BENEFITS OF LIFTING WEIGHTS
When it comes to doctors orders, we typically hear about cardio based prescriptions urging patients to get 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous aerobic activity each week. That’s just 21 minutes of activity each day, and that’s great! We support that everyone should be moving each day whether you walk, run, crawl or sprint, we believe movement is health.
However, this neglects the importance of resistance training. Resistance training (RT) is moving external force for intentional muscle adaptations. We need to pick things up and put them down, just like our bodies are required to do every single day. Here’s the Jolt Fitness prescription:
Structured Resistance training: 2-5x per week
Programmed Cardiovascular training: 1-3x per week
Walking: Every day
benefits of resistance training
1. IT PREVENTS DISEASE
New studies show that resistance training is better than cardiovascular training when compared head to head in preventing all cause mortality. Grip tests predict all cause mortality more so than blood pressure, triglycerides, and other health tests. The best measure of your health may actually be how well you can get up off the floor. RT actually enhances cardiovascular health by reducing blood pressure, LDL cholesterol and triglycerides. Just try 4 sets of 10-15 back squats @ 75% RPE (effort level) and tell me if your heart rate enters the “cardio zone”. It probably does! By increasing muscle mass we can reduce our risk of diabetes and promote bone density to fight off osteoporosis and arthritis. RT even reduces inflammation which is the number one signal of disease and illness to your body. It reverses your body’s aging process and keeps you healthier for longer.
2. IT BUILDS MORE MUSCLE
Inactive adults lose 3-8% of their muscle mass each decade. The only way to prevent this loss is RT (paired with proper diet). RT builds muscle better than any other form of exercise.
I hear this all the time “Siggy, I want to be more toned”. Let’s break down what “toned” really is… It’s the result of more muscle and less body fat. Resistance training significantly builds muscle and strength better than anything else. It also gives you the ability to shape your body. Although you cannot target fat loss (ie. you can’t lose fat in your stomach area by doing more sit-ups), but you can target build! I can make the muscles bigger and therefore I shape my body the way I want using RT.
Bonus tip: Fat storage is typically genetic and hormonal. The first place you put on excess fat is usually the last place you will take it off. I know, not fair right?
3. MUSCLE BURNS MORE CALORIES
The more muscle mass you have on your body the more calories you will use every day (even when you sleep). We know that resistance training builds muscle, but did you know it actually burns more calories too?
For example:
30 minutes on the treadmill at a moderate intensity will burn around 300 calories
30 minutes of resistance training at a moderate intensity will burn about 150 calories
But here’s the kicker - the people who resistance train will continue to burn calories long after they hop off the treadmill! They basically turn their body into a stronger and faster car with a bigger engine and therefore the body needs more gasoline even when it idles (this is you sleeping). Plus, weight loss from cardio is more likely to be gained back more quickly (see case study below).
Kicker #2, studies show that weight loss from cardio training resulted in over half of the weight being muscle loss! This results in a smaller engine meaning you will need to drop your calories pretty low or work even harder to keep yourself in a caloric deficit (remember calories in<calories out to create weight loss). Cardio training requires endurance, and to have good endurance your body starts reducing muscle mass to SAVE on energy (slowing of the metabolism).
Case study:
I saw this all the time when I worked at a popular cardio endurance based franchise gym. Every single person who signed up for the 8 week challenge (extremely low diet and intense cardio endurance training) lost weight yes, but also lost a significant amount of muscle mass. So now, the challenge is over - they go back to eating like a regular human (even eating healthy) and they gain body fat back quick! Why? Because if they wanted to maintain that fat loss they would need to continue to eat nothing (literally less than 1200 calories per day) and do MORE cardio. Eventually they would even have to reduce their calories again! This leads to burnout, injury, hair loss, developmental setbacks, and disease.
