Strength Training for Life: The Hidden Benefits to Lifting Weights
Strength training, or weight training involves repeated overloading of a group of muscles to build muscle strength, endurance and size. It is often associated with lifting weights, using the principle that muscles of the body will work to overcome a resistance force when they are required to do so. When you do resistance training repeatedly and consistently, your muscles become stronger.
However, the benefits of weight training are not limited to only the muscles. Evidence continues to mount that strength training has long-term health benefits as well. Below we share the 7 benefits of strength training
Increases lean muscle mass: Lean muscle mass naturally diminishes with age. This means your body fat percentage will increase over time if you don't do anything to replace the lean muscle you lose. Weight lifting can help you preserve and enhance your lean muscle mass.
Improves the body's mobility and flexibility: by increasing joint range of motion (ROM).
Boosts brain power: increases cognitive thinking, pumps the brain with oxygen, supports neuroplasticity (your brain’s ability to learn and adapt), improved capacity for practical skills, and provides better protection against age-related cognitive decline
Improves mental health: including reduced symptoms of anxiety, stress and depression by releasing feel-good endorphins, and can increase your self-efficacy
Helps with chronic disease management & prevention: reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes, and heart disease by cutting down fat. Lowers blood pressure and improves blood flow by strengthening the heart and blood vessels
Reduces the risk of osteoporosis: lifting weights is considered the most bone producing, (known as osteogenic), activity. It increases the bone mineral density by pulling on and gently stressing your bones, causing them to become stronger and more dense
Reduces the risk of injury: improves balance; if you do fall there is decreased risk of breaking a bone.
This is not an exhaustive list of benefits, however it is the ones we find most compelling to those looking to improve their health and wellness by adding in strength training to their life. The benefits of lifting weights are numerous and the risks of strength training are nothing compared to the risks of NOT strength training and being weak.
If you are looking to start improving your health by adding strength training, but don’t know where or how to start, we are here to help! Contact us here and let’s get you moving.