Yes, we know that resistance training can help reshape the body, but the benefits of lifting weights reach far beyond becoming more muscular or toned. Resistance training can help improve your overall health, reduce your risk of disease, and make you a happier person. Here are a few little known benefits of resistance training that might make you think twice before just hopping on the treadmill for you next gym session.
Stronger bones
Many people forget that bone is active, living tissue and just like our muscles, needs to be stimulated to adapt and grow – your body will work to overcome a resistance force when it is required to do so. Weight training and other weight bearing exercises are essential in providing the load needed to help prevent bone loss and potentially even build bone, therefore reducing the risk of osteoporosis and fractures later in life. The best part? It’s never too late to start – beginning resistance training even in your 70s or 80s will still have benefits for your bone health.
Improves posture and back pain
Poor posture is commonly caused by weaknesses in certain muscle groups and tightness in others. Targeted weight training, when done correctly can help in strengthening weak areas such as the shoulders, back and core to correct postural issues and alignment. In turn this can help in reducing back pain, which is often a side effect of poor posture.
Improves your ability to perform activities of daily living (ADLs)
SImply put, the more strength you have, the easier life is. You might not even give much thought to all the little things you do in life that would be a lot less effort if you were doing resistance training; getting up out of a chair, playing with your kids or grandkids, carrying in the groceries, gardening, chopping wood, playing golf, or walking up a flight of stairs. Keeping strong and active with resistance training as you age is especially important in keeping functional movement and staying independent. A study done on a group of nursing home residents aged between 87 and 96 found that they improved their strength by almost 180 per cent after just 8 weeks of lifting weights – so we will say it again: IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO START!
Decreases your risk of injury, falls and joint pain
Resistance training strengthens your soft connective tissues such as the muscles, ligaments and tendons that support your joints, whilst also improving your balance and agility. Stronger, supported joints are less susceptible to injury in general, and the added balance and agility gained from lifting weights means you are far less likely to suffer a fall and risk hurting yourself in the first place. Additionally, stronger connective tissues help to relieve some of the stress from the joints themselves, easing arthritis and other joint pain.
Improves Cognitive Function
Lifting weights improves your brain power and keeps you sharp! The benefits for cognitive function can be achieved by anyone but are most evident when looking at older adults experiencing cognitive decline. This again highlights the importance of continuing to lift weights into late adulthood. A studying of men and women aged 55-86 with mild impairment found that they were able to significantly improve their scores on cognitive tests after performing strength training twice a week for six months. The higher the intensity of the workout, the better the improvements!
Decreases stress and elevates your mood
You might have heard of endorphins before. They are the feel-good chemicals that are released by the brain when we exercise. These endorphins help to relieve stress and improve your mood, and can even help reduce symptoms of depression. Although endorphins are produced with both resistance and cardiovascular exercise, weight training puts a heavier strain on the muscles and can produced more endorphins in a faster period of time.
We could go on and on, as the benefits of lifting weights are endless! If you have only been incorporating walking or cardiovascular exercise into your fitness program, it might be time to pick up some weights. If you’ve never done any weight training before, the best way to get started is to book in with one of our trainers for a program, or join in on one of our Active Adults classes. You will be given a range of different functional exercises to target all of your major muscle groups, and taught how to execute each exercise safely and correctly.
