Benefits of strength training to the body

Long-term improvement of basal metabolism can help you maintain a healthy weight more easily, significantly improve bone density and musculoskeletal health, and reduce the risk of all-cause death and various chronic diseases. This is a conclusion that has been reached by the global sports medicine community.

I used to have a friend, Xiao Zhou, who insisted on only aerobic weight loss. He ran 5 kilometers every day and ate within 1,200 calories. He was stuck on a plateau for three months, and even after eating a few more bites, his weight rebounded. Later, I was advised to add strength training three times a week, and just practiced the most basic squats, bench presses, and deadlifts. The total exercise time was not increased, and my diet was relaxed to 1,400 calories. In two months, I lost 4 pounds of pure body fat, and my waist circumference was reduced by 3 cm. In the past, aerobic fitness enthusiasts may have said that strength training does not burn as much fat as running. In fact, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) has already verified that the excess oxygen consumption (EPOC) effect after strength training can last for 12-24 hours. Even if you lie on the sofa and check your phone after training, your body will consume calories faster than usual. Not to mention that muscles are a veritable "energy consumer". For every 1 kilogram of muscle gain, you can burn 10-15 more calories per day. The number may not look big, but it is a difference of 3 to 5 pounds of fat in a year. If the basal metabolism is improved, it is really not easy to gain weight.

Many people only focus on body changes when practicing strength training. In fact, its benefits to health go far beyond just looking good in clothes. My mother is 62 years old. The physical examination in the past two years showed that she had low bone mass. The doctor said that further development will lead to osteoporosis, and she will easily fracture if she falls. She has taken calcium tablets and drank a lot of bone soup for more than half a year, but there was no improvement at all during the follow-up examination. Later, I followed the community fitness team to practice elastic band resistance and light weight dumbbell exercises, twice a week for 40 minutes each time. The movements were adjusted by the coach according to the conditions of the elderly. A year later, the bone density was not only not reduced, but also increased by 0.02g/cm². Even the doctor praised it. There is also a point that has been controversial here: many people think that middle-aged and elderly people are prone to injuries when practicing strength. Traditional fitness circles did not recommend that older people use weights before. But the current consensus in the sports rehabilitation community is that as long as the movements are standardized and the load is gradual, strength training is currently the only non-drug method that can effectively improve bone density - bones are inherently "use it or lose it" organs. Only when you give it appropriate pressure stimulation will it actively deposit calcium, which cannot be replenished by supplements alone.

As for the long-term benefits that people may not pay much attention to, I was particularly impressed by a meta-analysis published by the "British Journal of Sports Medicine" last year. The study tracked the health data of more than 100,000 respondents of different ages for nearly 30 years. It was finally found that people who perform moderate-intensity strength training 1-2 times a week have a 15% lower risk of all-cause death, a 17% lower risk of cardiovascular disease, and a 21% lower risk of type 2 diabetes than those who do not train at all. Of course, it’s not that the more you practice, the better. Many extreme fitness enthusiasts advocate “training once a day” and “exhaustion is enough.” However, research data also shows that after strength training more than three times a week, the gains in reducing the risk of disease basically stagnate. On the contrary, overtraining will increase cortisol levels and lower immunity. The saying "too much is not enough" still applies to strength training.

Let me tell you a little about my personal experience of practicing strength training for 5 years. I used to work in Internet operations, and I would sit in the office and type on the computer every day. After work, my waist would be as stiff as a slab. I would suffer from stiff neck in winter, and plasters are always available at home. Later, I practiced with the coach and arranged back exercises twice a week, such as high pull-downs and bent-over rowing. I persisted with these simple movements for more than half a year, and my shoulder, neck, and back pain basically never happened again. The last time I moved 20 pounds of cat litter up to the 6th floor, I was not out of breath. I couldn't even think about it before.

Oh, by the way, don’t think that the threshold for strength training is too high. You don’t have to get a fitness card and lift heavy weights. Lifting two bottles of mineral water filled with water at home, doing squats, and using elastic bands to pull back are all effective strength training. As long as you can persist, even for 20 minutes each time, your body will give you positive feedback over time. If a novice is afraid of getting injured if he performs the wrong movements, finding a reliable instructor to take three to five lessons is much more useful than just pondering over videos for half a year. After all, safety always comes first.