5 benefits of strength training
No, you don’t have to “lift heavy” to see results.
While jocks may talk about the need to “lift heavy,” strength training counts as any type of exercise that causes your muscles to contract against an outside resistance. That can be your own body weight (pushups, pull-ups, planks, lunges, and squats), using “free weights” (dumbbells, kettle bells, medicine balls), or giving traditional weight machines a try.
Adults are recommended to do muscle-strengthening activities that involve all major muscle groups twice a week or more, according to the Centers for Disease Control. No matter your age or your fitness goals, strength training could benefit you. Here’s how.
1. It supports weight loss
“If you’re trying to lose weight, resistance training can be a helpful addition to a healthy diet,” says Tampa, FL.-based exercise scientist Erica Suter, CSCS. That’s because strength training develops muscle mass, which naturally diminishes as we age — so unless you’re actively building muscle, you’re losing it. That means your body fat percentage will increase over time if you don't do anything to replace the lean muscle you lose. “The more muscle you have, the harder your body is working to burn calories even when you’re not exercising.”
2. It strengthens your bones
Losing a lot of weight can cause people to lose bone density, which already decreases naturally with aging, and can set you up for osteoporosis and broken bones. Yet research has suggested strength training can help maintain and possibly improve bone density, even during weight loss. You also don’t have to be a powerlifter: Lifting light weights for a higher number of repetitions may be just as beneficial as lifting heavier loads when it comes to bone health.
3. It reduces high blood pressure and heart disease risk
Lifting weights of course benefits your muscles, including your heart. Resistance training can help lower your blood pressure, which can in turn lower your risk for heart disease. Isometric resistance training, where the angle of your joint doesn’t change (such as holding a plank or doing a wall-sit) may be most beneficial for lowering systolic blood pressure.
4. It lowers your diabetes risk
For people with type 2 diabetes, increases in muscle mass and stronger mitochondria — the energy center of cells — from long-term resistance training may positively impact insulin responsiveness and glucose control; for people with pre-diabetes, exercise is proven to help prevent it turning into diabetes.
5. It lowers your chance of premature death
A recent meta-analysis found that people who do muscle-strengthening workouts are less likely to die early than those who don’t. People who did just 30 to 60 minutes a week showed a 10-20% lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and lung cancer.