Lifting for Life: The Surprising Health Benefits of Being Strong
Most of us can agree that many advantages come with being strong:
You don’t have to make as many trips to carry in your groceries.
You can move your furniture around on your own when you get the compulsive urge to redecorate.
You can even get bragging rights for beating your friend in a pull-up contest.
These are all good reasons to pursue strength training, but if these reasons seem too trivial there are more important reasons to strength train as it pertains to your health that might sway you.
The truth is that there are a variety of benefits that come from strength training, but one of the most important reasons to strength train is the positive effect it has on your health and longevity. This is exemplified by the fact that muscle strength and power can be used as health predictors to gauge an individual’s risk for different health conditions, disability, quality of life, and even all-cause mortality.
Some examples of this that we’ll discuss further are strength’s impact on reduced risk of osteoporosis, reduced risk of cancer-specific mortality, improved lipid profile in those with Type 2 Diabetes, and reduced dysfunctional processes associated with the aging brain and Alzheimer’s Disease.
Without further ado, let’s dive into the positive impact that strength training can have on your health and life.
Reduced Osteoporosis Risk
It’s no secret that strength training is hugely beneficial when it comes to preventing osteoporosis, a condition that we usually see in older individuals where there is a decrease in bone density which increases the risk of fracture. What most people don’t know, is that muscular strength can actually be considered to be a skeletal health marker and considered a target outcome for longevity and quality of life interventions as we age.
Osteoporosis has a high morbidity and mortality rate, making it a very important health problem to try and prevent. Individuals with osteoporosis are at risk due to the high likelihood of fracture and the consequent risk associated with fractures, especially at an older age. In fact, for people over 50, researchers have conveyed that suffering one fracture is associated with losing up to 7 years off of an individual’s total life span.
Research has supported that the denser we can make our bones earlier on in life, the lower our risk of osteoporosis as we age. and that“muscular strength is an important and modifiable factor to improve bone development in this period”.
Especially for older individuals, having insufficient bone density can make the difference between a recoverable fall versus a fall resulting in a broken hip and consequent functional limitations, potentially leading to disability and even death.
NOVA Strong clients, Jerry and Ruth, both train specifcally to maintain bone density and decrease fall risk as they age.
The takeaway here is that muscular strength is a useful skeletal health marker when considering the target outcome of improving bone health, and as such, strength training should be utilized whenever possible as a preventative tool for reducing osteoporosis and improving general bone health.
Reduced Cancer-Specific Mortality and Improved Quality of Life During Cancer Treatment
One benefit of strength training that might surprise you is the positive impact that overall strength has on cancer-specific mortality. You might be wondering what strength training has to do with cancer-specific mortality, and to best understand this relationship we need to briefly discuss cachexia.
Cachexia, also known as “Wasting Syndrome”, is frequently seen in cancer patients and accounts for marked weight and muscle loss which cannot be explained by a reduction in food intake alone. Importantly, cachexia is associated with an increased risk of treatment complications and mortality in cancer patients, making it a hot topic in the field of research and medicine and giving scientists a vested interest in determining ways to reduce it.
Interestingly enough, a study examining the relationship between skeletal muscle strength measured by knee extensor strength and cancer-specific mortality found that individuals in the upper quartile for muscle strength were at a 50% reduced risk with respect to cancer-specific mortality. This makes sense given what we discussed the poor prognostic outcomes of cachexia in cancer patients, and the attributed reduction in cachexia associated with strength training.
It is important to note, however, that this study demonstrated that simply participating in strength training was not an indicator of reduced cancer-specific mortality. Rather, individuals who were found to have reduced cancer-specific mortality had to actually be strong and fall into the upper quartile of strength compared to others in the study.
Furthermore, muscle strengthening has been associated with lower incidences of certain types of cancers. One study found that muscle-strengthening activities were associated with a 26% lower incidence rate of kidney cancer as well as with total cancer mortality.
Although further research is definitely warranted to support these findings, it is worth noting that strength training in the least may be correlated with a reduction in certain types of cancers, even if only correlated indirectly.
What’s more, is that strength training has been found to improve the quality of life in individuals undergoing cancer treatment. An important aspect of cancer treatment to take into consideration is the side effects of said treatment and the consequent impact on quality of life given that cancer-rehabilitation tends to be so intensive and devastating.
NOVA Strong Client, Penny, hitting her post-cancer PR at our 2022 Max Out Day event.
Researchers investigated the relationship between strength training and quality of life for individuals currently undergoing cancer treatment and concluded that “strength training has beneficial effects on different aspects of quality of life and reduces fatigue”. This correlation between strength training and quality of life is likely attributed to the fact that “muscle strength was strongly related to physical functioning before treatment, and changes in muscle strength were correlated with changes in physical functioning”.
Taken together, this information lends itself to the importance of strength training as it pertains to reducing cancer-related mortality, incidence rates in some types of cancer, and overall quality of life for individuals receiving cancer treatment.
