Maintain and add your muscle: unless we exercise regularly and properly, we lose muscle tissue over our adult life. This progressive muscle loss is responsible for two life's major problems and is associated with a variety of health related consequences. The first problem is that your capacity to function is reduced, which leads to less physical activity and further muscle loss. The second problem is reduced calories use, which leads to slower metabolism. A slower metabolism means that eating the same amount of food will result in the gradual accumulation of body fat.

Maintain and increase your metabolism: every pound of muscle uses dozens of calories a day just to sustain itself. So when you lose muscles, the calories that were previously used to maintain metabolically active tissue now go into fat storage. Strength training helps maintain or increase muscle tissue, thus increase metabolic rate.

Reduce body fat: let's assume you've already put on some fat that you want to lose. Many people will tell you to do endurance exercises such as walking, running, or cycling to burn the extra calories. Endurance exercises can certainly help, but even more effective is to combine them with strength training. Proper strength training increases muscle mass and tissue activity, which in turn produces an accelerated metabolic rate and higher daily energy expenditure on a sustained basis.

Increase bone density: strength training can increase bone mineral density in people of all ages, essentially reversing bone weakening process. Although other factors, such as genetics, hormones, and nutrition play important role in bone health, strength training is an activity that will develop a stronger musculo-skeletal system and help your bones resist deterioration.

Improve low back health: although it sounds too bad to be true, medical professionals estimate that four out of five American adults experience low back pain. Studies indicate a direct relationship between weak low back muscles and low back problem. Fortunately, as you strengthen your low back muscles, you reduce your risk of low back pain. Why? Well conditioned muscle provide better support and shock absorption, which prepares the low back muscles to absorb forces that might otherwise overstress the sensitive components of your spinal column.