6 Reasons weight training is vital for your health

Last updated on 1st September, 2025 at 08:16 am

Cardio isn’t enough – weight training is important for your wellbeing, both physical and mental. Here’s why, and how to incorporate it into your life.

Reading time:3 minutes

In this article, you’ll learn:

• Weight training is important to maintain long-term well-being.
• The benefits of these exercises aren’t just physical, but mental, too.
• Personal trainers explain why, plus exercises to get you started.

It’s not just a gym or an activity for muscular men. Weight training is a necessary type of exercise and is good for you at any age. From a stronger body to better cognitive function, it has benefits for both body and mind when done consistently as part of an exercise routine. It can be done in a gym, but also at home, so finding what works for you can help you stay consistent.

Marlie Hatting, Personal Trainer at Planet Fitness Fourways, highlights six areas that weight training can improve for all ages.

1. Increases bone density

“Our bones are living tissue that’s constantly being broken down and rebuilt. Weightlifting can also be referred to as a form of mechanical loading, and it’s one of the most powerful ways to trigger bone growth.

Studies show that exercises like squats, deadlifts, overhead presses, and lunges, done with decent weight, can help increase bone density, especially in areas prone to fractures – and increasingly as you age – like your hips, spine, and legs.”

2. Increases basal metabolic rate

“If you lift weights consistently, you’ll build muscle, and that muscle will burn more calories even when you rest, thanks to the body’s restorative processes. Over time, you’re likely to enjoy a steady rise in your resting metabolic rate. This effect is especially noticeable in older adults who gain muscle and can keep weight in check.”

3. Enhances mobility

“Mobility isn’t just about flexibility; it’s about how well you can move with control, strength, and stability. Weight training plays a major role in improving that. When your muscles are stronger, your joints are better supported. This means you move with more control, less effort and less pain, whether you’re getting up off the floor, climbing stairs or simply walking – something that many people struggle with as they get older.”

4. Improves posture

“Weight training builds strength in the core, back, shoulders, and glutes – the key muscles that support your spine and keep your posture tall and aligned. Weakness in these areas often leads to slouching, rounded shoulders, and forward head posture. Lifting weights forces your core muscles to stabilise your spine. Strengthening your upper back helps pull your shoulders back, counteracting the effects of sitting all day.”

5. Improves heart health

“Cardio is great for your heart. But weight training is also powerful, and when you combine the two, that’s where the real magic happens.

Decades of research confirm that cardio reduces your risk of heart disease, stroke, and premature death. It does this by lowering blood pressure, improving cholesterol, reducing body fat and waist circumference, improving blood sugar control, and building lean muscle, which raises metabolism and helps long-term fat loss.”

6. Boosts brain function

“From improved focus after a single workout to long-term protection against cognitive decline and even structural brain preservation, there’s compelling evidence that lifting weights strengthens not just your body, but your mind too.

Weight training helps power up your thinking abilities, especially executive functions like planning, focus, and problem-solving. It protects brain structure over time, slowing down age-related shrinkage in important brain tissue.”

Start your weight-lifting journey today

Do you want to incorporate weight training into your fitness routine? Some of the best exercises to start with are squats, lunges, planks, push-ups, and burpees. As a Sanlam Reality member, you get up to 80% off Planet Fitness fees every month!