Get an Anti-Aging Boost From Strength Training

Every day, I receive spam e-mails from marketers trying to sell me “Human Growth Hormone” boosters to help prevent aging. HGH does have anti-aging properties, but you don’t need to buy anything to increase your own levels of it. There’s a natural way to do so.

It’s called strength training.

Researchers from the University of North Carolina found that when they compared the amount of growth hormone released as a result of a 30-minute aerobic exercise session or strength training, significantly more was released with the strength-training workout. So if you are looking for a way to fight aging naturally (and increase fat burning while you’re at it), don’t neglect strength training as part of your exercise program.

The best strength-training exercises to use are multiple-muscle and total-body exercises, such as step-ups, lunges, and squats. You can do these with your bodyweight only, or while holding dumbbells in both hands.

Do three sets of eight repetitions two to three times per week. And add a pushing exercise, such as push-ups or dumbbell chest presses, to get a fast, total-body workout that builds muscle, burns fat, and boosts growth hormone.

[Ed. Note: Craig Ballantyne is an expert consultant for Men’s Health magazine. If you’re looking to burn fat, build muscle, and quickly step into the body you have always wanted with just three workouts each week, check out Craig’s fat-loss system, Turbulence Training for Fat Loss.]