Strength training has many benefits outside of just improving your muscle size and tone. Here are 6 Benefits of Strength Training.
1. Shock Absorbers
Muscles act as shock absorbers of the body. Strong muscles will help absorb hard and repetitive landing forces you experience during running, cycling, plyometrics or other step exercises.
2. Reduce Risk of Osteoporosis
Regular strength training helps increase bone mineral density (BMD). This has been show in some studies to reduce the risk of osteoporosis with an increase of BMD by 1% – 3%. The increase in BMD was from resistance training.
3. Reduce Risk of Arthritis
Strength training also reduces the risk of arthritis, which is common in older adults.
4. Body Composition
The goal of most people that come to me for personal training advice is to not just “lose weight” but “tone up” too. In essence this mean improve body composition. (This is when I would say you need to think about SMART goals.)
If you improve your body composition, people tend to feel better about themselves. The best and most effective way to get the body you want is resistance training.
5. Better General Health
Improving body composition will not just help you look like a bodybuilder, it has other benefits too. This includes reduced risk of type 2 diabetes.
Studies show that resistance training improves insulin response and glucose utilization. In addition strength training can improve blood lipid profiles, reduce resting blood pressure, and reduce risk of metabolic syndrome.
6. Be Stronger
This is pretty obvious but if you do strength training, you will get stronger. 🙂
7. Reduce Depression
Studies have shown strength training, well any form of exercise, can reduce the risk of depression in older adults.
8. Makes your Smarter
Mental ability improves with strength training and regular exercise. This mean it makes your smarter.
This is partly due to increasing the oxidative capacity and bloodflow of your muscles and entire body. In addition to improving mitochondrial production.
