to withstand the weight. This is especially helpful to the
elderly, as a study showed that lifting weight also had an increase in hip bone density. A common
problem senior citizens have. Weightlifting also helps prevent arthritis and atrophied body parts
because weightlifting allows joints and cartilages to grow, lubricate themselves, and find a wider
range of movement.
Steve Spence, a runner for Boston University, claims that, Every major breakthrough I
have made in my running has come after a period of strength training. This proves that even
athletes who need to stay lean and fast can lift weights to improve their performance.

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Weightlifting is especially good for athletes who need explosive strength. Weightlifting increases
and strengthens the fast twitch muscle, which is something all athletes will use. As resistance
training can also increase explosive strength dramatically. The only difference between athletes
and bodybuilders is that athletes use certain exercises to improve the movements they commonly

do. For example, cyclists perform single leg lifts to improve their leg strength and resistance.
Long gone are the days where coaches believed weight training added unnecessary bulk. There is
sufficient evidence for strength training programs to continue to be an integral part of athletes
preparations for their sport. Sport specific resistance training is a more refined approach than
simply lifting heavy weights to complete exhaustion. Weightlifting can also act as physiotherapy
for athletes to help prevent muscle deterioration.
Strength training is more useful and more efficient than most people realize, and a
valuable component to injury rehabilitation. It is better to train through an injury as training
through an injury can help you maintain muscle strength. It prevents muscles from becoming
atrophied. It also keeps you in shape and relatively strong so when you are fully healed you can
train at one's full potential without being susceptible to more injuries. In order to train through an
injury you must use light weight. This weight must be focused on the specific area that is injured.
Most injuries can be helped with training. Injuries such as acute injuries which involves the
tearing of muscle. Subacute injuries such as muscle wear and certain sprains. Chronic injuries are
recommended to be treated by a proper physician, and these injuries involve joint injuries, rotator
cuff injuries, and tendon tears.

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For several years, people thought that lifting weights was something bad. That it would
hurt your joints, make you look massive and ugly, make you short, and so on. The more research
that has been put into weightlifting, the more they find out that this is not true, but it actually
does the opposite. Stunting growth was a big myth that went around for a while. People believed
that for some reason if you lifted heavy weights, it would compress your body downward making

you shrink or your muscles would get tighter causing you to shrink. Although it does the
opposite, your muscles are constantly growing when weightlifting promoting bone growth and
strength. Then they claim that it hurts joints, putting pressure on them and causing them to wear
away and damaging cartilages as well. The only way you will damage your joints weightlifting is
by lifting more weight than you are ready for or by performing an exercise incorrectly. Scientific
research has gone into weightlifting and if it affects cartilages. Studies have shown:
The cartilage was found to be significantly thicker in weightlifters in most of the
analyzed regions. The distribution of cartilage thickness on the medial and lateral femoral
condyles was similar in both groups. The duration of training was not associated with cartilage
thickness, but the time of training onset correlated inversely with cartilage thickness. (National
center for biotech information, 2007)
The body is versatile and can easily adjust to its needs. As seen, weightlifters cartilages become
thicker, helping their body become healthier and allowing them to take more wear and tear than
average humans, which results in healthier, longer lasting cartilages.

THE BENEFITS OF WEIGHTLIFTING 7

Then comes the other theories that if you lift weights you will get big and look like those
nasty, massive body builders. This is not true. In order to achieve that mass and size it takes years
of dedication and eating right. There are different types of weightlifting programs including
hypertrophy and what is know as opposite training. Hypertrophy training is a method of strength
training (weightlifting) intended to induce the fastest muscle growth. Hypertrophy lifting consists
of you lifting heavy weight for a small amount of repetitions. Opposite training consists of you

lifting light weight for several repetitions. If you want to stay healthy and take the long path of
becoming a bodybuilder, hypertrophy training is the method you should use.
Although if you want a normal toned physique, lifting light weight for a large amount of
repetitions will give you weight loss along with the fibrous muscle. So if you are scared to start a
weightlifting program because you are going to get too big, don't worry, getting big is the hardest
part about weightlifting and requires a lot of dedication. You can go to the gym and enter a high
repetition training routine and watch how you will get skinnier and more toned. You can stay
lean and become even faster and stronger than ever before. You don't have to look like those
giant gorillas you see in the Mr Olympia competitions.
Weightlifting for the average human is a good choice. It will help you stay in shape, look
good, and live a healthier lifestyle. Once you start going to the gym, you realize how good
healthy eating makes you feel, bringing down cholesterol and so on.
Researchers at the University of Michigan found that men who performed three totalbody weight workouts per week for 2 months lowered their blood-pressure readings by an

THE BENEFITS OF WEIGHTLIFTING 8

average of eight points. That's enough to reduce the risk of a stroke by 40%. (Men's health,
2014)
It helps with self esteem because you start to notice the changes in your body and your
self confidence increases so much. It motivates you and leads you to a better, more motivated
life. It helps reduce stress as much of it is let out while working out, making you happier and
ready to work harder and more efficiently. Many companies in the United States encourage their
workers to work out as it makes them feel better healthwise and emotionally.

I encourage my workers to peruse weightlifting and a healthy diet. Not only will it keep
them energized throughout the day but help them become self motivated and stress free. It also is
a great way for workers to interact with each other. (Pat Manocchia, 2012)
Weightlifting will make you a healthier, better person if you do the right things. It is not easy, but
it is worth it, as you will look better, feel better, and live happier.
Apart from improving the common person, weightlifting has been dramatically integrated
into professional athletes routines to improve their performance in their sport. At first coaches
questioned that weight training would make the athletes too bulky or oversized for the sport.
Although as time passed, coaches and athletes saw the benefit to resistance training. Long gone
are the days where coaches believed that weight training added unnecessary bulk. As Steve
Spence said:
I feel that every major breakthrough with my running has come after a period of
strength training.

