6 minute read
The Merits of Strength Training
Show Your Strength
The benefits of strength training go far beyond muscle size
by K. Aleisha Fetters, MS, CSCS
I
F YOU WANT to build bigger biceps or get an elusive six-pack, strength training is an essential component for making it happen. But even if maxing out your muscle size isn’t your objective, strength training might still be the best way to hit your health goals.
“A lot of people believe that if they don’t want to look like a bodybuilder, they shouldn’t perform resistance training,” says Michael Rebold, an associate professor who heads up the integrative exercise science program at Hiram College in Ohio. “So the only form of exercise they do is aerobic – and then they wonder why they’re having trouble making significant improvements in their (overall) health.”
Before your next workout, consider 11 additional science-backed benefits of strength training:
1Lower abdominal fat In a 2014 study published in the journal Obesity, Harvard researchers followed 10,500 men for 12 years and found that strength training is more effective at preventing increases in abdominal fat than cardiovascular exercise.
“When people incorporate strength training into their exercise routine, they not only burn calories, but increase lean muscle mass, which stimulates the metabolism,” Rebold says. Muscle mass is a major factor in determining basal metabolic rate, or the number of calories the body burns per day to keep you alive.
2Better cardiovascular health Abdominal fat (aka visceral fat) is located in and around the vital organs and is linked to a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. That’s because visceral fat appears to trigger the release of certain proteins and hormones that cause inflammation, which has been shown to damage blood vessels, boost blood pressure and lead to other cardiac problems. Curbing any excess abdominal fat through strength training can certainly improve heart health.
For example, 2013 research published in the Journal of Applied Physiology demonstrated that young men who regularly strength train have better-functioning HDL, or good cholesterol, compared with those who never pump iron. Rebold explains that strength training improves blood pressure and triglyceride levels similarly to cardiovascular exercise, but it has an even stronger beneficial effect on HDL.
3Controlled blood sugar levels Rebold says anyone with Type 2 diabetes should incorporate resistance training. Research has shown that, in addition to building muscle, strength training also improves the muscle’s ability to take in and use glucose, or blood sugar.
4Reduced cancer risk Visceral fat not only increases the risk of heart disease and diabetes, but it’s also linked to an increased risk of cancer. Research from the journal Oncogene published in 2017 showed that visceral fat cells produce high levels of a cancer-triggering protein called fibroblast growth factor-2, or FGF2.
5Lowered injury risk “Having a good muscle base is important for all movement, balance, coordination and injury prevention,” explains Dr. Adam Rivadeneyra, a sports medicine physician with Hoag Orthopedic Institute in Irvine, California. “If a muscle is too weak, it puts more stress on its connecting tendon and (over time) can result in tendinitis.”
Strength training also increases the number and diameter of collagen fibrils in tendons to increase their strength and help prevent injury, according to a 2015 review published in the International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy, a publication of the International Federation of Sports Physical Therapy.
6Strengthened mental
health
Runner’s high gets a lot of hype, but strength training also improves symptoms of clinical depression and anxiety. Exercise-triggered endorphins may play a role, but strength training also provides an opportunity to overcome obstacles in a controlled, predictable environment, increasing mental resilience, according to findings from Harvard Medical School.
For the greatest anti-anxiety effects, a 2014 review published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology showed that using low to moderately heavy weights that you can lift for at least 10 to 12 reps works best.
7Improved flexibility
and mobility
It’s time to rethink your stretching routine. By taking your joints through their full range of motion during strength exercises, you can increase that range of motion over time. Results from a 2017 study in the journal Isokinetics and Exercise Science show that strength training improves flexibility in both men and women.
A previous North American Journal of Sports Physical Therapy study from 2006 suggested that eccentric strength exercises may provide the biggest benefit, improving hamstring flexibility twice as well as static stretching. Eccentric exercises are any that emphasize muscle lengthening, rather than shortening. Examples might include the lowering phase of a squat or raising the bar during a lat pull-down, Rivadeneyra says.
8Better body image Sure, exercise impacts body composition and physique. But research, including a 2013 Journal of Extension study of middle-aged and older women, shows that consistent strength training improves body image and perceived physical appearance – no matter what the actual aesthetic results.
Improvements in mental health and energy levels, as well as feelings of accomplishment, are the likely catalysts for improved overall body image, according to researchers.
9Osteoporosis prevention and
management
Strong bodies have strong bones, with strength training significantly increasing bone mineral density, Rivadeneyra says. He explains that any weight-bearing exercise in which you’re standing and gravity is pulling down on your body lightly stresses and strengthens the bones and muscles.
Plus, every time a muscle contracts, it pulls on the bones it’s attached to, which stimulates the cells within the bone to produce structural proteins and move minerals into the bone, he says.
For the greatest results, prioritize standing weightbearing, strength-training moves such as squats and lunges. In a 2014 Journal of Family and Community Medicine study, just 12 weeks of strength training with squats increased lower spine and femur (thigh) bone mineral density by 2.9% and 4.9%, respectively.
10 Boosted brain health Strength training can improve brain power across a person’s lifespan, but the effects are perhaps the strongest in older adults suffering from cognitive decline. In one 2016 study in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, when men and women ages 55 through 86 with mild impairment performed twiceweekly weight training for six months, subjects significantly improved their scores on cognitive tests. However, when participants spent their workouts stretching, their cognitive test scores declined.
The key might be getting the blood flowing, Rebold says, noting that high-intensity strength training increases the flow of blood, oxygen and other nutrients throughout the body, including the brain. In the study, adults lifted 80% of their 1RM, or the maximum amount of weight they could lift for one rep. That roughly equates to the amount of weight they could lift for eight reps without breaking form.
11 A longer lifespan One of strength training’s many benefits is a longer life. A 2015 study in The Lancet found that grip strength accurately predicts death from any cause. A 2017 report in Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care suggested that muscle strength and lean muscle mass may serve as better measures of a person’s overall health than body mass index or BMI. l
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