Why Everyone should be strength training?

Strength training can be for everyone and there are many benefits. Some are obvious and you may be aware of them but others might surprise you. Here are our top 12 reasons why everyone should be strength training

Strength training or resistance training is a type of training used to develop muscular strength and/or endurance. This is often done by using weights but can also be bodyweight training, resistance band training, or machine training. But what does it actually do for us?

It makes you stronger

This one is pretty obvious but turns out this type of training makes you stronger. This will not only improve athletic performance but also make everyday tasks much easier.

Improves mobility and flexibility

A common misconception is that increased strength will reduce flexibility as you become ‘muscle bound’. This is actually false and the opposite is true, immobility or tightness is often born out of weakness in the muscular system. Address this and your movement will improve.

Improves heart health

Cardiac health has been seen to improve with resistance training. It improves blood pressure and reduces cholesterol as much as cardiovascular training but also has an effect on HDL levels too. [1]

It burns calories

Increasing muscle mass means your body will burn more calories as your metabolism will be higher. Essentially it takes more energy to maintain muscle mass than fat mass so by implementing strength training you will burn more calories.

Its good for Brain Health

This is thought to be to do with the increase of blood flow around the body delivering nutrients and oxygen to vital organs including the brain. A profound effect was found in older age groups cognitive function when doing a strength training routine compared to a stretching protocol.[2]

It decreases abdominal fat

Yep that’s right strength training can reduce body fat. Obviously you will need to combine this with a calorie restriction but a study in 2014 at Harvard[3] found that over a 12 year period strength training was more effective than cardiovascular training.

Aesthetics

Weight training has been a popular method of improving physique and appearance for years. This is another obvious one but if you want to change your appearance then this is a brilliant choice.

Decrease fall and injury risk

Having a strong base is associated with good balance and reduced risk of falling[4]. This is especially important as you get older. Strength training also has benefits of strengthening tendons, ligament and muscle fibres which can reduce the chances of tendonitis or muscle tears.

Helps manage blood sugar levels

Glucose or ‘sugar’ is stored in the muscles as glycogen. Having more muscle mass allows more glycogen to be stored. As well as this, strength training increases the bodies sensitivity to insulin and can reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.[5]

Boosts self esteem and improves mood

The mental health benefits of resistance training have many forms. There is an acute effect as your body releases endorphins after exercise and it has been shown to reduce anxiety.[6] There are also various studies that show that those who take part in regular strength training report higher self esteem and self worth. [7]

Improves Bone health

Strong bodies have strong bones. Resistance training increases the mineral density of bones and reduces the risk of osteoporosis. Specifically standing weight bearing exercises have a great effect as they lightly stress the bones which respond by developing higher density. [8]

Promotes better quality of life and longevity

In a study published in 2015,[9] grip strength was found to be a greater predictor of health and all cause mortality than blood pressure, with higher strength associated with longer life. Another study in 2019, [10] showed a significant correlation between strength training and quality of life.

Now that’s a pretty comprehensive list of reasons to add some strength training to your programme. Need some advice then why not check out our blog on getting started or contact us direct for some advice and a friendly chat.

[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3798817/

[2] https://agsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jgs.14542

[3] https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/oby.20949

[4] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30703272/

[5] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5161704/

[6] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28819746/

[7] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6609926/

[8] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25374469/

[9] https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(14)62000-6/fulltext

[10] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6377696/