Four Major Benefits of Lifting Weights

We all have our own unique reasons for going to the gym.

Building strength.

Stress relief.

Mobility.

Combating osteoporosis.

And many more.

Today I want to explain - briefly - some of the major benefits of regular strength training like what we do at Strength School.

And here’s why -

You all “know” the positive effects of exercise. But you’re probably not aware of just how beneficial it is. Plus, it’s easy to fall into a routine of going to the gym, doing your workout, going home . . . While forgetting just how much good you are doing for yourself (and your family) by sticking with it. 

So I find it valuable to periodically remind everyone of the many great things that lifting weights does for us. 

Let us begin.

#1 Strength Training Makes You Stronger

It’s in the name, right? 

Training to get stronger will make you stronger. Duh. But let’s look at the details.

Lifting weights strengthens not only your muscles. But also your ligaments, tendons, and bones. Did you know that most older adults who fall and break a hip actually break their hip first, then fall because of the broken hip? The weak bones cause the fall, not the other way around . . . And strength training helps prevent weak bones. 

What about the muscles?

Lifting weights can actually change the type of muscle fibers you have. We have slow-twitch muscle fibers, which are not very powerful but good at endurance activities. We also have “fast-twitch” muscle fibers - great for power but only in short bursts of 10-20 seconds.

Slow-twitch fibers are like Mazda Miata’s, like the one my 7am client, Andy Cottongim, drives (sorry Andy, I just had to go there). Miatas get you around town, good gas mileage, whatever.

Fast-twitch fibers are like Ferraris. Pure power, speed, excitement.

You want Ferraris, not Miatas.

People with lots of power and explosiveness, like sprinters, football players, etc. have lots of fast-twitch muscle fibers, whereas people with less power but lots of endurance, like distance runners, have more slow-twitch muscle fibers. We all have a mixture, but as we age, we lose the fast-twitch muscle fibers - that’s one of the reasons why we move slower as we age.

BUT, strength training can actually CHANGE some of your slow-twitch fibers to the fast-twitch fibers. That’s only done by lifting heavy (5 reps or less per set) or moving fast (sprinting, jumping, or med ball throws). 

#2 Strength Training Supercharges Your Brain

My neuroscience advisor in graduate school was taught in the 80s during her own Ph.D. that humans do not produce new brain cells in adulthood. That’s false.

We actually make new brain cells, or neurons, every day. And lifting weights helps that process go smoothly and efficiently, no matter how young or old you are.

As a bonus, new physical activities help your brain make even more new neurons. That’s one of the reasons that we switch our workouts every two weeks. And why we regularly introduce new exercises, stretches, and balance drills. Just this past month, we’ve done a few exercises that clients have never seen before, even those who have been here for 10 years or more.

#3 Strength Training Lowers Blood Sugar, A1c, and Insulin

Many Americans struggle with blood sugar dysfunction. One of the best things to do for managing blood sugar is lifting weights. Every little fiber of muscle you have uses sugar for its fuel. And when the muscle is not using sugar, it has places to store it for later (this is called “glycogen” which just means glucose stored in muscle or in your liver). And the more muscle you have, the more places you have to store sugar. That helps keep it out of your blood, helping you maintain healthy blood glucose, insulin, A1c levels.

Strong muscles are like containers for blood sugar. The more, the better.

#4 Strength Training Boosts Confidence

Did you know that you can change your mood just by changing your posture? Try it for yourself if you’d like. Stand for 20 seconds with your shoulders slumped forward, bent forward, with your arms hanging loosely at your sides. 

How do you feel?

Now stand for 20 seconds with your arms up overhead in a ‘Y’ shape, shoulders back, chest out, stomach pulled in tight. Now how do you feel?

Your posture directly influences your mood and even your hormones. And what’s one of the best - if not THE best - way to improve posture? Strength training.
Especially muscles on the back of the body - hamstrings, back of the shoulders, glutes, traps, and lats - and the deep core muscles like the transverse abdominis (TVA). The TVA is underneath your 6-pack ab muscles and helps keep all of your internal organs supported. It also keeps your belly from protruding out and/or sagging. That’s why we do the stomach vacuum exercise and coach all of our clients to “pull in the belly button” on lots of exercises.