Who here remembers the Konami Code? Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A and Start. For those that have absolutely no idea what I am talking about, this was the cheat code of all cheat codes in the 1980’s and 1990’s. It gave you all the power ups, unlocked all the characters and levels, and ultimately made the game extremely beatable. What if I told you that there was a Konami Code for the human body? Are you sure you are ready for it? I mean, it is a cheat code that will basically unlock the best version of you.. Alright, here it is….Strength training. Strength training provides so many health and wellbeing benefits outside of building muscles, it is crazy why more and more people do not take advantage of this in their own training programs. Not only do you see an increase in muscle size, you will see positive body composition changes, improved joint health, increased bone density and improved emotional health.
Improved Body Composition
Yes, you heard that right! With building more muscle mass, your body becomes more metabolically demanding, which is just science-speak for it will cost more calories to just be you on a daily basis. When your body becomes more metabolically demanding, it is natural for your body to start pulling energy from fat stores. This leads to the often desired “toned” look of not having such a soft exterior. Now, I am not saying that just strength training causes these changes as there needs to be a little bit of nutritional intervention, but when comparing the changes in body composition when doing “HIIT” or cardiovascular exercise to when you are strength training, there is no contest. Do not just take my word for it, there has been a mountain of scientific literature that has come out to discuss this very topic and the findings are predominantly stating the same thing.
Improved Joint Health
All to often as a society, we complain of having achy or stiff joints. It is not because we are getting older, but rather due to lack of movement. Our bodies adapt to the demands imposed upon it, so if we are not moving our joints through their fullest ranges of motion, odds are you are going to feel achy and stiff. Strength training does a lot more for the body than just getting you stronger. When you properly strength train, your joints are traveling through their entire ranges of motion, which helps keep them mobile and fluid as well as helps strengthen the connective tissue around the joints to better handle the stress of moving. For all intensive purposes, strength training is mobility training. As you progress in your strength training, it is not uncommon to start noticing that you are getting deeper in your squat, your hips do not hurt at the end of the day, or your knee pain that has been plaguing you start to diminish. Chalk another win up for strength training, my friends.
Improved Bone Density
This one may not be super relatable to my younger readers, but for my older readers (especially post-menopausal women) this one is for you. One of the biggest causes of mortality in the older population are bone fractures and breaks. According to the CDC, 1 in 2 women and 1 in 3 men will have the prevalence of low bone mass. If this goes unchecked or unmanaged, the risk of osteoporosis caused fractures will increase dramatically. Outside of supplemental or medicinal interventions, strength training has been shown to reduce the onset of osteoporosis. A study conducted by Mosti, et. al. in 2013 showed that with maximal strength training, there was a significant improvement in bone mineral content in both the femoral neck and lumbar spine in post-menopausal women. This leads us to understand that strength training (done under the supervision of properly trained professionals) can help stimulate bone development, leaving you healthier as you age.
Improved Emotional Health
Emotional health is a very hot topic in todays society. With cases of anxiety and depression at historical highs, this has become an epidemic that needs to be addressed. While there are many ways to help improve your emotional and mental health, such as speaking with a certified mental health professional, there is a large body of literature out there that shows that strength training has positive effects on mental and emotional health. In a meta-analysis done by O’Connor, et.al. in 2010, they determined that the evidence that has been collected shows that strength training alone has a large effect on reducing symptoms of depression in clinically depressed patients. Everything up to this point has focused along the physical benefits of strength training, but taking care of what is above the shoulders is just as important, and can be done with taking part in some regular strength training.
How to get started?
Now that you are armed with all of this information around the benefits, both physical and mental, that strength training provides the next step is getting started. Just like anything we do, strength training does come with some risk involved. If you are new to exercise and training, first thing I recommend is to get cleared by your primary care physician that starting a strength training program is right for you. After that, seek out someone who is degreed and certified within the fitness space. Working with a professional takes the guesswork out of exercise programming, but also helps mitigate a lot of the risk around strength training. The exercise professional understand how to start and progress your exercise program so that it is safe and effective for you as an individual.
Closing Thoughts
As you can see, there is an overwhelming amount of benefit in beginning a strength training routine. There are not only physical, but mental benefits. In today’s society, where the discussion around health has become more and more prominent, one of the best ways to take care of your own health and wellbeing is to start a structured strength training program. With that though, strength training does have some inherent risks associated with it. That is where working with a certified exercise professional comes into play. Having someone there to help guide you on proper technique, as well as guide you on proper exercise progression helps mitigate those risks revolving around strength training.
We are here to help! If you are interested in talking with us about starting a strength training program, fill out our application for coaching. We look forward to hearing from you.
Resources
O’Connor PJ, Herring MP, Caravalho A. (2010). Mental Health Benefits of Strength Training in Adults. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 4(5), 377-396. doi:10.1177/1559827610368771
Mosti, M. P., Kaehler, N., Stunes, A. K., Hoff, J., & Syversen, U. (2013). Maximal Strength Training in Postmenopausal Women With Osteoporosis or Osteopenia. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 27(10), 2879–2886. https://doi.org/10.1519/jsc.0b013e318280d4e2
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