Strength Training
“Physical strength is the most important thing in life. This is true whether we want it to be or not.” - Mark Rippetoe, Starting Strength
Key Benefits
1. Increases muscle strength and muscle size
Strength training is the most efficient way to increase how much force your muscles can produce and to grow or preserve muscle size across the lifespan¹.
2. Prevents or slows sarcopenia / age-related muscle loss
Regular strength training is central to preventing age-related loss of muscle mass and power, helping older adults stay independent².
3. Improves bone density & helps prevent osteoporosis
Strength training increases or maintains bone mineral density (BMD), especially at the spine and hip, reducing fracture and osteoporosis risk³.
4. Improves body composition (lean mass, fat)
Strength training helps increase lean mass, decrease fat mass (especially when combined with diet), and improve overall body composition⁴.
5. Improves blood sugar control & insulin sensitivity (T2DM)
Strength training improves glycaemic control (e.g. HbA1c) and insulin sensitivity, and is now strongly recommended for people with or at risk of type 2 diabetes⁵, ⁶.
6. Lowers blood pressure and supports cardiovascular health
Certain forms of strength training, especially isometric and dynamic resistance exercises, can lower resting blood pressure and contribute to overall cardiovascular risk reduction⁷, ⁸.
Key Benefits
7. Improves functional capacity, mobility & independence (especially in older adults)
Strength training improves everyday function – walking speed, standing up from a chair, balance – and helps older adults stay independent and reduce fall risk⁹.
8. Reduces all-cause, cardiovascular and cancer mortality (general population)
Doing strength training regularly is associated with a lower risk of dying from any cause, and particularly from cardiovascular causes and some cancers¹⁰, ¹¹.
9. Supports brain health & cognitive function
In mid-life and older adults, strength training improves global cognition, executive function and processing speed, and is increasingly seen as a neuroprotective intervention¹², ¹³.
10. Improves survival and prognosis in people with cancer
Higher muscle strength and fitness (in practice often achieved via strength training) are associated with better survival after a cancer diagnosis¹¹.
11. Reduces chronic low-grade inflammation & improves cardiometabolic markers
Strength training can reduce chronic inflammatory burden and improve lipids and metabolic markers, contributing to lower cardiometabolic disease risk⁶, ¹⁴, ¹⁵.
12. Reduces symptoms of depression and anxiety
Strength training is an effective non-pharmacological treatment for depression and anxiety, with effects comparable to or better than many other exercise types¹⁶, ¹⁷, ¹⁸.
References