by Rodney Corn
Beyond building muscle strength and mass, what other benefits does strength training provide? This is a question everyone should ask and the answer is one everyone should hear. The benefits of strength training are vast and effect every aspect of our being. It may sound a bit “out there”, but it’s true. The most known benefits are muscle growth and strength probably because they can be seen. However, there are numerous unseen benefits. Whilst the list is very long and covered in many of the Eleiko Papers, let’s explore a few here.
Sticking with muscle growth for second, increased muscle mass from strength training helps our metabolism operate with better efficiency. Muscle mass increases our metabolic rate (how much energy we use at rest), and helps us to process and use glucose better to reduce risk of diabetes type II, decrease risk of hypertension (a risk factor for heart, brain, and kidney disease), lowers belly fat/obesity, and reduces amounts of fat in our blood.
Beyond these affects, strength training also increases our strength. Strength is a proven and vital predictor for all causes of mortality – meaning your strength can help increase your quality and length of life. That alone should be enough, but let’s move on. Strength training can increase bone mineral density that allows us to avoid getting osteoporosis. Osteoporosis can lead to increase risk of falls and fractures as we age that often lead to death.
Regular strength training is further linked to reduction in the risk of death caused by a variety of cancers; chronic pain such as low back pain, arthritis, symptoms of fibromyalgia; mental health such as depression and anxiety; and vitally important for boosting our immune system. That’s a lot of benefit that can be significantly noticed in as little as 4 weeks at a minimum of 2 days per week. Pretty good return on your investment, don’t you think?
For more details information about the beneifts of Strength Training, please see our Eleiko Papers section
References:
Campbell, J. P., & Turner, J. E. (2018). Debunking the Myth of Exercise-Induced Immune Suppression: Redefining the Impact of Exercise on Immunological Health Across the Lifespan. Frontiers in Immunology, 9.
Mcleod, J. C., Stokes, T., & Phillips, S. M. (2019). Resistance Exercise Training as a Primary Countermeasure to Age-Related Chronic Disease. Frontiers in Physiology, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2019.00645
McPherron, A. C., Guo, T., Bond, N. D., & Gavrilova, O. (2013). Increasing muscle mass to improve metabolism. Adipocyte, 2(2), 92. https://doi.org/10.4161/adip.22500
