Even if you’re not building muscle, you can improve your heart health and lower your blood sugar levels.
If you want to build bigger biceps or get an elusive six-pack, strength trainingis 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, director of integrative exercise sciences at Hiram College in Ohio. “So the only form of exercise they do is aerobic – and then they wonder why they are having trouble making significant improvements in their health,” he explains.
Plus, building muscle bulk requires specialized and intense training and nutrition, and it doesn’t happen on accident, Rebold adds.
Before your next workout, consider these 11 science-backed benefits of strength training.
1. Lower abdominal fat. In a 2014 study published in the research journal Obesity, Harvard researchers followed 10,500 men over the course of 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 determiner of basal metabolic rate, or the number of calories the body burns per day to sustain physiologic functions.
2. Better cardiovascular health. Abdominal fat (also known as visceral fat) sits in and around the vital organs, including the heart. So, preventing or reducing any excess abdominal fat through strength training can certainly improve heart health.
However, studies suggest that strength training also directly impacts the heart. For example, 2013 research in the Journal of Applied Physiology demonstrates 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 even greater benefits on HDL. And 2015 research published in The Lancet medical journal shows that grip strength (a marker for total-body muscle health) more accurately predicts death from heart disease than blood pressure does.
3. Controlled blood sugar levels. “Resistance training is something we want anyone with Type 2 diabetes to incorporate into their routine,” Rebold says. He explains that a 2013 review published in the journal BioMed Research International shows that, in addition to building muscle, strength training also improves the muscle’s ability to take in and use glucose, or blood sugar.
“In your muscle cells, you have these transporters that pick up glucose from the blood and deliver it to the muscle cells,” Rebold says. “Strength training improves their functioning to pick up a lot more glucose from the blood and into muscle, thereby decreasing blood sugar levels.”
4. Reduced cancer risk. Visceral fat not only increases the risk of heart disease and diabetes, but it can also promote cancer development. Research from the journal Oncogene published in 2017 show that visceral fat cells produce high levels of a cancer-triggering protein called fibroblast growth factor-2, or FGF2.
And according to 2017 research published in Therapeutic Advances in Medical Oncology, muscle mass is a strong predictor of cancer treatment outcomes. Muscle wasting is a common complication of cancer treatment and is associated with a higher risk of chemotherapy toxicity, faster tumor progression and lower survival rates.
5. Lowered injury risks. “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 can result in tendonitis.”
Plus, 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.
6. Strengthened mental health. Runner’s high gets a lot of hype, but strength training also improves symptoms of clinical depression and anxiety. Exercise-triggered endorphins play a role, but strength training also provides an opportunity to overcome obstacles in a controlled, predictable environment, increasing mental resiliency, according to findings from Harvard Medical School.
For the greatest anti-anxiety effects, a 2014 review published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology shows that using low to moderate weights that are lighter than 70 percent of what you can lift for one rep has the greatest effects on anxiety.
7. Improved flexibility and mobility. It’s time to rethink your stretching routine. 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 2006 North American Journal of Sports Physical Therapy study suggests 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. Example exercises might include the lowering phase of a squat or raising the bar during a lat pull-down, Rivadeneyra says.
However, even more important to overall function, fitness and quality of life is mobility, he says. By taking your joints through their full range of motion during strength exercises, you can increase that range of motion over time, he explains.
8. Elevated body image. Sure, exercise impacts body composition and physique, but research, including a 2015 Journal of Extension study of middle-aged and older women, shows that consistent strength training improves body image and perceived physical appearance – no matter 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.
9. Osteoporosis 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.
So, for the greatest results, prioritize standing weight-bearing, 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 percent, respectively.
10. Boosted brain health. Strength training can improve brain power across a lifetime, but the effects are perhaps the strongest in older adults suffering from cognitive decline. In one 2016 study in the Journal of American Geriatrics, when men and women ages 55 through 86 with mild impairment performed twice-weekly weight training for six months, they 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 to the brain. In the study, adults lifted 80 percent 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 include a longer life. The 2015 study in The Lancet found that grip strength accurately predicts death from any cause and, according to a 2017 Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition & Metabolic Care study, compared to body mass index or BMI, lean muscle mass better measures a person’s overall health.
Thank you for the offer, but I am not interested. I hope you are successful at landing many customers in your sales endeavors, Leonard.
Sincerely,
RJ
11 Benefits of Strength Training – RJ Fitness and More
[url=http://www.gcvki3or8ix9490590848079zva8dgjes.org/]umylnsjtjiy[/url]
mylnsjtjiy http://www.gcvki3or8ix9490590848079zva8dgjes.org/
amylnsjtjiy
Undeniably believe that which you said. Your favorite justification seemed to be on the internet the easiest thing to be aware of. I say to you, I definitely get annoyed while people consider worries that they just do not know about. You managed to hit the nail upon the top and defined out the whole thing without having side-effects , people could take a signal. Will probably be back to get more. Thanks Marget Jordon Rexanna
I was pretty pleased to find this page. I want to to thank you for your time just for this fantastic read!! I definitely loved every part of it and I have you book-marked to see new things on your web site. Hildy Quintin Huebner
Thank you. I am happy it was of use.
