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Ten Great Reasons to Start Strength Training

Strength training has risen in popularity to include both men and women of all ages. There are good reasons to make it part of your fitness program. Consider the following:

To slow down the aging process
The average adult who does not strength train loses between 5 and 7 pounds of muscle every decade! Less strength means a reduced ability to function physically. For example, the average 90-year-old woman must contract her thigh muscles at their maximum capacity just to stand up from a sitting position in a chair. Although aerobic endurance exercise improves cardio respiratory fitness, it does not prevent the loss of muscle tissue associated with aging. Strength training can maintain muscle mass throughout your life. If you start now you can expect to gain 2-3 pounds of muscle in the first 8-10 weeks of working out for 20-30 minutes, three times a week.

To burn calories
The average adult experiences a 2-5 percent reduction in metabolism every decade due to muscle loss. Strength training can actually reverse this trend. Adding 2-3 lbs. of muscle can increase metabolism by 5-7 percent and daily caloric requirements by up to 15 percent. At rest, a pound of muscle requires 35 calories a day just for tissue maintenance. During exercise or other activity, muscle energy utilization increases dramatically. Adults who replace and maintain muscle through strength training use more calories all day long. Muscle matters!

To reduce body fat
Several studies have shown loss of body fat as a result of strength training. One by Campbell and colleagues (1994) found that strength training exercise alone produced an average fat loss of four pounds in three months. Strength training is probably the key to losing fat, and more importantly, keeping the fat off. Remember, diets (even those including exercise) have a poor track record for permanent weight loss success. The reason? Up until recently, strength training has been neglected in diet and exercise programs for weight loss. The increased metabolism associated with the increased muscle mass from training is a tool for lifelong weight management.

To improve glucose metabolism and decrease risk of diabetes
Ben Hurley (1994) at the University of Maryland reported a 23 percent increase in glucose uptake in subjects who participated in a four-month strength exercise program. High blood glucose levels resulting from poor glucose metabolism are associated with adult onset (type II) diabetes. Strength training can play a role in preventing and managing this disease.

To increase bone density and decrease risk of osteoporosis
Dr. Miriam Nelson at Tufts University in Boston put 40 post-menopausal women on a twice-per-week strength training program for one year. Yes, only two times per week. The result? The exercise group increased bone density by 1 percent while the non-exercising control group actually lost 2 percent during the same time period.

To increase functional fitness
In Nelson's study, the exercise group improved their strength by 35-76 percent and showed a 14 percent increase in balance while the non-exercising control group declined 8.5 percent in balance performance during the same year. Remember that our skeletal muscles serve as the engine, chassis, and shock absorbers of our bodies. Consequently, strength training more than any other type of exercise keeps our bodies strong, functionally fit, and able to do the things we really enjoy in our lives, like play with our kids or grandkids, work in the yard or garden, ride a horse, go sailing, play golf, etc.

To reduce low back pain and injury
As reported in the October 1995 issue of Orthopedics Journal by Dr. Brian Nelson and colleagues, back pain can be improved with exercise. Six-hundred-twenty-seven chronic low back pain patients were treated with intensive, specific, strength training exercise for the lumbar extensor muscles. Seventy-six percent of the patients completing the program experienced “excellent” or “good” results regarding change in low-back pain. At one-year follow-ups, 94 percent reported maintaining their improvement.

To reduce resting blood pressure
Strength training alone has been shown to reduce blood pressure (Harris and Holly, 1987). Other studies have shown that strength training combined with aerobic activity is even more effective as a means to lower blood pressure. In 1995, Dr. Wayne Wescott at South Shore YMCA in Quincy, Maryland conducted a study combining the two types of exercise, which showed an average decrease of 5mm Hg in systolic and 3mm Hg in diastolic pressure after just two months of training.

To lower risk of colon cancer
A study by Koffler (1992) showed a 56 percent improvement in gastrointestinal transit time (the time it takes food to digest and move through the digestive system) after three months of strength training. Delayed G.I. transit time is related to a higher risk of colon cancer.

To improve blood lipid levels
Although the effect of strength training on blood cholesterol levels needs further research, at least two studies have shown improved blood lipid profiles after several weeks of strength training exercise. It’s important to note that the effect of aerobic training on blood lipid levels is positive and well established.

CONCLUSION:

Any exercise is better than no exercise at all. Don't quit your walking program! However, an exercise program that does not include strength training will not provide near the benefits that it could. Hopefully, the 10 reasons listed will encourage you to consider adding this type of exercise to your routine. Twenty to 30 minutes, 2-3 times a week, is all it takes to feel healthier, younger, and stronger.