8 Benefits of Strength Training

When you think of strength training, you may envision yourself with larger muscles and greater overall strength. But strength training can also lead to stronger bones. That’s good news, since bones tend to grow more fragile with age. In fact, after age 40, most of us lose bone mass at the rate of 1% per year due to age-related changes, inactivity, and inadequate nutrition. Several studies have shown strength training exercises can slow bone loss, but can also build bone and reduce the risk of fractures.

Fitness experts recommend incorporating strength training exercises for all major muscle groups into a fitness routine at least two times a week. After just a few weeks, you should begin to notice an improvement in your overall muscle tone.

You may choose to use free weights, such as barbells, dumbbells or weight machines, or you may opt for no equipment at all. Known as bodyweight exercise, abdominal crunches, lunges, push-ups and squats are types of strength training without gym equipment. Usually 8 to 12 repetitions are enough to work your muscles. You may want to consult with a trainer to learn the most effective way to do each exercise without injury.

Many people focus on aerobic exercise to help shed those extra pounds and maintain their ideal weight. But strength training also is key to weight loss. As you gain muscle, your body begins to burn calories more easily, making it easier to drop those pounds, and keep them off.

Lean muscle mass naturally diminishes with age. If you don’t do anything to replace the lean muscle you lose over time, your body fat percentage will increase. Strength training can help reverse this trend—at any age—by helping you preserve and enhance your muscle mass.

By keeping your weight under control and reducing body fat, strength training can also help reduce the signs and symptoms of many chronic conditions, including back pain, depression, and diabetes. Of course, check with your doctor before beginning any exercise program that might affect your condition, especially if you haven’t been active recently.

Studies show that strength training exercises improve joint flexibility in both men and women by taking the joints through their full range of motion. With regular practice, this range of motion can increase over time. Strength training has also been shown to help reduce the symptoms of arthritis.

Studies suggest that strength training also directly impacts the heart. It does this by reducing excess fat, especially abdominal fat (also known as visceral fat), which sits in and around the vital organs, including the heart. Research also shows that regular strength training improves blood pressure and triglyceride levels, and leads to better-functioning HDL, or ‘good’ cholesterol.

You’ve heard of ‘runner’s high,’ but strength training for runners, and non-runners alike, can also trigger that endorphin rush. Research suggests that regular strength training and aerobic exercise may help improve thinking and learning skills, and can help improve symptoms of clinical depression and anxiety.

According to a Harvard Medical School study, strength training also provides an opportunity to overcome obstacles in a controlled, predictable environment, increasing mental resilience.