4. MOBILITY AND QUALITY OF LIFE
When people come to see us at Jolt Fitness with an injury, most of the time the injury is from something simple, like picking up laundry off the floor, or turning to talk to their kids in the back seat of the car. It’s usually simple and functional movements that people have lost control of and connection to due to lack of RT. Cardiovascular training does not positively affect mobility and balance like resistance training does. When you fall and slip on the ice in the winter, its resistance training that will prevent your bones from snapping, not cardiovascular training. RT strengthens your daily movement patterns allowing you to be more independent, pain and injury free. For example, deadlifting mimics picking up dogs, an overhead press mimics putting away your wine glasses, I squat as I sit low to play with my niece, I lunge when I tie up my Converse, I row when I open the door of my Jeep Patriot, I bicep curl as I lift tacos into my mouth (all important aspects of my day here, haha!). RT literally makes you better at life.
“Break a hip and die of pneumonia”, a common saying when dealing with people of advanced age. However, its true - when someone falls and breaks a bone this takes away all their independence, social health, environmental stimulus, and obviously physical strength. It’s common as the body tries to heal the immune system becomes weak and often can result in death.
The fact of the matter is RT is FUNCTIONAL. It keeps you mobile, it helps you keep up with your kids, renovate your house, perform better at work, carry all the groceries in one trip (important skill), and more!
5. PREVENTS PAIN
Often people come to me, and straight out say “I can’t squat because it hurts my knees”. Some doctors even tell people to AVOID movement rather than use movement as rehab. Now there is a difference between an injury (like a muscle tear, broken bone, etc.) and chronic pain. When we have chronic pain its often because we are weak in that area or our joints aren’t mobile enough. Stiff back? You bet you should be deadlifting (or a variation of it). Sore knees? You bet, we are going to be doing some type of squat. It’s not the movement that is causing the pain it’s the lack of movement. Chronic pain is a signal that your body needs work.
6. IT’S PROGRESSIVE
The most important factor of your training program is that it needs to be progressive. If it’s not eventually you will plateau and you will not reap the health benefits. Cardiovascular training is not as efficient or realistic to progress as RT. When walking/running on a treadmill, all you can do is walk or run farther or faster. Eventually you’re up to running 10km every day, now what? First of all, that repetitive movement is boring and second of all it’s terrible for your joints and hormonal health due to overtraining risks. On the other hand, when RT we can alter reps, sets, variations, intensity, number of exercises, and target different body parts. Therefore, it’s more progressive and more likely to produce the results based on your goals.
7. HORMONE HEALTH
Resistance training releases Growth Hormone which is essential for tissue development and reducing body fat. It also balances Estrogen and Testosterone in both men and women. Our hormones affect our health, body composition, aging, stress, digestion, nutrition, and risk of disease to name a few. Imbalances in our hormones can cause low energy, mood swings, depression, low libido, excessive fatigue, poor sleep, acne, hair loss or random growth, painful periods or lack of, weight gain or loss. Basically if your hormones are messed up then likely you’re experiencing some symptoms that don’t seem right (although you make think they are normal). RT is the best way to manage your hormone levels paired with stress management, good sleep, and high quality whole foods.
8. TARGET BUILD
Often people ask me how to lose weight on their inner thighs, stomach area, or back of arms. We can’t target fat loss, it comes and goes where it wants. That means that when we reduce body fat, we lose it all over and its typically genetically predisposed to where you will gain and lose it first. However, we can spot build. That means, we can create muscle growth to shape our bodies the way we may desire. You can build and sculpt your muscles in the areas that you wish too, so that when you do reduce your body fat those areas become more visibly “toned”.
We are NOT saying “don’t put me down for cardio”, we are saying have a great balance of both resistance training and cardiovascular activity is necessary for optimal health. Remember, all forms of training are important for different reasons and everyone needs a balanced variety of programming.
Anyone can start resistance training and there are tons of modifications and types to fit anyone’s needs. If you’re intimidated about starting your resistance training program or you’re not sure where to begin you can sign up for Learn to Lift, try our Lift Class, or sign up for the Lift Lifestyle, our progressive online strength and conditioning program.
-Coach Siggy
