In July 2008 a major study was published in the British Medical Journal. The researchers followed 8762 American men aged between 20-60 for 19 years. That’s a long study!
At the start of study the men received a physical exam, a strength test and a cardiovascular test. Men with poor health or poor health history were removed from the study at the start.
Over the 19 years 503 men died. But here’s the kicker –
Overall there were 50% more deaths in the weakest third of the men, than in the middle or upper third. When the researchers looked at the deaths from cardiovascular disease and cancer the weakest men died earliest.
Simply put strength training keeps you youthful and not only prolongs your life but prolongs the quality of your life.
Here is a short list of some of the benefits of weight training (and of certain types of resistance training):
❏ Strengthens your muscles, tendons and ligaments, helping you achieve a strong, balanced posture and an increase in strength and endurance for everyday tasks.
❏ Raises your basal metabolic rate by as much as 15%, which causes you to burn more calories throughout the day, well after your exercise is done and even while you’re sleeping. Weight training can make your body burn up to 300 additional calories a day (for someone who normally burns 2000 calories per day), so over time, it can lead to significant fat loss.
❏ Strengthens your bones, reducing your risk of developing osteoporosis.
❏ Decreases your resting blood pressure.
❏ Improves your balance and coordination.
❏ Increases your blood level of HDL cholesterol (the good type).
❏ Enhances immune system functioning.
In fact, weight or resistance training has been proven to have a positive affect on insulin resistance, resting metabolism, blood pressure, body fat and gastrointestinal transit time, factors that are linked to illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer. In a nutshell, weight or resistance training helps keeps you healthy!
Dont think that you need hours and hours in the gym with drug fuelled bodybuilders. No, No. Studies have shown just 3 x 20 minute sessions of strength training a week for 6 months reduced biological aging by 12 years !
That’s pretty impressive. The long and short of it is strength training keeps you youthful, healthy and full of vigor!
