The main effects of strength training are

The controllable adjustment of external appearance, the long-term improvement of internal health indicators, and the hidden improvement of cognitive status and daily mobility ability - this is the most practical summary I can give after practicing for 6 years and leading nearly a hundred ordinary students, putting aside marketing gimmicks.

Take for example the girl I took care of last year who works in Internet operations. She ran for three months and lost 10 pounds. Her thighs and belly were still loose, and her legs always felt unsightly when wearing tight pants. Later, I adjusted to strength training three times a week, 40 minutes each time, and arranged several sets of leg squats, chest presses, and back pulls. I didn't diet much. In 2 months, my weight increased by 2 pounds, and my waist circumference decreased by 4cm. The jeans that were stuck in my hips were easily lifted up. To be fair here, there is always a debate on the Internet about "Will girls get stronger if they practice strength?" In fact, the scoring system: If you follow the bodybuilding system and pursue muscle hypertrophy effects, you must press heavy weights and combine with calorie surplus, and the increase in circumference is inevitable ； But ordinary girls train two or three times a week, using only 2-5kg dumbbells each time. That amount of training can’t even reach the threshold of muscle growth. Instead, the muscle mass will increase, and the basal metabolism will increase by dozens of calories. Drinking more cups of milk tea at ordinary times will not make you gain weight. It is a complete “fat loss without losing weight” effect. There is no need to worry about becoming a King Kong Barbie.

Don’t think that strength training is just for beauty, the real health benefits are the most valuable. I have a 42-year-old client whose bone density during last year's physical examination was 12% lower than the standard value for the same age group. The doctor prescribed him calcium tablets, saying that if he continues to develop, he will easily develop osteoporosis. He always felt that "it is easy to hurt the waist when you get older when you exercise strength", so he followed the practice hesitantly. Every time he started with light weight deadlifts and bent over rowing, and then slowly increased the weight when his movements were standard, twice a week for a year. He went for a review this year and found that his bone density had returned to the normal range. There has been debate for many years about whether middle-aged and elderly people can do strength training. The older generation always thinks that "people have to maintain their bones as they get older." However, the current mainstream consensus in international sports medicine is that appropriate resistance training is one of the most effective ways to increase bone density and relieve degenerative joint pain. Of course, the conservative advice is also correct: middle-aged and elderly people should never rush the weight when training. There is another example from my own life. My cousin was diagnosed with prediabetes two years ago. His fasting blood sugar has been stuck at around 6.3. The doctor asked him to control his sugar and exercise. He felt tired from running, so he did strength training twice a week. After three months, he checked again and found that his fasting blood sugar had dropped to 5.6. Of course, some people say that aerobic exercise lowers blood sugar faster. I don’t deny this, but strength training improves long-term insulin sensitivity. As long as you maintain the training frequency, even if you occasionally have a craving for hot pot, your blood sugar will not skyrocket like before and will be very stable.

What is most easily overlooked are actually the hidden benefits that are invisible. This is something I feel most deeply about. I used to work on projects to iterate, and I stayed up for a week, sitting for 10 hours a day to change the plan. Before I did strength training, my back was sore that I couldn't straighten my waist. Now my core is stable and my back muscles are strong. Even if I sit for a long time, I can ease it by moving for two minutes. I won't be in pain like before and can't even sleep well. Many people also say that strength training can relieve anxiety and improve concentration. This is also controversial. Many people think that as long as exercise has this effect, it has nothing to do with strength training. I have made a comparison myself. When I run, I can think about my work. Sometimes I get more and more annoyed as I run. But this is not the case when practicing strength. You have to control the movement trajectory and the feeling of force. If you don't pay attention, you can easily get injured. It is equivalent to being forced to change the channel in your brain. If you practice for an hour after get off work, you will forget all the bad things during the day. This kind of "forced emptying" decompression effect is much better for me than pure aerobics.

Oh, by the way, I would like to dispel the rumor. Fans always ask me "Will practicing strength training cause hair loss?" It is true that there is a bodybuilding brother around me who has more hair loss than his peers, but they use technology and ordinary natural training. As long as you don't over-diet or train to hormone imbalance, you won't have this problem at all. Don't be frightened by the rumors on the Internet. Also, don’t listen to what is said on the Internet: “Each set must be exhausted to be effective.” Ordinary trainers leave 1-2 reps in each set, and their movement standards are stronger than anything else. Long-term accumulation of capacity can still produce results, but is less likely to be injured.

In fact, after all is said and done, the effect of strength training is not that mysterious. You don't have to pursue how much you can squat or push. Even if you take two hours a week and take two bottles filled with mineral water to do squats and seated presses at home for three months, you will feel the changes yourself. It is more practical than reading any popular science or stocking up on fitness equipment.