Apr 25, 20224 min read

Why Strength Training is Important

Can you believe the pandemic started over two years ago now?! More importantly, it's been nearly two years of Stax classes being entirely virtual, and well, to be honest, we miss your faces! So it's no surprise that we are beyond stoked to be back in the studio (a brand new studio at that)! We are rocking a new location with killer amenities and tons of parking to make your Stax Cycle Club studio experience even better than before.

Of course, we still have your favorite spin classes with our marvelous trainers that you've come to know and love, but we're also expanding our services. Now you can swing by for a spin class, yoga class, or one of our new Stax Strong strength training classes. These 45-minute classes set to the beat will work your lungs, heart, and muscles! So if you love our spin classes but are new to the world of strength training, keep reading to discover all the positive benefits that come along with it!

What is Strength Training Anyway?

Stax instructor holding a medicine ball in one hand

Strength training is any physical exercise designed to improve strength and endurance. Also known as resistance training, you don't need massive barbells to rock out these exercises. Instead, you can use dumbbells, kettlebells, bodyweight, medicine balls, or resistance bands.

Our Stax Strong classes blend weight segments with core work and cardio, giving you a well-balanced and diverse workout that will build your strength and confidence like never before. Of course, it wouldn't be a proper Stax class without some uplifting beats to keep you pumped through the end of the workout.

5 Reasons You Should Join a Stax Strong Class

Woman lying on the floor performing a chest press exercise with a dumbbell — Strength training can do more than just build muscle.

Strength training obviously can make you stronger, but it has many other benefits that you probably don't realize. These classes can help:

Lower your risk of multiple diseases
Strengthen more than just your muscles
Improve your day-to-day life

Improves Strength

Okay, this one should be pretty obvious as it's the primary goal of strength training, but hear us out! Even if you don't have a burning desire to get stronger, gaining muscle mass makes even simple daily tasks much easier, like:

Picking up your kids
Opening that jar of pickles
Making taking the stairs instead of the elevator more effortless

Prevents Injuries of All Types

On top of increasing muscle mass, strength training improves mobility and flexibility. It also can increase bone density.

These bonus benefits can help prevent injury by strengthening tendons and ligaments and lowering the risk of bone fractures. In addition, as we age, we begin to lose muscle mass. By continuing strength training, we can help minimize muscle loss over the years.

Keeps Your Heart Healthy

We're already doing wonders for our heart, respiratory, and circulatory systems with our spin class cardio. But, by adding strength training to the mix, we can do even more good for our bodies!

Strength training has been shown to lower blood pressure, strengthen the heart and blood vessels, manage blood sugar levels, and help control cholesterol. All of these benefits can help keep your heart healthy and lower the risk of heart disease.

Burns Calories Like Crazy

Woman braced on a workout bench performing a back exercise with a dumbbell — Lifting weights can help increase your metabolism.

Stronger muscles mean that you'll be burning calories more effectively. Your metabolism will be pumping, which helps you get leaner and melt off fat.

Sure, those might be superficial benefits, but it's also highly beneficial to your health. Excess body fat is linked to heart disease, diabetes, and even some types of cancer. By staying healthy, you can lower your chances of being affected by these diseases.

Benefits the Mind, Body, and Soul

There are countless ways that strength training can help your mind and soul flourish. For starters, it can do wonders for your self-confidence. As you begin to witness yourself overcome difficult challenges and lift heavier weights, you'll be rewarded with improved self-esteem.

This type of exercise also releases endorphins which can help elevate moods and even lower anxiety and depression. Studies show that strength training can also improve memory and cognitive function in the brain. Every part of you will benefit from strength training!

The Dream Team - Strength Training and Cardio

Women participating in a group fitness class — Stax has the dream team: strength training and cardio!

Peanut butter and jelly. Tom and Jerry. Macaroni and cheese. Cheech and Chong. Some things are just better in pairs - like strength training and cardio! If you're super into one of them, it's time to add the other to your weekly schedule. And that's easier than ever at our new studio! Combining the two types of exercises, either on the same day or alternating, will make you a more well-rounded athlete and help you reap the most health benefits possible.

For our cycle junkies who love cardio but are hesitant to add strength training, the benefits will spill over into your spin class. Your endurance will improve along with your form, positively impacting your cycling. While you're at it, you'll burn even more calories than before, thanks to increased metabolism.

For those who already love hitting the weights, adding cardio is equally beneficial. And I have good news for you! Some cardio actually builds muscle at the same time as increasing your endurance. Spin class, for example, helps build lean muscle, and high-intensity interval training crushes calories while increasing strength in the whole body.

New Studio, New Stax

At Stax, we officially have it all! Our classic spin classes are a fun cardio workout that will have you sweating from head to toe. The new Stax Strong classes combine cardio with weight segments, giving you the best of both worlds. Not to mention, you can also check out one of our Spin x Strong sessions if you want to ride and weight train on the same day!

On recovery days, you can still swing by the Stax studio and join one of our replenishing yoga classes. With expanded class options and new brilliant amenities, the new Stax Studio will quickly become your favorite one-stop shop for all things fitness. We can't wait to have our Stax fam back in the studio and to see all of your smiling faces in real life!