I love what you guys tend to be up too. This sort of clever work and exposure! Drucy Garrick Ilan
Hiya, I am really glad I have found this information. Today bloggers publish only about gossip and internet stuff and this is actually frustrating. A good site with exciting content, this is what I need. Thanks for making this web-site, and I will be visiting again. Do you do newsletters by email? Iris Cecilius Serene
Awesome write-up. I am a regular visitor of your site and appreciate you taking the time to maintain the excellent site. I will be a frequent visitor for a long time. Anny Barrie Nora
Sprint training exercises help you develop the necessary strength, while lower body building helps develop the power necessary to power through your opponents. Joyann Claire Sjoberg
It is so much fun to be able to follow the renovation! Thank you for posting this thorough update! Berte Gaylor Walliw
Hey there. I found your site via Google at the same time as searching for a similar matter, your site got here up. It seems to be great. I have bookmarked it in my google bookmarks to visit then. Josee Titos Burrill
Excellent article. I will be facing a few of these issues as well.. Chelsey Theodoric Alta
Everything is very open with a clear clarification of the challenges. It was really informative. Your website is very helpful. Thanks for sharing! Aigneis Karl Hurleigh
Perhaps you try to cut a deal with two people to blog for you several times a week for $500/month. Vittoria Brandtr Penelopa Ashleigh Bron Georgine
I would be interested, contact me to discuss at [email protected].
This internet site is truly a walk-through for every one of the information you wanted concerning this as well as didn?t know that to ask. Peek right here, and also you?ll definitely discover it. Rory Durant Stuppy
Thanks for the sensible critique. Me & my neighbor were just preparing to do some research on this. We got a grab a book from our local library but I think I learned more from this post. I am very glad to see such magnificent information being shared freely out there. Jerrie Nathanael Kaslik
What a stuff of un-ambiguity and preserveness of valuable familiarity concerning unpredicted feelings. Bree Lombard Lustick
I truly appreciate this article. Really looking forward to read more. Want more. Danni Asa Cunningham
Hello Dear, are you really visiting this web page on a regular basis, if so then you will without doubt get good know-how. Virgie Desmund Amelita
Pretty! This has been an extremely wonderful post. Many thanks for providing these details. Laverne Lanny Bergstrom
How many you choose to use depends on the type of blog as well. Amandi Mitchell Matheny
So meditation/calmness/expect the unexpected/say predicament outloud etc. Might help decision process. Berta Christy Bekha
You need to be a part of a contest for one of the best sites on the internet. I most certainly will recommend this blog! Mufinella Vinson Tolmach
I am actually grateful to the owner of this website who has sharsd this impressive post aat at this place. Lindsey Reamonn Buford Blondie Nickie Robinson
Your Gravatar is an image and public profile that follows you from site to site appearing beside your name when you do things like comment or post on a blog. Avatars help identify your posts on blogs and web forums, so why not on any site? Vale Bordie Jilly
Thanks to my father who shared with me about this webpage, this webpage is actually amazing.| Corabelle Dante Wilie
This plugin has some additional features when compared to the rest above, the most important. Cassandry Ciro Vlad
Envato is a great company with wonderful community! Lesley Wilfred Adlee
The book really picked up for me when they called the truce and gave into their attraction. Those secret dates and The Office nights were fantastic. The ending was so good too. Merralee Kenn Gaultiero
Can I simply just say what a relief to discover somebody who actually understands what they are discussing over the internet. You certainly know how to bring a problem to light and make it important. A lot more people should check this out and understand this side of the story. I was surprised that you are not more popular since you certainly have the gift. Christy Finn Rivalee
No matter if some one searches for his essential thing, therefore he/she needs to be available that in detail, so that thing is maintained over here. Aurore Massimo Patsis
These are actually great ideas in on the topic of blogging. Melinda Konrad Shafer
I had been honored to obtain a call from a friend as he found the important guidelines shared on the site. Browsing your blog post is a real wonderful experience. Thanks again for thinking of readers like me, and I hope for you the best of achievements as being a professional discipline. Malina Sammy Kerwin
It helps me a lot on how to solve and what are the tips on how to answer questions. Winnifred Frasier Langille
Undeniably believe that which you stated. Your favorite justification appeared to be on the internet the simplest thing to be aware of. I say to you, I certainly get annoyed while people consider worries that they plainly do not know about. You managed to hit the nail upon the top as well as defined out the whole thing without having side effect , people can take a signal. Will probably be back to get more. Thanks| Germana Leonardo Jodee
Greate article. Keep writing such kind of info on your blog. Veradis Barr Missi
When I originally left a comment I seem to have clicked on the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and now every time a comment is added I receive four emails with the same comment. Perhaps there is a way you can remove me from that service? Appreciate it! Petronella Lauritz Anna
Thanks for the sensible critique. Me and my neighbor were just preparing to do a little research on this. We got a grab a book from our area library but I think I learned more from this post. I am very glad to see such magnificent info being shared freely out there. Reta Alon Roybn
I believe this is among the such a lot important info for me. And i am satisfied studying your article. But wanna observation on few general issues, The website taste is wonderful, the articles is in reality excellent : D. Just right activity, cheers Aloisia Benoit Hephzipah
Hello! I simply would like to give you a big thumbs up for the great information you have right here on this post. I will be coming back to your site for more soon. Brunhilde Loren Asta
Your style is unique compared to other folks I have read stuff from. Thank you for posting when you have the opportunity, Guess I will just bookmark this blog. Maure Mead Carleton
one of our guests just lately advised the following website Stella Glynn Quintin
I view something really special in this internet site. Liv Wright Tirza
“I was very happy to uncover this website. I wanted to thank you for your time just for this wonderful read!! I definitely liked every bit of it and i also have you book marked to check out new information on your blog.”
נערות ליווי בתל אביב
I visit day-to-day some web pages and sites to read content, except this weblog provides feature
based content.
Good day! Would you mind if I share your blog with my zynga
group? There’s a lot of folks that I think would
really appreciate your content. Please let me know. Thanks
Sure , you may share . Thank you for your interest.
Hi there! I could have sworn I’ve been to this blog before but after checking through some of the post I realized it’s new to me.
Anyways, I’m definitely glad I found it and I’ll be bookmarking and checking
back frequently!