Improved Lipid Profile in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
Type 2 Diabetes is a chronic condition that affects the way the body processes blood sugar, during which the body either doesn’t produce enough insulin or becomes resistant to the insulin being produced. Given the substantial number of Americans affected by Type 2 Diabetes, reducing its prevalence as well as the negative health consequences associated with it is a topic at the forefront of public health.
It is common for medical providers managing the treatment of Type 2 Diabetes to implement exercise and nutrition plans to improve blood glucose levels and insulin resistance, as well as other metabolic factors. What you may not know is that strength training specifically plays an important role in regulating these factors, potentially even more so when compared to endurance training.
Researchers compared the benefits of endurance versus strength training on the metabolic factors associated with Type 2 Diabetes and discovered some interesting takeaway points. For starters, they found that participants in the strength training group significantly reduced their HbA1c test levels, which measure average blood sugar levels over a few months. The endurance training group on the other hand did not demonstrate a statistically significant decline in HbA1c test levels. Similarly, blood glucose and insulin resistance improved significantly in the strength training group, however, no significant changes were observed in the endurance training group. Lastly, the strength training group demonstrated a significant reduction in total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglyceride levels, and a significant increase in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol.
Lisa was able to lower her HbA1c levels and come off her meds by training just twice a week
These positive findings indicate that strength training is positively correlated with improvements in the lipid profile of Type 2 Diabetics, and we can conclude from this that strength training should be recommended to patients with Type 2 Diabetes as a means of treatment and management.
Improved Neuronal Aging-Related Variables Relating to Alzheimer’s Disease
If the positive effects that strength training can have on Osteoporosis, Type 2 Diabetes, and Cancer didn’t wow you, it might impress you that strength training can have a positive impact on the aging brain and the variables relating to Alzheimer’s Disease.
As we age our brain undergoes changes that result in the breakdown of several structures and functions such as cortical atrophy, neurotransmission dysfunction, reduced blood flow, and cognitive impairments, which correspond with neuronal diseases such as Alzheimer’s Disease.
One study sought to examine the relationship between strength training and its effects on aging-related brain variables such as those discussed above. The researchers of this study highlight the fact that brain atrophy (the loss of neurons and the connections between those neurons) can be related to oxidative stress, and that a long period of strength training can actually reduce this negative oxidative stress.
We also know that reductions in insulin-like growth factor I and brain-derived neurotrophic factor are seen during the aging process as well as Alzheimer’s Disease. Interestingly enough, it was found that strength training enhanced concentrations of both brain-derived neurotrophic factor and insulin-like growth factor I.
Lastly, cognitive impairment is seen in Alzheimer’s disease as a result of the aforementioned neuronal dysfunctions which decrease cerebral blood flow; the researchers of this study found that long periods of strength training can actually improve cognitive performance.
To summarize, researchers concluded that strength training can be related to increased neurogenesis, neuroplasticity and, consequently, counteracts aging effects on the brain”. Simply put, there are several neuronal mechanisms and dysfunctions that are thought to play a role during the aging process and Alzheimer’s Disease. Long periods of strength training have a positive effect on these mechanisms such that it reduces negative mechanisms and enhances positive ones. We can derive from this information that strength training may counteract the aging effects on the brain as it can be related to increased neurogenesis (formation of new neurons) and neuroplasticity (neuronal rewiring/forming new connections).
Reduced Arterial Blood Pressure
Of great interest to public health is the prevention of hypertension (high blood pressure) given that it is a risk factor for the development of coronary heart disease and stroke, which both fall among the top 3 leading causes of death in the United States.
You may have heard endorsements for the role of aerobic exercises such as running and other forms of traditional cardio in the context of lowering blood pressure, but it hasn’t been until recently that the role of strength training has been examined.
One study found that “8 weeks of whole-body high-intensity resistance exercise training significantly reduces systolic arterial blood pressure by 9 mmHg and diastolic and mean arterial blood pressures by 8 mmHg at rest” in healthy young subjects. While this reduction might seem small and inconsequential, it is significant and has implications for decreasing the risk of developing certain cardiovascular diseases in the future.
Improved Quality of Life
Another thing that likely won’t surprise you is that with increased strength comes improved quality of life. This makes a lot of sense if you think about it, as we’ve already established that being strong allows you to do functional activities in day-to-day life such as carrying groceries and moving heavy objects.
I keenly remember my first conversation with one of our clients, Bonnie (71 years old), who proudly told me that she had recently helped her son move his couch. She attributed this accomplishment to her strength training here at NOVA Strong, and proceeded to trap bar deadlift an impressive weight just after speaking with me.
Strength training is beneficial at any age, but especially so for older individuals. While subtle differences in strength amongst younger people might be the difference between making one grocery trip versus two, as we age, strength discrepancies become much more apparent and potentially limiting when it comes to performing functional activities.
Following my conversation with Bonnie I found myself reflecting on some of the other 70+ year old women I knew and concluded that there were few other women (or men) of her age that I believed would be able to help move a couch, and that perhaps strength training accounted for a substantial portion of those functional differences.
Pictured: Bonnie (right) and me (left) deadlifting together.
