Here in the United States, far too few people are as active and as fit as they really should be. In fact, it’s even been estimated that only around 5% of all adults in this country actually get up and moving for even just a half of an hour out of the day, with less than half of the adult population engaging in the weekly recommended amount of exercise, which is currently just two and a half hours per week.

And the consequences of not being active throughout your life can be vast. Becoming overweight or even obese is perhaps one of the most commonly seen ones here in the United States, as up to one third of all adults are actually classified as obese. In addition to this already bleak fact, another one third of the adult population is classified as medically obese, if not super obese. This means that, unfortunately, only around one third of the adult population is actually at a healthy weight, according to medical professionals.

Living a sedentary lifestyle also leads to strength issues and problems with muscle mass later on in life. The data that has been gathered on the subject more than backs this up, showing that people who have lived in a sedentary way will have lost as much as half of their total muscle mass by the time that they reach 80 years of age. This can, of course, put them at a much higher risk for sustaining injuries, sometimes life threatening ones, as well as detracting from their overall ability to be independent in their lives for as long as they possibly can.

Fortunately, however, physical activity can help to decrease the chances of this risk becoming a reality for many people all throughout the United States, specifically when it comes to weight training. For while many people believe that weight training is only for those who are looking to put on a lot of muscle and get huge, this is actually far from the case. From powerlifting for seniors to powerlifting for weight loss, weight training can actually be effective for just about anyone who takes it up, so long as they do so in a safe and guided way.

For instance, you’ll need to the right equipment, from a squat suit to a training belt to wrist wraps. However, the squat suit is likely to be more all encompassing than many people realize and often a squat suit is more than enough in and of itself when it comes to effective weight training for people of all ages. The use of a squat suit can even help to keep people safe as they partake in an activity that uses muscles that have not yet been utilized – or perhaps only sparingly so.

Aside from the use of a squat suit and other such materials like weight lifting belts or weight lifting knee wraps, the novice weight lifter should also consider talking to someone who is well versed in the field of weight lifting, like a professional trainer. When working with a trainer on a consistent basis, the average person who has taken up weightlifting might notice a number of different benefits. For instance, people who weight lift often find that their lower back pain (which can have genetic causes but can also simply stem from being sedentary for too long) is reduced by quite a considerable amount – and this is actually the case in as many as 80% of all people who suffer from back pain and then decide to take up weightlifting.

Weightlifting, when done properly and with the use of tools like your average squat suit, can certainly help you to shed some pounds as well. In fact, you can actually lose as much as 7% of your body fat just by weight training twice throughout the week on a regular and consistent basis. However, of course, you’ll likely need to adjust other aspects of your life, such as your diet, in order to fully see results in this area.

At the end of the day, weightlifting is hugely beneficial for many different reasons, from weight loss to lowered pain levels.