The Far-Reaching Health Benefits of Resistance Training

Everyone knows that exercising is essential to improve general health and longevity.

Exercise can be divided into resistance training (RT) and aerobic training (AT).

Resistance training builds muscle strength and size, while aerobic exercise improves endurance.

However, few people know outside of scientific journals which specific form of exercise –e.g., running v. sprinting v. yoga v. specific sports v. resistance training- is best suited to achieving that goal.

Resistance training (i.e., Weightlifting) reliably –by the weight of empirical evidence — out-paces other forms of exercise when compared in the context of such a goal –though, as we’ll see, the healthiest way to exercise is a combination of it with aerobic exercises such as walking.

What Criteria Determine Which Form of Exercise is “Healthiest?”

Determining any criteria for the word “health” is challenging for several reasons, but perhaps most of all because of how much variance –genetically, nutritionally, environmentally, psychologically, etc., — occurs across individual human subjects outside of experimental conditions.

From a purely logical perspective, not all weightlifters are, by definition, “healthier” than all non-weightlifters, and this is because of such human variance.

Thus, when determining the “healthiness” of one type of exercise from another, it must be noted that experimenters control conditions to minimize –something that can never occur in a complete sense, as experimenters and subjects are prone to unaccounted-for biases — variance across human subjects.

Hence, researchers use stipulative parameters to determine the “healthiness” of specific types of exercising –and we may or may not agree with them. Still, we have good reason to agree when their contents are elaborated upon.

For instance, in the journal Exercise, Sport & Movement, how an exercise modality affects mobility, falls, cognitive function, cancer rates, metabolic function, and all-cause mortality determines its “healthiness.”

Most would agree that whatever improves cognitive function and reduces cancer rates is “healthy,” making these stipulations worth retaining in each case.

Beyond that, the reliability of these measures held themselves up to the test and time of scientific scrutiny. Otherwise, there would be no similarities across test subjects, denoting a maximal biological relativism (i.e., an absurdity.)

How “Healthy” is Weightlifting?

Exercise, Sport & Movement studied the effects of aerobic training (e.g., running, yoga, or walking) compared to the impact of anaerobic activity (e.g., resistance training or sprinting) based on such parameters to determine how healthy it is to engage in resistance training.

Researchers emphasize that increasing muscle mass and strength are two interrelated benefits of resistance training that pale in comparison to the long-term benefits they are responsible for facilitating.

Traditionally, regulators gave precedence to aerobic exercise in physical activity guidelines across nations and states due to its ease of execution and numerous health benefits.

However, Exercise, Sport & Movement researchers wish to move resistance training to the “forefront” of such recommendations.

This is because a whole host of benefits to long-term health are missed out by over-emphasizing aerobic exercise at the expense of anaerobic movement.

Injury and Fall Rates

Consider, for instance, the fact that, as we age, sarcopenia –the progressive loss of muscle mass, strength, and function — becomes commonplace. This health concern costs the U.S. healthcare system roughly $19 billion yearly, as it makes falls and work-related injuries more consequential.

Resistance training, or lifting weights, can improve mobility in older adults, and combining it with aerobic exercise and balance training can help prevent falls in care facilities.

Aerobic exercise alone, though, provides different muscle-building benefits than resistance training.

Lifting super-heavy weights is unnecessary to achieve lower risks of falling and overall musculoskeletal injury –research subjects who lifted weights lightly to failure compared to those who lifted heavily to failure experienced the same reduction in fall/injury rates!

While it is likely better for physique purposes to train heavily, this is quite the discovery because it demonstrates that resistance training can be pretty accessible, in this context, to older folks whom it may help the most.

Cognition and Mood

Another age-related health phenomenon that resistance training can help improve is cognitive ability and mood reduction.

According to Exercise, Sport & Movement researchers, engaging in resistance training is especially helpful in mitigating such age-related processes.

This may be partly due to exercise-induced increases in brain-derived neurotrophic factors (BDNF) and cerebral blood flow, both associated with improved cognition.

While much of the existing research has demonstrated that aerobic exercise positively affects executive functions (such as focus, attention, and multitasking) and memory, recent meta-analyses have also revealed that resistance training can improve age-related executive cognitive abilities and overall cognitive function, although not working memory specifically.

That is why it is worth combining resistance training with aerobics in some way, so the full spectrum of exercise-derived cognitive benefits can be actualized –which, in the case of resistance training, can even reverse age-related cognitive decline in older adults studied that were cognitively impaired.

Cancer and All-Cause-Mortality

Cancer is a leading cause of death in many countries and is often accompanied by adverse effects, including loss of muscle mass and strength.

Cachexia, a complex syndrome, is commonly associated with certain types of cancer and chronic diseases.

As age increases the risk of many cancers, it’s possible that sarcopenia (age-related muscle loss) and cachexia can occur together.

Cancer cachexia is partly caused by inflammation, which promotes the breakdown of body tissue. Body composition changes during cancer can also be worsened by cancer treatments and lifestyle changes, such as decreased physical activity and poor nutrition.

Cancer is a diverse disease, so the type and stage of cancer and treatment variations can influence muscle loss.

In some cases, patients with a higher body mass index (BMI) experience lower mortality rates than those with a lower BMI. This could be due to having more muscle mass, regardless of changes in fat mass.

Low muscle mass has been linked to a higher risk of cancer recurrence, overall and cancer-specific mortality, surgical complications, and treatment-related side effects.

Physical activity has been shown to provide significant benefits for cancer patients, including improved physical and mental function, fatigue resistance, better quality of life, reduced recurrence, and increased survival.

Resistance training (RT), either alone or combined with aerobic exercise (AT), is more effective than AT alone in reducing overall and cancer-specific mortality.

RT can potentially counteract the adverse side effects of cancer, such as muscle wasting. Cancer patients who start treatment with greater muscle mass experience fewer side effects and better outcomes.

While RT may not significantly affect lean body mass during cancer treatment, the preservation of muscle mass it induces is associated with a reduced risk of all-cause mortality in cancer survivors.

Resistance training has proven to be a crucial aspect of promoting overall health and longevity.

With its wide-ranging benefits, including improving mobility, reducing falls, enhancing cognitive function, and providing support for those battling cancer, it is evident that incorporating RT into our fitness routines should be a priority.

Moreover, it is essential to combine resistance training with aerobic exercises to maximize the health benefits and counteract age-related issues.

By adopting a balanced fitness approach, we can ensure that we maintain our physical health, promote cognitive well-being, and enhance our overall quality of life.

As you embark on your fitness journey, remember that the benefits of resistance training extend far beyond muscle growth and aesthetics.

By incorporating resistance and aerobic training into your routine, you will take crucial steps toward living a healthier, happier, and longer life.