9. Curbs Obesity

Visceral fat, or abdominal fat, is linked to increased risk of type II diabetes as well as cardiovascular disease. Although many people associate trimming off body fat with strictly cardio exercises, strength training can burn just as much fat and sometimes more. Weight lifting helps to burn away the visceral fat in your body by increasing your metabolism for long periods of time after your workout. Your body continues to burn calories after lifting weights. When weight training occurs with higher reps and shorter resting periods, there is an increase in the growth hormone (GH) in your body, which is a hormone that results in a loss in fat. If you combine lifting weights with healthy eating as well as cardio, even more fat can be burned.