Especially for older individuals, strength training could make the difference between being able to rise from a chair unassisted versus being physically disabled by a lack of functional abilities. You can only begin to imagine the implications that these functional differences would have on one’s quality of life and the day-to-day activities that they would be able to safely and efficiently execute.
This isn’t just speculation, studies have supported that “loss of muscle strength is associated with poorer functional ability and both are associated with reduced HRQoL [Health Related Quality of Life]” in older adults.
A likely rationale behind this comes from Samuel et al, saying “Those with ‘good’ muscle strength possibly also had more vitality and less bodily pain. Older adults who had a lot of energy and less bodily pain are likely to undertake more in life in terms of fulfilling their societal roles and this might have resulted in their improved physical, social and emotional function”.
This makes sense when you think about it. An individual who experiences life in a relatively energetic and pain-free fashion would be more likely to actively participate in society and would stand to gain improved all-around functioning from doing so.
A Note on the Importance of Muscular Power
It is also worth noting that muscular power, which can be understood as the ability to exert force rapidly, is an equally important metric to consider when predicting functional performance in older adults. Whereas muscle strength can be understood as the ability to exert force in order to overcome resistance, muscle power can be defined as the ability to exert a certain amount of work over a period of time where the goal is to complete movements at a high velocity (speed).
In addition to the important role that muscle strength plays in functional performance, research has indicated that muscle power also plays a significant role in functional performance in older adults, and “although a large number of studies have established the role of muscle strength (the ability to generate maximal muscle force) as a proximal determinant of functional limitations in older adults, skeletal muscle power (the product of the force and velocity of muscle contraction) has been shown to decline earlier and more rapidly than muscle strength with advancing age”.
Given that muscle power has been shown to decline earlier and faster than muscle strength as we age, it makes it even more important that we acknowledge the necessity of improving muscle power in addition to muscle strength. To fully appreciate the importance of training for muscle power, it is important to understand the progression of aging as it pertains to muscle power and the potential resulting consequences of muscle power being significantly diminished.
As we age, there are several changes that take place from a muscle pathology standpoint, such as loss of motor units, change in fiber type, muscle fiber atrophy, reduced neuromuscular activation, and slowed rate of activation that consequently lead to reduced velocity of movement. With reduced velocity of movement comes subsequent reduced power output which leads to impairments in physical activities that can progress to more general functional limitations. These functional limitations may eventually qualify as a disability due to the resulting reduction in ability to function normally in a person’s societal and environmental role.
When we take this into account, we can see that there is more to be offered from strength training than just doing 3 sets of 10 on a machine. A well-designed program should include total body movements that will transfer more to function in daily life and challenge us to maintain, or even develop, physical attributes that can keep us strong, healthy, and happy as we age.
Summary
To circle back to my earlier point, training for muscular strength and power has far more important benefits than simply being able to carry more of your groceries at once (although this is a more than good enough reason to start strength training).
Strength training plays a huge role in reducing and even potentially preventing certain health conditions such as:
osteoporosis
certain types of cancer
neuronal aging mechanisms associated with Alzheimer’s Disease
hypertension
disability
Strength training has also demonstrated the potential to have a positive effect on Type 2 Diabetes by improving lipid profiles over a period of strength training. Furthermore, strength training has been shown to improve functional abilities and quality of life both in healthy individuals and those undergoing cancer treatments, and even has a hand in indirectly reducing mortality. Having adequate muscle power is a proximal determinant of having high functional abilities which in turn reduces the risk of disability. Taken together, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be training for muscular strength and power, so let’s explore how you can make it a part of your daily life.
Firstly, if you aren’t already doing some form of strength training, today is a good day to start. You don’t have to wait for the new year, a special occasion, or a health issue to surface to make the decision to better your health and lifestyle. If you’re looking for a sign, this is it!
This also applies to individuals who are currently exercising but aren’t doing strength-based training. There are plenty of health advantages when it comes to other forms of exercise that may focus on cardiac health such as running or biking, and you should definitely continue those if you’re already participating in them, but there are unique health benefits from strength-based training specifically that you should make time for even if you’re already engaging in other forms of exercise.
NOVA Strong client, Andrew (Left), and me (Right) coaching the kettlebell deadlift
Secondly, if you are already strength-training, make sure that you’re incorporating heavier lifts for muscle strength as well as lighter lifts that can be performed at high velocity for muscle power.
Depending on your individual goals, program, and exercise history, this might look like squatting with a heavier weight one day of the week and performing a lighter squat on another day of the week during which time you can emphasize speed.
Alternatively, it might mean incorporating movements where you focus on heavy lifts on one day and movements where you focus on plyometric movements such as box jumps on another day. You can also mix and match and program heavy lifts as well as high-velocity movements on the same day if that works for you.
Last but not least, if you’re interested in beginning strength training but you’re not quite sure where to start, or you’re already strength training but you could use a little extra help meeting your goals, NOVA Strong has a dedicated team of Personal Trainers that can help you reach your goals both virtually and in-person. Feel free to hit the button below if you’re ready to start your journey.