THE BENEFITS OF WEIGHTLIFTING9

All athletes today go through two phases of weight training. Both focusing on the muscles the
athlete will use in his or her sport. Weightlifting programs have been designed for athlete's
preparation in the specific sport.
Sport specific resistance training is a more refined approach than simply lifting heavy
weight. Athletes perform certain weightlifting exercises to improve the specific muscles they
use in their sport. For example, cyclists will rarely work on their upper body as it is not used
rigorously while biking. Although they will perform single leg lift exercises in order to
strengthen their cycling strength. Athletes will also divide their training into two periods. One

being strength training and the other more of a resistance training. Strength training will mostly
be done in an athlete's preseason before they are in any major competitions. Strength training
consists of heavy weight, low repetition. The goal of this is to strengthen the fast twitch muscle
which will help with explosive strength. Strength training is usually performed targeting specific
muscles like legs arms and so on. Something all athletes need. The second phase will consist of
resistance training. Athletes will perform resistance training during season. To make sure they
stay in shape and better themselves every day. Resistance training is the opposite of strength
training, it consists of high repetitions and compound movements that incorporate more than just
one muscle group. Ones exercise would be the olympic lift or clean and jerks. These exercises
target several muscles of the body and raise the heart rate of the athlete, bettering his cardio
vascular endurance and his muscle resistance.
Weight training is a key aspect to an athlete's training program. It will make them
stronger and they will be able to keep that strength for long periods of time. This will enhance
THE BENEFITS OF WEIGHTLIFTING10
their performance on the field, ring, or track. Weight training is now a key part of an athlete's
training routine. Not only to improve their performance, but it can help prevent injuries. It also
can help an athlete come back just as strong from time taken off if they were injured. Weight
training will strengthen the injured body part, leaving athletes in perfect shape to enter the field
and perform at their maximum efficiency.
Weight training has not only revolutionized the way athletes perform and made people
live healthier lives, it is also being used to cure injuries from the elderly all the way to
professional athletes. From strengthening bones after they are broken to curing arthritis and
fixing ligaments. Weight training has changed the way people recover after a serious surgery and

also helped change and make advances in physiotherapy. It has truly changed the course of
medicine.
Weight training is more useful and more efficient than most people realize. It is a
valuable component to injury rehabilitation. One of the main purposes weight training is used for
is during and after injuries to keep the muscles strong. When injured muscles are very
susceptible to decomposition. With minimal muscle use, minor cases of arthritis are possible.
That is why if weight training is implemented into people's recovery program or even performed
while injured muscle deterioration and arthritis can be prevented. Training through an injury can
also keep you strong and in shape. Usually people that live healthier lifestyles seem to recover
faster. For athletes, weight training through injury is key as they can maintain the muscles they
have and strengthen them even more when injured. Making sure they come back at full potential

THE BENEFITS OF WEIGHTLIFTING11

or even better. Physiotherapy is used so much now on athletes and all it is slowly based more and
more on simple strength training techniques.
Physiotherapy has helped athletes just as much at it has helped the average person, it
helps recover from injuries or even prevent them. Physiotherapy started off as basic stretching
and regaining movement after joints were atrophied. It has advanced so much over the years that
now it is used to fix injuries naturally rather than doing invasive surgeries. Not only do doctors
work on flexibility and movement they also focus on strengthening the injured body part. Many
patients will go through rigorous physiotherapy session in order to recover from a severe injury.
When recovering physiotherapist use a combination of a stretching movement combined with a
strength training movement.

Weight lifting is really what makes me an excellent physiotherapist. I slowly rebuild the
patient's muscles and once they are strong, I simply make them stronger than before. They feel so
good and injury free. They all thank me, when in reality, anyone can do it. (Phil Sadler)
Allowing the patient to regain full mobility along with the strengthening of the muscle.
Most of these exercises are performed with minimal weight and for several repetitions to ensure
that injuries do not worsen. All injuries can be fixed like acute and subacute, casts and invasive
surgeries have now become last resort options since physiotherapy has advanced so much.
Weightlifting started off as a freak show. Strong men flexing their muscles in a circus
wearing a singlet. This slowly evolved over the years into an art. Men trying to sculpt their
bodies to look like the greek gods. Symmetric and flawless. People really never accepted it and
always thought it was a strange hobby or a strange art. It was almost seen as something taboo.
THE BENEFITS OF WEIGHTLIFTING12
Times do change and weightlifting has evolved so much since then. Not only is it used to build
muscle, but it has revolutionized medicine evolving physiotherapy and the way people recover
and stay healthy while injured. It has been studied so rigorously and they have seen the results
whether it be in the heart or in the bone structure and joints. It even helps people fight low self
esteem and allows people to self motivate themselves. Something that everyone needs in order to
achieve something great. Weightlifting has even been adapted by athletes who want to be the
best or even become better than they already are. Training in the weight room will give them that
extra strength or resistance that will put them at the top of the podium or even take them to
breaking a world record like Usain Bolt. Weightlifting is so much more than just building your
muscles and posing on a stage. It has evolved so much and it can change anyone's life.
Weightlifting is no longer a taboo circus act, but rather a field of medicine, an art, and a key

aspect in athletics. Weightlifting has become a way of life and has helped everyone live a better,
healthier lifestyle making them the best humans possible.

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